THORNS ON THE ROSE 75 



grey squirrel full grown, issuing from a thicket, and bouncing 

 off in a straight direction, in leaps of several feet at a time, 

 and, not more than twenty feet behind, a rattlesnake of ordi- 

 nary size, pursuing, drawn apparently out to its full length, 

 and sliding over the ground so rapidly that, as they both moved 

 away from me, I was at no loss to observe the snake gain upon 

 the squirrel. The squirrel made for a tree, and ascended to 

 its topmost branches as nimbly as squirrels are known to do. 

 The snake performed the same task considerably more slowly, 

 yet so fast that the squirrel never raised its tail nor barked, 

 but eyed the enemy attentively as he mounted and approached. 

 When within a few yards the squirrel leaped to another branch, 

 and the snake followed by stretching full two-thirds of its body, 

 whilst the remainder held it securely from falling. Passing 

 thus from branch to branch, with a rapidity that astonished 

 me, the squirrel went in and out of several holes, but remained 

 in none, knowing well that, wherever its head could enter, the 

 body of its antagonist would follow ; and, at last, much ex- 

 hausted and terrified, took a desperate leap, and came to the 

 earth with legs and tail spread to the utmost to ease the fall. 

 That instant the snake dropt also, and was within a few yards 

 of the squirrel before it began making off. The chase on land 

 again took place, and ere the squirrel could reach another 

 tree, the snake had seized it by the back near the occiput, 

 and soon rolled itself about it in such a way that, although I 

 heard the cries of the victim, I scarcely saw any portion of its 

 body. So full of its ultimate object was the snake, that it paid 

 no attention to me, and I approached it to see in what manner 

 it would dispose of its prey. A few minutes elapsed, and I 

 saw the reptile loosening gradually and opening its folded 

 coils, until the squirrel was left entirely disengaged, having 

 been killed by suffocation. The snake then raised a few inches 

 of its body from the ground, and passed its head over the dead 

 animal in various ways to assure itself that life had departed; 

 it then took the end of the squirrel's tail, swallowed it grad- 

 ually, bringing first one and then the other of the hind legs 

 parallel with it, and sucked with difficulty, and for some time. 



