292 RAMBLES ABOUT HOME. 



These snakes, if not venomous, are vicious, I admit, 

 and do not hesitate to bite, if irritated ; but the result is 

 like the prick of a pin. I have often teased them, to 

 see how hard they could bite, and found that they seldom 

 brought blood, and their teeth never remained in the 

 skin of my arm or leg. 



I have noticed that the water-snake, in this neighbor- 

 hood, is partial to still waters of considerable depth, and 

 seldom frequents streams that have not a bottom of 

 deep, soft mud, in which to take refuge when pursued, 

 and in which it buries itself deeply during the winter. 

 While fond of sunning itself on the banks of streams, it 

 also spends much time on the mud. Occasionally, when 

 cautiously approached, it will move off in such a gentle 

 manner as to leave the imprint of its body on the muddy 

 bed where it had been resting. Unlike all others of our 

 snakes, this one does not require constant access to the 

 atmosphere, but can live for days in well-aerated water, 

 as I have determined by repeated experiments. 



"While, usually, the water-snake, in passing from the 

 land to the water, simply glides from the shore to its 

 proper home directly, I have found that, at times, it 

 would pass through burrowings near the shore, and seek 

 the water by a short subterranean passage. Such burrow- 

 ings or passages are not made by the snake, I am positive, 

 but are the work of star-nosed moles, shrews, and, in some 

 cases, of cray-fish. That such routes should be chosen by 

 the snakes is not readily explained, for I find that the 

 snakes do not linger in them, but pass directly through 

 and into the mud beneath. To be sure, if the creature 

 is escaping from an enemy, real or supposed, this means 

 is more effectual than a direct plunge into the water, as 

 the snake reaches the bed of the stream, and is wholly 

 out of sight, beneath the mud. But is a water-snake 



