i5 



gorge other siaecies when captured and I once saw one of 

 these handsome snakes slowly gulping down a garter 

 snake that in turn had been struggling to down a frog. 

 Both disappeared down the throat of the cannibal easily, 

 although the victim was at least two-thirds as long as its 

 captor. 



That snakes have anj^ mesmeric, hypnotic or "charming" 

 power, as is often believed, has been amply disproved by 

 many observers. A person under sudden great fear or 

 peril may become "rooted to the spot". Perhaps an occa- 

 sional bird might become so afflicted at the sudden appear- 

 ance of a snake, but if so it would be no power of the ser- 

 pent that caused it. 



There is a certain mammal that may sometimes be seen 

 in fields, particularly towards dusk, — a handsome black 

 and white mammal usually regarded as offensive, namely 



THE SKUNK. 



Now this animal is offensive if, as usually happens, it 

 is pelted with sticks and stones whenever seen; under such 

 circumstances we might expect it to use any' defensive 

 weapons that it could. And skunks do like poultry, — there 

 is no question about it. But the man that admits that one 

 of these animals is stealing his chickens, admits that his 

 poultry yard or farm is not kept as it should be. A skunk 

 or a fox cannot steal chickens that are properly fenced. 



This little sketch is not written in defense of Mephitis 

 putida, as the skunk is technically termed, but to prove 

 that even under unusual circumstances this animal is not 

 at all offensive if properly treated. The following actually 

 occurred and was witnessed by many people besides being 

 photographically recorded. 



Dr. R. and wife were tenting on ^Yigwam Hill. Pro- 

 visions were kept in baskets and boxes in one corner of 

 the tent beside one of the cots. One night the Doctor was 



