BATTLE BETWEEN A SNAKE AND AN EEL. 



WHILE I was walking, a few days since, along the 

 bank of a shaded creek, a few miles from Philadelphia, my 

 attention was attracted towards some weeds that were 

 growing near the edge of the water, from which proceeded 

 a most singular noise, accompanied by a considerable 

 splashing of the water; unable on my first approach, to 

 discover the cause, owing to the height of the weeds, and 

 my distance from the spot, I gained nigher access, by 

 means of a fallen tree, and to my surprise and exceeding 

 interest, I saw a violent combat between a Snake and an 

 Eel. The former was of the water species, and, as nigh 

 as I could judge, about four feet in length the latter was 

 much shorter, but equal if not superior in thickness ; how 

 long the combatants had been waging this war, was diffi- 

 cult to determine, but, by judging from their vigorous 

 efforts, when I first discovered them, I suppose they must 

 have just commenced. For a considerable length of time, 

 neither party appeared to gain advantage their muscular 

 actions were violent in the extreme, and appeared to en- 

 gage in deadly strife. Whenever the Eel succeeded in 

 drawing its antagonist a short distance into the water, 

 (and its chief efforts appeared to be direcred to this end,) it 

 was evident, the Snake was no match for it ; and this, the 

 Snake was aware of, and would redouble its exertions to 

 regain the shore, and bring the Eel with it, then the battle 

 would be in favor of the Snake ; each evidently endeavored 

 to ^wage war against the other on his own favorite element, 

 and so would it preponderate, according as each succeeded 

 in getting this advantage of its adversary tfre Eel ap- 

 peared to lose that powerful energy, when rolling in the 

 dirt, which belongs to it in its native element, and, it was 

 as sensible as the Snake of the difference and would also 



