THE OOLOGISt 



49 



alive with the different Mniotiltidae. 

 I made observations daily in this 

 copse of woodland from May 1st to 

 30th, 1919, and only was able to find 

 species of the Wood Warblers on the 

 6th, 10th, 18th and 25th, the other 

 days they being very conspicuous be- 

 cause of their absence. 



During the coming migration season 

 of 1920 I again intend to spend some 

 portion of each day during the period 

 between April 15th and May 31st, in 

 this same locality and will at the end 

 of this period draw up an article show- 

 ing the comparative dates of arrival 

 of the Mniotiltidae which I am quite 

 sure the readers of the Oologist will 

 be glad to see. 



Louis S. Kohler, 

 Hawthorne, N. J. 



Black Snake 



In No. 6, Vol. XXXV, Mr. W. H. H. 

 Baker, from Harvey, la. tells us of a 

 black snake adventure. Although I 

 cannot report how this serpent 

 managed to reach its perch, permit 

 me to narrate several facts regarding 

 similar "Black Snake stunts," which 

 might be of interest to the readers. 



This species of snake indeed is a 

 very able tree climber. A friend of 

 mine has repeatedly seen an at least 

 six foot specimen of this reptile that 

 has his haunts on his farm which is 

 about a mile from my home. Never, 

 however, has he been able to corner 

 it, — for curio.sity's sake,- — for as soon 

 as he puts in an appearance she heads 

 for a large tree in the woods, and dis- 

 appears in the crown with amazing 

 rapidity. With his repeated chances 

 were plentiful of putting an end to 

 her sojourn, but claiming this specie's 

 usefulness, (1 cannot verify his claim 

 as to that), he refrained from doing 

 so, I may add here that this part of 

 St. Louis Co., is rather hilly, and 

 lavishly covered with woods, creeks 



and rivers, a welcome haunt to the 

 naturalist. 



In another instance a boy had 

 climbed to a telephone post with no 

 intent. At the height of twenty feet, 

 a Woodpecker's home had struck his 

 eye, and he designed to relieve the 

 pecker's better half of her duties. As 

 it was somebody had beat this ur- 

 chin's time, for no sooner had he thrust 

 his nimble fingers in the orifice to 

 grasp the coveted eggs, he extracted 

 them again, with preposterous celerity, 

 a three foot black snake attached to 

 his mischievous fingers. This s^rpent 

 dropped down immediately upon its 

 removal from the hole, and made a 

 getaway. Descending the post was ac- 

 complished in two shakes, and the 

 words he uttered came from no Sun- 

 day School vocabulary. Let us hope 

 this incident inclined the youngster to 

 become a bird friend instead of a bird 

 fiend. 



At another time several acquaint- 

 ances noticed a few Martins clamor- 

 ing about their abode — a box at the 

 top of a fifteen foot sleek pole. Up- 

 on closer investigation it was found 

 that a two and a half foot black snake 

 had ascended this very pole in order 

 10 make a meal of the fledgings. The 

 reptile's blood thirst had been quench- 

 ed, and his stomach had been 

 appeased but the beast had made no 

 allowance for the infurriated embryo 

 farmers. After many futile attempts 

 Nemesis reached the nest robbers. 



Lastly, in the church yard of this 

 borough I found the cast off skin oX 

 a black snake in the crorch of a 

 maple tree, seven feet from the ground. 

 This has been garment is three feei 

 seven inches long. The diameter of 

 the tree is approximately one aio a 

 half foot. 



H. A. Insinger, 

 Valley Park, Mo. 



