NORTH AMERICA. 
confidering me as their common enemy. The bird 
rofe aloft and fled away as foon as he recovered 
his liberty, and the make as eagerly made off. I 
foon overtook him, but could not perceive that he 
was wounded. 
I fuppofe the hawk had been the aggrelTor, and 
fell upon the fnake with an intention of making 
a prey of him ; and that the fnake dexteroufly and 
luckily threw himfelf in coils round his body, and 
girded him fo clofe as to fave himfelf from deftruc- 
tion. 
The coach-whip fnake is a beautiful crea- 
ture. When full grown it is fix and feven feet 
in length, and the iargefl part of its body not fo 
thick as a cane or common walking flick ; its 
head not larger than the end of a man's finger ; 
its neck is very flender, and from the abdomen 
tapers away in the manner of a fmall fwitch or 
coach-whip ; the top of the head and neck, for three 
or four inches, is as black and minnig as a raven ; 
the throat and belly as white as fnow ; and the up- 
per fide of the body of a chocolate colour, ex- 
cepting the tail part, almoft from the abdomen to 
the extremity, which is black. It may be proper to 
obferve; however, that it varies in refpecl to the 
colour of the body ; fome I have feen almoii white 
or cream colour, others of a pale chocolate or clay 
colour, but in all, the head and neck is black, 
and the tail dark brown or black. It is extremely 
fwift, feeming almofl to fly over the furface of 
the ground ; and that which is very lingular, it 
can run fwiftly on its tail part only, carrying 
the head and body upright. One very fine one acc- 
ompanied me along the road fide, at a little dis- 
tance, laiimg himfelf erecl, now and then looking 
me 
