COLE. 



*7 



lowed, it was done so quickly. The photo- 

 graph "In Mortal Coil," made during the 

 execution and published in June Recrea- 

 tion, best illustrates it. The rat was held 

 as shown until life was extinct, when the 

 coils were slowly relaxed. 



The remains were swallowed as shown 

 in the accompanying illustration. The 

 supply of rats held out longer than Cole's 

 appetite, but his instinct to kill was so 

 great that he continued to seize and 

 squeeze until he had executed some of 

 them several times over ; the dead being 

 made to appear alive by being poked with 

 a thin wire. He would take dead rats in 

 motion, but never lying still. 



Cole was given his liberty this spring, 

 in hopes that he would remain about the 

 barn and catch rats, but he proved un- 

 grateful, for he disappeared at once and 

 has not since been seen. 



Single specimens of this kind have been 

 found measuring over 4 feet in length. 

 They appear to be semi-domestic in their 



tastes, being frequently found making 

 themselves at home in some dwelling, 

 where, though innocent of harmful intent, 

 they are likely to cause consternation 

 among those who are not acquainted with 

 their habits. 



One of these snakes innocently deprived 

 me of an interesting photo in the fall of 

 '98. About 1,000 swifts had taken tempo- 

 rary lodging in one of our chimneys. At 

 sundown they swarmed around and 

 dropped into the chimney in a black 

 stream. We counted several hundred, one 

 evening, after they had been going in for 

 half an hour, and we thought what an in- 

 teresting picture that would make; so the 

 next day I set the camera on the roof in 

 good time and waited. Dark came, but nc 

 birds, save one or 2 stragglers that flitted 

 by. Mrs. Pleas had that day stepped on a 

 big Coluber in the room by the fireplace, 

 and on examination it was found to con- 

 tain 2 of the birds. 



Thus our disappointment was explained. 



AMATEUR PHOTO BY WM. H, FISHER. 



HIGH AND DRY. 



