20 



YEARBOOK, PUBLIC MUSEUM, MILWAUKEE 



[Vol. III. 



in the afternoon before the sun has dedined so far that the rocks have 

 become chilly, they again emerge for another hour or so of basking. 

 Enroute homeward to Prairie Du Sac we stopped at the residence 

 of Mr. Keitel, and there examined his stock of captive rattlesnakes. 

 Over sixty specimens were confined in two open packing boxes, one 

 side of each being covered with wire mesh. During this first day some 

 three dozen photographs had been taken, and so after supper, the 

 writer had the simple but embarrassing task of unloading and reload- 

 ing plate-holders in a changing-bag. The embarrassment came as the 



Fig. 8. — Snake den at Baxter's Hollow, 



Waiter sat on the living-room floor, his hands imprisoned within the 

 changing-bag, and found himself the object of affection of a little dog 

 who licked and rubbed his nose on all parts of the writer's head. One 

 or two mosquitoes also added to the victim's joj^s. 



Our second day's trip took us to the region of Baxter's Hollow, 

 several miles west of Merrimac and north-northwest of Prairie Du Sac. 

 Just below the crest of the first ridge, facing the southwest and over- 

 looking the valley of the picturesque Otter creek, we soon located the 

 typical snake den shown in figure 8. This place was finally accepted as 

 the best rattlesnake haunt for museum reproduction. Here was found 



