1886
(June 21)
Concord, Massachusetts.
by an abundant growth of sasaparilla. Finally
the dry leaves began to rustle and the sasaparilla
stems to wave directly in front of my position
and the next moment a black snake about three
feet long emerged into an opening, gliding swift-
ly and in a perfectly direct course. On each side
of its lightly raised head and within less than
two feet of it, walked a pair of Oven-birds, their bills
open and panting; their wings slightly raised 
and quivering so rapidly as to produce a hazy
appearance above their bodies. They kept their
distance exactly, and when the snake stopped
they stopped also, apparently not looking at him
but facing directly ahead. They were also seem-
ingly ignored by the snake although he doubtless
kept a not less keen side watch on them than they
did on him. The entire group which finally halt-
ed within less than two yards of me, presented
a remarkable, not to say ludicrous spectacle
and at one suggested the idea that birds
were in trained attendance on the snake, a
well-drilled escort as it were to guide or guard
him during his morning crawl. I ended what 
was likely enough to prove a tragedy to the birds
by shooting the snake. Although he writhed and
twisted madly over several yards of ground be-
fore dying, the birds seemed to realize what
had happened at once for they unconsciously left
him the moment after the pistol cracked.
  Returning to the river as the afternoon shadows were
beginning to stretch out over the meadows, and walk-
ing silently in an old cart path that skirted the