New Jerjey, Raccoon. 209 



creature has firft got a mortal wound from 

 the make, which is fure of her bite, and 

 lies quiet, being allured that the wounded 

 creature has been poifoned with the bite, 

 or at leaft feels pain from the violence of 

 the bite, and that it will at laft be obliged 

 to come down into its mouth. The plain- 

 tive note is perhaps occaiioned by the 

 acutenefs of the pain which the wound 

 gives the creature. But to this it may be 

 objected, that the bite of the Black Snake 

 is not poifonous ; it may further be ob- 

 jected, that if the fnake could come near 

 enough to a bird or (c uirrel to give it a mortal 

 bite, it might as eafily keep hold of it, or, 

 as it fometimes does with poultry, twift 

 round and ftrangle or flifle it. But the 

 chief objection which lies againft this in- 

 terpretation, is the following account, 

 which I received from the mod creditable 

 people, who have aflured me of it. The 

 fquirrel being upon the point of running 

 into the make's mouth, the fpectators have 

 not been able to let it come to that pitch, 

 but killed the fnake, and as foon as it had 

 got a mortal blow, the fquirrel or bird 

 deftined for deftruction, flew away, and left 

 off their moanful note, as if they had broke 

 loole from a net. Some fay, that if they 

 onlv touched the fnake, fo as to draw off 

 Vol. II. O iti 



