238 BIRD ENEMIES. 



to find the snake, but could not. I am unable to say 

 whether the snake was venomous or belonged to the 

 constricting family, like the black snake. I can well 

 recollect it was large and moved off rather slow. As 

 I had never seen anything of the kind before, it made 

 a great impression on my mind, and after the lapse 

 of so long a time, the incident appears as vivid to 

 me as though it had occurred yesterday." 



It is not probable that the snake had its mouth 

 open ; its darting tongue may have given that impres- 

 sion. 



The other incident comes to me from Vermont. 

 "While returning from church in 1876," says the 

 writer, " as I was crossing a bridge ... I noticed a 

 striped snake in the act of charming a song-sparrow. 

 They were both upon the sand beneath the bridge. 

 The snake kept his head swaying slowly from side to 

 side and darted his tongue out continually. The 

 bird, not over a foot away, was facing the snake, hop- 

 ping from one foot to the other, and uttering a dis- 

 satisfied little chirp. I watched them till the snake 

 seized the bird, having gradually drawn nearer. As 

 he seized it, I leaped over the side of the bridge ; 

 the snake glided away and I took up the bird, which 

 he had dropped. It was too frightened to try to fly, 

 and I carried it nearly a mile before it flew from my 

 open hand." 



If these observers are quite sure of what they saw, 

 then undoubtedly snakes have the power to draw 

 birds within their grasp. I remember that my 



