i68 NEIGHBOURS UNKNOWN 



swaying softly, just over the base of the 

 branch. It was the head of a large black 

 snake. 



The snake's eyes, dull yet deadly, met 

 those of the squirrel and held them. For a 

 moment the black head was rigid. Then it 

 began to sway again, with a slow hypno- 

 tizing motion. The eyes shallow, opaque, 

 venomous seemed to draw closer together 

 as they concentrated their energy upon the 

 mildly glowing orbs of their intended victim. 

 At last the waving head began to draw near, 

 the black body undulating stealthily into 

 view behind it. Nearer, nearer it came, the 

 flat hard eyes never shifting, till it seemed 

 that one lightning lunge would have enabled 

 it to fix its fangs in the fascinated victim's 

 neck. But at this moment the little aeronaut 

 whisked half round, flirted his broad fluff of 

 a tail straight out behind him, and sailed 

 quietly from his perch on a long gradual 

 swoop, which brought him back to the base 

 of the tree from which he had originally 

 started. The hypnotizing experiment of the 

 black snake had been, in this instance, an 

 unqualified failure. Angry and disappointed, 

 the snake withdrew to hunt mice or other 

 easier game. The flying-squirrel ran cheer- 

 fully up the tree, slipped back into the hole, 



