30 THE RETURN OF THE BIRDS. 



ence, 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 glisten- 

 ing 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 interior. I can conceive of nothing more 

 overpoweringly terrible to an unsuspecting family of 

 birds than the sudden appearance above their domicile 

 of the head and neck of this arch-enemy. It is enough 

 to petrify the blood in their veins. Not finding the 

 object of his search, he came streaming 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 creature should move with 

 such ease and rapidity where only birds and squirrels 

 are considered at home, lifting himself up, letting him- 

 self down, running out on the yielding boughs, and 

 traversing with marvelous celerity the whole length and 

 breadth of the thicket, was truly surprising. One thinks 

 of the great myth, of the Tempter and the " cause of 

 all our woe," and wonders if the Arch One is not now 

 playing off some of his pranks before him. Whether 

 we call it snake or devil matters little. I could but 

 admire his terrible beauty, however ; his black, shin- 

 ing folds, his easy, gliding movement, head erect, eyes 

 glistening, tongue playing like subtle flame, and the 

 invisible means of his almost winged locomotion. 



