146 ADVENTURES CF THREE YOUNG NATURALISTS. 



removed the animal's head, cutting through the thin portion of the neck. 

 This he carefully placed in tin box which he carried in his collecting basket* 

 that he, as well as the boys, had suspended on his shoulder, resting on 

 his back. He then made an incision along the whole length of the snake, 

 between the large transverse scales that cover the lowei portion and the smal- 

 ler hexagonal scales that occur on the sides. Then he pushed back the skin 

 from the neck, and borrowing the string from George, he fastened it firmly 

 to the stump of the neck under the skin, and instructed one of the inter- 

 ested boys to hold the string, seized the edge of the raised skin of the 

 neck between his thumb and fingers and drawing it back, easily removed 



it. 



" How white the flesh of the snake is," said George, " It loosk almost 



good enough to eat." 



" You are not the only one who has thought that it not only looks 

 good enough to eat, but have actually eaten it. The Indians frequently 

 make use of the flesh of the rattle snake for food," said the Professor, as 

 he carefully rolled up the skin, right side out, and gave it to Paul to 

 put into his basket. 



" White men have eaten it and consider it good. Wm. Partem, in 

 describing the St. John's River in 1790, mentions that he, in company 

 with the Spanish governor of the fort at Picolata, dined on roasted rattle 

 snake which he pronounces very good." 



" What is your dog doing Paul?" suddenly exclaimed Harry. 



li Looks as if she was paralyzed," said George. 



" Steady ! Ponce, steady!" said/ Paul, giving one glance at his fine 

 setter, who had been for some time quartering on the ground in the neighbor- 

 hood cf a clump of saw palmettos and who had now come to a point. 



4k She has got onto a bevy of quail, I think, let us close up and 

 see." 



The well trained dog, although holding her point, steadily glanced ovc r 

 her shoulder in a quick, hurried manner by turning her head to one side to 

 see if her master was coming. Then there was a hurried changing of shells 

 in their breach loaders. In the moment all were gathered back of the dog, 

 spread out in a lire. 



" Go on, Ponce," said Paul, " go on." 



Ponce's form quivered a moment, then with one nervous bound she sprang 

 forward into the midst of some low bushes that skirted the palmettos. This 

 bDund was followed by the whirr of twenty pairs of wings, as up went the 

 quail, scattering in all directions. Harry, who was somewhat inexperienced 

 in this kind of sport, pointed his gun at three or four of the rapidly disap- 

 pearing birds in succession, finally discharged at one that had got over one 

 hundred yards into the pine woods. 



(TO BE CONTINUED) 



