1923] POPE, HUNTING WISCONSIN RATTLESNAKES 21 



over half a dozen rattlesnakes reposing upon or half concealed among 

 the rocks. The writer can personally testify to at least one that was 

 fully exposed and basking upon a big flat rock in the morning sun, for 

 he discovered him just in time, at the moment he was about to place his 

 foot on that self-same spot in order to approach another snake some 

 three feet distant that we desired to photograph. Apparently the sur- 

 prise was mutual on the part of both snake and man, for it did not 

 rattle. Within a radius of twenty-five feet our party located about 

 ten snakes. It was an ideal spot. The sunlight was bright and warm, 

 the rocks were of various sizes, some big rocks superimposed upon or 

 piled against others, which, with the abundance of talus offered in- 

 numerable crevices and retreats from the frost or hot sun. Around 

 the den were trees and bushes, principally oak, basswood, aspen and 

 other hardwoods, with a number of tall, stately dark pines on the top 

 of the ridge. Here and there were the fallen trunks of trees stripped 

 of bai'k and in the process of decay. The den was in a natural partial 

 clearing. A number of hardy wild flowers such as columbine, violets 

 and Solomon's Seal pushed up among the rocks and imparted a bit of 

 color to the scene which contrasted well with the reddish gray of the 

 quartzite stones, and was enhanced by the shining green foliage of the 

 woodbine and poison-ivy on the larger rocks. 



For the space of about an hour all of the party were busy with 

 tongs, sticks and camera, holding at bay the unwilling and vicious in- 

 habitants of the den and trying to get their pictures. One very large 

 and especially dark snake, over four feet long, tried to crawl into a 

 hollow log. This specimen, when killed at the Museum, was found to 

 be a female with ten well-developed eggs within her body. Two men 

 with tongs were required to pull this snake clear of the log. This will 

 give an idea of the grip that a rattlesnake can get on an object. When 

 it was believed that we had practically cleaned out the den, Mr. Tyr- 

 rell set up his easel and made a color sketch of the place while the 

 writer photographed it from various angles. Thus passed the second 

 and most important morning of the trip. In the afternoon the party 

 divided. Mr. Tyrrell remained alone at the den for sketching, Mr. 

 Dickinson collected insects, and the writer accompanied Messrs. Ochs- 

 ner and Keitel on a further snake-hunt. This proved to be a real "hike" 

 for what seemed to be miles on both sides of Baxter's Hollow, with its 

 ever-present, steep, wooded slopes, its perpendicular precipices and its 

 accumulations of rough jagged talus. It was a most beautiful re- 

 gion, wild enough for any hiker, and snakes were abundant besides. 



Of the several rattlesnakes captured that afternoon, recollection is 



