20 BIRDS. 



were within two or three inches of the mouth of the 

 snake ; when I threw a stone, and though not hitting 

 the snake, yet struck the ground so near as to frighten 

 him, and he gradually started off. The quail, how- 

 ever, fell to the ground, apparently lifeless. I went 

 forward and picked it up and found it was thoroughly 

 overcome with fright, its little heart beating as if it .> 

 would burst through the skin. After holding it in» 

 my hand a few moments it flew away. I then tried 

 to find the snake, but could not. I am unable to say 

 whether the snake was venomous or belonged to the 

 constricting family, like the black snake. I can well 

 recollect it was large and moved off rather slow. As 

 I had never seen anything of the kind before, it made 

 a great impression on my mind, and after the lapse 

 of so long a time, the incident appears as vivid to 

 me as though it had occurred yesterday." 



It is not probable that the snake had its mouth 

 open ; its darting tongue may have given that impres- 

 sion. 



The other incident comes to me from Vermont. 

 " While returning from church in 1876," says the 

 writer, " as I was crossing a bridge ... I noticed a 

 striped snake in the act of charming a song-sparrow. 

 They were both upon the sand beneath the bridge. 

 The snake kept his head swaying slowly from side to 

 side, and darted his tongue out continually. The 

 bird, not over a foot away, was facing the snake, horv 

 ping from one foot to the other, and uttering a dis- 

 satisfied little chirp. I watched them till the snake 

 seized the bird, having gradually drawn nearer. As 

 he seized it, I leaped over the side of the bridge; 

 the snake glided away and I took up the bird, which 

 he had dropped. It was too frightened to try to fly. 



