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it would break asunder. Sometimes he pulled me to 

 within a few inches of the hole; and then I would 

 brace up on the limb, and drag him half-way out. 

 At last I grew so tired, I had to let go my hold, and 

 with many regrets I saw the last few inches of the tail 

 disappear beneath the earth ; and thus ended my first 

 and only experience with a large snake. 



One morning, at the hotel, I began to skin several 

 ducks and herons, and looked out of the window to 

 find a place to throw the bodies. There was a livery 

 stable almost directly underneath, with a small yard at 

 the back. I thought I could with safety throw the 

 bodies of my birds into this yard, and then, when I 

 had finished them all, go down and remove them. So, 

 wrapping a newspaper about the first one, I dropped it 

 into the yard. The distance was so great that the 

 paper split, and exposed the skinned and partly dis- 

 sected body : a puzzling study for any one not a 

 naturalist. Fearing some one might see it, and 

 make me an object of curiosity, as I sat at work at 

 the open window, I closed the blinds, leaving the 

 slats partly open. Presently, one of the stable hands 

 a muscular Englishman came out into the yard, 

 whistling. He stopped short on seeing the wreck of 

 the heron , turned it over with his foot, shook his head, 

 and going back into the stable brought back a fork, 

 with which he threw the body over the fence. By this 

 time, number two was skinned, and, cautiously opening 



