ASCRIBED TO THE RATTLE-SNAKE. 113 



The black-fnake is a ferpent of much more aftlvlty than the Fafts and ob- 

 rattle-fnake. The latter, as I have aheady faid*, feldom, if {peSi'g^Jhr 

 ever, ch'rabs up trees. But the former will fometimes afcend power of faf- 

 the loftieft trees, in purfuit of the objeft of his appetite. The f^^^^^^^"'^*^ 

 rattle-fnake, it has been juft obferved, fubfifts principally 

 upon the large frog, which frequents the waters of our coun- 

 try. He has, therefore, but little occafion for aftivity. But 

 the black-fnake, feeding more upon birds, (lands more in 

 need of adivity. He frequently glides up the trees of the 

 foreft, &c. and, commonly in the abfence of the mother, 

 devours either her eggs or her young ones. The difficulty 

 of obtaining his prey upon the tree is fometimes very con- 

 fiderable, as will appear from a fad which will be related 

 immediately. Now, if this ferpent is gifted with the faculty 

 of fafcinating, why is he not content to continue at the bottom 

 of the tree, and bring down his objedt? And if he can employ 

 this machinery of fafcination at his pleafure, how comes it, 

 that he fo feldom (ucceeds in capturing old birds? For -it is a 

 faft that when birds are found in his ftomach, they are princi- 

 pally young birds. 



I have faid, that the black-fnake fometimes finds great dif- 

 iSculty in obtaining his prey upon the tree. In fupport of this 

 afTertion I could adduce many fads. But my memoir has 

 already exceeded the limits which I originally prefcribed to it* 

 I (liall content myfelf, therefore, with relating a folitary fad, 

 which ftrikingly illudrates my pofition. 



A black-fnake was feen climbing up a tree, evidently with 

 the view of procuring the young birds in the nefl of a balti- 

 more-bird. This bird, it has been already obferved, fufpends 

 its nefl at the extremity of the branch of a tree. The branch 

 to which the bird, of which I am fpeaking, had affixed its 

 nefl, being very flender, the ferpent found it impofTible to 

 come at the nefl by crawling along it : he, therefore, took the 

 advantage of anotiier branch, which hung above the nefl, 

 and twining a fmall portion of his tail around it, he was 

 enabled, by ftretching the remainder of his body, to rea^h 

 the nefl, into which he infinuated his head, and thus glutted 

 his appetite with the young birds. 



The importance of this fad, in the invelligation of the 

 fubjed of my memoir, appears to me to be great. An 



\ 

 * See page 106. 



Vol. VIII,~June, 1804, I American 



