In the Serpents' Path. 55 



many another feature of the fauna of that spot, they 

 can generally be found, when earnestly looked for. 

 There were nothing but crayfish in a meadow- 

 brook when a friend came for the single purpose 

 of studying them ; and how abundant were the 

 rare Muhlenberg turtles when the herpetologist 

 happened along ! The rambler, on the other hand, 

 indulges in hap-hazard observation, and unavoida- 

 bly so. To be constantly on the alert for certain 

 forms of life is to become a specialist, and this 

 means work, that most dreaded of all combina- 

 tions of the alphabet. But the snakes at home : 

 they wait until April sunshine warms them into 

 activity, and away they go until the first ditch is 

 reached, when each individual bids his fellows 

 farewell ; but here, in a mountain-lake, it all 

 seemed different. It is March, and as wintry on 

 the hill-tops as a month ago, and these snakes 

 are taking a brief outing, or some hidden cause 

 has sent them, out of season. This, too, is an 

 occurrence I have known. Huge water-snakes 

 occasionally appear in the fields during warm days 

 in February, coiled into circular mats, and too 

 lazy to uncoil when picked up. Where they 



