THE CALIFORNIA ROAD-RUNNER 17 



last my faith was rudely shattered by seeing a 

 medium-sized rattlesnake deliberately crawling 

 over such a rope which I had stretched around 

 my tent. The snake paid no attention to the 

 hair rope, but slightly curved its body where 

 about to come in contact with it, gliding over 

 without touching it, and, finding a sunny spot 

 at the side of the tent, coiled up to take a rest, 

 part of its body lying directly on the rope. 

 Since witnessing the performance I have natu- 

 rally lost faith in the belief and have wished 

 many times since that it had not been so rudely 

 shaken, especially in sections of the country 

 where these reptiles are abundant and where 

 one is liable to find his blanket occupied by one 

 or more rattlers/' 



In winter as soon as the morning sun is out, 

 the road-runner may often be seen seeking the 

 rocky prominences. Hunting out some well- 

 sunned boulder, he turns his back toward the 

 rising sun and opens up and ruffles his feathers 

 in such a way that he catches every warm ray 

 and allows it to penetrate to the very skin. He 

 then presents a most unusual appearance, look- 

 ing more like a mammal than a bird. His like- 



