8 CAMP-FIRES OF A NATURALIST. 



the crevices under the tent. Morning dawned at 

 last, and one by one the members of the party crawled 

 out. Dyche had suffered most, for he had lain 

 all night at the door of the tent with little cover- 

 ing, and the water and mud had poured over him, 

 chilling him to the bone. Never before had he felt 

 cold as he felt it then. Barely able to move, he got 

 out at dawn, started a fire, and finally succeeded in 

 rubbing sufficient vitality into his benumbed limbs to 

 be sure once more that life was pleasant. 



It took but a short while for the camp equipment 

 to become dry in the sun, and by noon barely a sign 

 of the storm was to be seen on the surrounding 

 prairie. The remainder of this day and several days 

 thereafter were devoted to the search for fossils. 

 One very hot morning Snow said that he desired cer- 

 tain specimens of the snake kind, and wanted the 

 boys to devote the day to collecting them. 



Gathered around the camp-fire that night, all were 

 ready to tell of their adventures and show the tro- 

 phies of the chase. In handling a specimen of rattler 

 Snow was a little careless, and the reptile slipped its 

 head from his hand, fastening its fangs in his finger. 

 It was a small snake, but none the less dangerous. 

 A ligature was tied around the finger and the poison 

 sucked from the wound. After the excitement was 

 over the " game" was displayed. There were whip- 

 snakes, bull-snakes, hog-nosed snakes, rattlesnakes, 

 and racers. The oddest was the hog-nosed snake. 

 It has the appearance and shape of the rattler with- 

 out its fangs. Coiling up, it throws back its head 

 and opens its mouth so wide that its jaws are dislo- 



