ASCRIBED TO THE RATTLE-SNAKE. 1()5 



them on thelowe^ branches, among bufhes, and in the hollows Faflsandob- 

 of decayed, and other trees. Many fpecies, again, are content fp7ainT the' 

 with the ground, laying their eggs, and hatching them, in power of fafci- 

 the cavity of a ftone, an excavation from the earth, among "ation afcnbed 

 the grafs of fields and meadows, or in fields of wheat, rye, 

 and other grains. Thus, to confine myfelf to our own country, 

 the eagle, the vulture, the hawk, and other birds of this 

 extenfive family, make choice of the loftieft oaks, and other 

 trees of our forefts ; the baltimore-oriole *, commonly called, 

 in Pennfylvania, the hanging bird, fufpends a beautiful neft 

 to the extremity of a branch of the Liriodendron |, or fome 

 other tree ; the migrating thrufti |, called robin, is content 

 with the lower branches; the red thrufli §, the cat-bird ||, the 

 red-winged oriole, called the fwamp-black-bird f, and many 

 others build in the low bufhes ; the wood-peckers**, the 

 blue motaciila (blue-bird) ff, the torchepot j;^, and others, 

 build in the hollows of trees, the chattering plover §§, and the 

 whippoor-wiU|||j, take advantage of a hollow place in the 

 ground, or in a ftone, which the great lark ^^, the mardi- 

 wren ***, &c. place their nefts in the grafs ; and, laftly, the 

 partridge fff builds in the corn-fields. 



Of all thefe birds, and of a great many others, thofe which 

 build their nefts upon the ground, on the lower branches of 

 trees, and on low bufhes (efpecially on the fides of rivers, 

 creeks, and other waters, that are frequented by different 

 kinds of ferpents), have moft frequently been obferved to be 

 under the enchanting faculty of the rattle-fnake, &c. Indeed, 

 the bewitching fpirit of thefe ferpents feems to be almoft 

 entirely limited to thefe kinds of birds. Hence, we fo fre- 

 quently hear tales of the fafcination of our cat-bird, which 

 builds its neft in the low buflies, on the fides of creeks, and 

 other waters, the moft ufual haunts of the black-fnake, and 



Taylor-bird, by my learned friend Mr. Pennant, in his Indian 

 ^Zoology, pages 44, 45 & 46. 



* Oriolus Baltimore. + Liriodendron tulipifera. 



X Turdus migratorius. § Turdus rufus. 



II Mufcicapa carolinenfis. ^ Oriolus phoeniceus. 



** Pici -t-f Motaciila Sialis. 



XX Sitta. ^§ Charadrius vociferus. 



|l|| Caprimulgus. <(y^ Alaiida magna. 



*•• Motaciila Troglodytes? Iff Tetrao virginianus, 



other 



