388 LEAVES FROM THE 



then one sheet of blossom, when my attention was 

 attracted by the loud outcries of several turkeys far away 

 towards the lower part, where the fruit-trees ended. On 

 looking up, I saw them surrounding a tuft of grass more 

 than usually luxuriant. They craned over at this tuft, 

 which they surrounded, keeping at a respectful distance, 

 however, with ruffled plumage and half-expanded tails, 

 uttering the short, often-repeated cry, pit, pit, pit, as 

 turkeys do, when they are annoyed and frightened. As I 

 advanced, their gestures and cries were redoubled ; and, 

 upon coming up, I saw a very large common ringed snake 

 coiled up in the tuft. At my approach it started off, 

 followed by myself and the turkeys, they still crying and 

 gesticulating, but saved itself in the hedge. I could not 

 help asking myself whether the Transatlantic blood in 

 their veins had not roused their latent instincts, and im- 

 pressed their brains with the notion that they had come 

 upon one of the smaller rattlesnakes. 



By the way, there is no longer a shadow of doubt that 

 the serpents operated upon by the serpent-charmers at 

 the Zoological Garden last year, had been deprived of 

 their poison -fangs by mechanical means.* 



Acrell, at the close of his statement relative to the 

 alleged fascination of serpents, asks — ' Do we not see, in 

 the summer, a parallel instance at home, in the toad, a 

 most indolent animal, into whose mouth, as it lies in the 

 shade or under a shrub, butterflies and other insects fly?' 



Certainly the insects do fly into the toad's mouth, but 

 not, it may be suspected, without a little help ; and this 

 reminds me of the promise to give my readers some 

 notion of the mechanism by which the tongue of that 

 reptile acts with such marvellous rapidity and certainty 

 in securing its prey. 



Mr. Arscott, of Tehott, in Devonshire — 'tis an old tale, 

 but none the worse for that — kept a pet toad, which, when 



* Ante, p. 204. 



