230 NATURE STUDY. 



a peculiarity of this mark, so he tells us, that no beast 

 will or can cross it. The unsuspecting victim, curiosity 

 excited, the fleet-footed antelope, for example, browses 

 around the outside of the line until it comes to the open- 

 ing, and having walked inside the enclosure his lionship 

 rushes out, closes the entrance or gap with a few " swipes 

 of its tail," thereb}^ securing its prey, which is disposed of 

 at pleasure, if that be before the efficacj' of the charmed 

 " trace " has worn away. 



In some sections of this country, a story is told in good 

 faith that the cowboys or Indians in the southwest, when 

 they want to capture a fine specimen of rattlesnake, circle 

 a hair rope or lasso on the ground around his snakeship, 

 gradually decreasing the enclosure until they are able to 

 "box the snake" without damage. The theory is that 

 no reptile will crawl over a cord or rope composed of plait- 

 ed hair. 



This and other similar " historical sayings " have grown 

 out of this encorral story, given as a statement of fact by 

 this twelfth century author — noted for ' ' learning and wis- 

 dom." Snakes are caught, "boxed" it is true, but not 

 in the way indicated. Ask some honest rattlesnake hun- 

 ter of Pennsylvania, or, better still, read "The Snake 

 Hunters of the Green Mountains." 



But let us proceed with our author, who informs us that 

 the use indicated is not the onl}' one to which the lion puts 

 its tail. When the hunter pursues it closely, the beast 

 sweeps its bushy tail about so as to obliterate its foot-prints 

 as it advances, thus eluding annoying or successful pur- 

 suit. 



You may have seen it stated that all members of the 

 leonine family " sleep with one eye open." This is not a 

 fact, although our mediaeval naturalist informs us that for 

 some unknown reason the lion manifests great dread of a 

 white rooster but has none for its brother of colored plu- 



