S52 TRAVELS through 



fquirrels •, this I wilhed to fee with my own eyes. 

 I cannot avoid communicating my obfervations 

 on this fubject to you. I was once hunting at 

 the Illinois^ in a wood which abounded with 

 hazelnuts, which is a very nice food for fquirrels; 

 they were likewife very plentiful there •, I heard 

 upon a tree, under which I Hood, the fad cry of 

 a fquirrel which feemed frightened ^ I did not 

 know what ailed it-, at laft I perceived a fnake 

 hung over a branch of the tree, looking upwards, 

 waiting for its prey ; and the unhappy fquirrel, 

 after leaping from branch to branch, fell into die 

 mouth of the fnake, which fwallowed it. 



Without entering into a phylical detail, I ima- 

 gine the fquirrel was fafcinated by the fnake in 

 the following manner. The antipathy of the 

 fquirrel, makes it look upon the fnake as faftened 

 to the tree, when it fees it thus immoveable, and 

 bung upon a branch; therefore inflead of re* 

 marking that it is only a fnare, laid by its adver- 

 fary, it jumps from branch to branch, as it were 

 to infult the fnake ; when by jumping round the 

 reptile, the latter fees it near enough to dart up- 

 on, feize and fwallow it.f Many authors 



pretend 



■f- This is a very ingenious explication, but it fuppofes, 

 thiit we muft attribute to the fquirrel nicer feelings, than anir 



jnaU 



