^ov. 1889.] 



a:nt) oologist. 



171 



were placed near the ground; but those ob- 

 served were generally in wild hop-vines near 

 the edge of the woods. 



One pair, I remember, used to frequent a 

 piece of thick woods in the bend of the creek, 

 where it issued from the forest unto our farm 

 and to me; it was then known as the Black- 

 backed AVarbler, and under that term I de- 

 scribed it among other warblers, in a series of 

 articles on our wild birds in The Rural Cana- 

 dian. And in contradistinction to the time 

 when Wilson wandered and wrote, there are 

 now quite a number of persons in the Canadian 

 provinces giving the keenest attention to the 

 appearing and life-histories of the feathered 

 race, and when Yennor wrote the above paper 

 he confessedly knew little of this species or he 

 would not have cliaracterized it as a songless 

 bird. 



But though this little wild-wood wanderer 

 warbles its song with clearness and animation, 

 especially for some weeks after its arrival 

 from the south, yet it must be admitted that 

 its music is not remarkaljle for its melody, 

 for in its refrain there seems a melancholy 

 plaintiveness, as thougli the little performer 

 was complaining that it was seeking in vain 

 for something that it liad loved and lost; but 

 as adding a varying strain to the great orches- 

 tra of tlie wilderness it must ever be interest- 

 ing to the lover of bird music, and the student 

 of animated nature. 



This species is about five inches in length. 

 In its spring plum ige the color of the male on 

 the upper parts is of a uniform slaty blue, 

 while the cheeks, chin, throat, and sides of 

 the breast are deep black, the hinder lower 

 parts are pure white, and there are some white 

 dots on the wings and tail. Its favorite habi- 

 tat is high hard wood, timbered lands, and 

 while the male loves to warble his song notes 

 high among the branches, as he gleans his 

 insect food from the foliage, the female usually 

 selects a more lowly site for tlie cradle of 

 lier progeny, and in common with most of the 

 others of the smaller species of birds, that 

 nest in exposed positions, she is often com- 

 pelled to be the foster-mother of one or more 

 of the young of that feathered parasite, the 

 Cowbird. WlUiani L. Kells. 



Listowel, Ontario, Tanarta. 



A Snake. 



Southern Colorado has a superabundance of 

 the snake familv. ever since the senseless legis- 



I lators of that district placed a bounty on the 

 I scalps of vermin exterminators. 

 ! Just why a robin or bluejay"s life should be 

 held more valuable than the Yellow-tailed 

 Hawk or the Black Eagle, whose virtues are 

 many and mistakes few, no one but an Indian 

 peace commissioner or a legislator could ever 

 understand. 



In 1836, I was witness to a curious combat 

 between two large black (Frank Webster says 

 they're golden) Eagles and an enormous racer 

 snake, near old Ben Butler's ranch at Rattle- 

 snake Buttes in Huerfano County. The Eagles 

 had nested in the northeast Butte, and while 

 foraging for a meal one day Mr. Eagle came 

 aci'oss the racer. I rode within forty feet of 

 the contestants and watched what to me was a 

 novel sight. The great bird (9' 11" from tip 

 to tip extended) would swing down at the 

 snake which, flattened and half buried in the 

 buffalo grass, would await its blow and then 

 hissing, spring for the eagle's neck. Once 

 coiled on the bird's neck there would have 

 been but scant resistance to those terribly con- 

 stricting folds, for the red racer is no con- 

 temptible emlnacer. The eagle seemed in- 

 stinctively to know this, and as soon as the 

 great black arm had delivered its blow, the 

 whole body would be violently "jerked," so 

 that the heavy tail was the only object his 

 snakeship could attack. Whether the eagle 

 would have eventually tired the snake or the 

 snake outgeneraled the eagle I know not, for I 

 became aware that the eagle's mate wanted a 

 finger in the pie. Swiftly and silently as a 

 thunder-cloud the new comer came on, and, 

 poising hardly for aim, dropped like a bolt at 

 the snake. So unexpected was this onslauglit 

 that it very neai-ly ended the fight then and 

 there. With the utmost difficulty the racer 

 dodged a blow that if properly received would 

 have broken a man's leg. And now tlie two 

 eagles made life very dismal for that red racer. 

 First one would swoop down, striking viciouslj- 

 with right or left and then number two 

 would come humming right at his mate's tail, 

 and make that su.ike sigh for a hole in the 

 ground as the one desideratum of this mun- 

 daue sphere. Becoming emboldened as the 

 snake showed signs of distress the eagles 

 became more careless with each swoop until 

 as the male bird swept past him, in sheer des- 

 peration apparently, the big racer launched 

 himself and caught on the coveted place. 

 With two swift motions as many coils were 

 passed around the doomed bird's throat, and 

 altliough the eagle rose it was evidently with 



