A TRAGEDY OF NATURE. 77 



ture of that ethereal mildness which is most 

 pleasing. 



An hour ago a tragedy broke the quiet of this 

 pastoral peace a tragedy of nature. Walking 

 through the old farm garden, where grow many 

 fruit trees, I discovered a cow snake 13 stretched 

 out 011 the limb of an apricot tree, some six feet 

 above the ground. After watching it a while 

 I gently pinched its tail when it doubled back 

 and bit its own body, then fell to the earth and 

 started slowly away. On heading it off, in- 

 stead of coiling and then striking, as is the cus- 

 tom of most of our reptiles, it curved its body 

 into a close coil with head beneath and remained 

 motionless. Although I pushed and prodded it 

 gently with toe and stick it would not uncoil. 



Wishing to show this unusual habit to others 

 I carried it on the end of a stick to a bare spot 

 in the yard, where, when dropped, it immedi- 

 ately resumed its coiled position with head hid- 

 den. At this juncture a fox terrier came on the 

 scene and immediately began barking at the 

 snake. The latter finally raised its head, but 



13 Coluber obsoletus Say. 



