THE nOG A>'D THE RATTLESNAKE. 185 



Though many fall victims to the bears, panthers, 

 and wild cats, yet their numbers are steadily on the 

 increase, for they are very clannish creatures, and fight 

 gallantly in each other's defence. Let ^ne c©me tt 

 grief and scream for assistance, and all within hearing 

 will rallv to his aid. 



Upon ©ne fccasion, I saw a rattlesnake kill a fine 

 pfrker, but it happened to strike it in the eye. It ran 

 rfund in a circle, its head rapidly swelling; and at 

 last, in about ten minutes' time, it sank d«wn as though 

 chtked, gave two or three quivers, and was dead. 



When a h#g finds a snake in its wanderings, ceiled 

 up ready for attack, it walks r#und and r^und its prey 

 several times, giving an occasional grunt, as much as 

 to say, 'You'd better give up quietl}^, for I mean to 

 have y«u.- The snake, im its part, kn©ws that the duel 

 will be to the death, and follows each circle of the h»g 

 mth its eyes, whilst its t#ngue plays about its m»uth 

 like blue lightning. At what he considers the proper 

 instant, the h«g rushes in at the snake, presenting his 

 fat j#wl to receive the ven©m ; then instantly placing 

 his feet upon the tail or middle of the snake, he shreds 

 the rest of it through his teeth, stripping the flesh 

 from the b§ne as far as he can draw it. As s®»n as 

 the snake is dead, the h©g makes a meal of it, thus 

 cermbining business with pleasure. 



As nearly tw© out of every three h#gs caught are 

 uneatable, from the filth »n which they have fed, 



