A hunter's life. 373 



but wheu I arrived on the ground, I could see nothing 

 move of it ; neither could I hear its cries any longer. Ob- 

 serving the weeds shaking where I supposed it was, I hur- 



ried to the place, and there saw a rattlesnake with the bira 

 in its mouth, and not more than half of it visible. The 

 snake was lying on its back, with its tail wrapped round a 

 small bush ; and, supposing the bird to be dead, I waited 

 to see what the reptile would do with its prey. 



The snake's mouth was spread out of its usual shape, 

 but with its upper jaw it held the bird fast until the under 

 jaw, by little and little, was pushed forward to meet the 

 upper one, when the corners of its mouth were stretched 

 out, while the snake, drawing itself up, and holding fast 

 to the bush with its tail, slid the bird down, though appa- 

 rently in great pain while so doing. Then it would move 

 its jaws as before, first one and then the other, until it 

 again bad a good hold ; when, drawing itself up, it would 

 elide the bird down still farther. After seeing thus much 

 of its way of making its living, I took a club and gave 

 the snake a heavy blow a little below the bird, which made 

 it so sick at the stomach that it pushed the bird out sooner 

 than it had swallowed it. It then let go of the bush and 

 died. 



In add! 'on to the foregoing, which was the only case J 

 32 



