THE RETURN OF THE BIRDS. 43 



of a loathsome, yet fascinating scene. Three 

 or four yards from me was the nest, beneath 

 which, in long festoons, rested a huge black 

 snake ; a bird, two thirds grown, was slowly 

 disappearing between his expanded jaws. 

 As he seemed unconscious of my presence, I 

 quietly observed the proceedings. By slow 

 degrees he compassed the bird about with 

 his elastic mouth ; his head flattened, his 

 neck writhed and swelled, and two or three 

 undulatory movements of his glistening body 

 finished the work. Then, he cautiously raised 

 himself up, his tongue flaming from his 

 mouth the while, curved over the nest, and, 

 with wavy, subtle motions, explored the in- 

 terior. I can conceive of nothing more over- 

 poweringly terrible to an unsuspecting fam- 

 ily of birds than the sudden appearance 

 above their domicile of the head and neck 

 of this arch-enemy. It is enough to pet- 

 rify the blood in their veins. Not finding 

 the object of his search, he came stream- 

 ing down from the nest to a lower limb, 

 and commenced extending his researches 

 in other directions, sliding stealthily through 

 the branches, bent on capturing one of the 

 parent birds. That a legless, wingless crea- 

 ture should move with such ease and rapid- 



