37 
toads and frogs, the natural food of most of 
our common snakes seem to possess an instinc- 
tive knowledge of the deficiency of sight in 
snakes. Many times have I observed a frog or 
a toad when pursued by a hungry snake, sud- 
denly “squat” with its head pressed close to 
the ground, and its body “humped up,” when 
the pursuing snake actually glided over the 
object of its pursuit, as though ignorant of its 
presence. Sometimes the snake has stopped 
in its chase beside the suddenly squatted vic- 
tim, critically examined it, and then deliber- 
ately left the terror stricken creature as though 
fully satisfied that the object thus investigated 
was not the animated morsel of food which the 
snake had so energetically pursued. But as 
soon as the victim hopped about it at once at- 
tracted the eager attention of the hungry snake 
and paid very dearly for its indiscretion. 
Again, to illustrate this scientific fact, I have 
witnessed, many times, a snake pursue a toad, 
which eluded capture, when the snake has 
struck another snake that happened to be in its 
way and at once resolutely endeavored to gorge 
its prize, evidently convinced that it had made 
a capture of the victim it pursued; but the 
violent struggles of its relative soon impressed 
the stupid snake with a realization of its foolish 
error. 
The snake’s tongue is a very interesting ob- 
ject to study, my Fritz. It ig generally sup- 
posed to be the “stinger” of the snake; even 
4 
