Sept. 3, 1904.] 
FOREST AND STREAM 
tor 
Some Animals I Have Studied. 
V.— Coal'ie, The Snake Dog. 
If there is a dog, large or small, in all our great 
country that can excel my Coallie in exterminating large 
and - dangerous snakes, without the help of man or any 
mechanical device, let us hear of it. She is common 
enough in appearance, saving that she's one of the 
blackest of all black things, with a narrow white streak 
under her neck and breast, and white toes on both her 
hind feet ; rather heavily built, "fiste" size, nearly straight 
haired, and possessing prodigious strength and incredible 
endurance. Withal she is much more quick and active 
than she appears. 
Although I claim for her only average natural intelli- 
gence, I propose to show that even that average must be 
something quite different from mere instinct. Indeed, 
some of her habits would seem to indicate a very foolish 
mind, if not an upset mind, rather than a lack of mind. 
She shows her intelligence in various ways. If I tell her 
to bring a dead hen from under the house, she does so, 
putting" it in my hands, not running off with it to eat it 
after the instinctive manner of a dog.- If I ask her to 
bring anything out of the water, and it is a thing that 
can be found and lifted, even a stone larger than her 
head, having any flattened corner thin enough to grip her 
jaws on, and no matter if she must dive two feet under to 
get it, and wade or swim out head under, she invariably 
does it, or nearly drowns trying. A few years ago we had 
three lively steers which my brother Clay (who is con- 
siderable of a wag) named Smith, Jones, Brown (and 
Brown was white, though Smith was brown). They 
were sometimes in the pasture, sometimes outside, gener- 
ally near together; but no matter where, Coallie knew 
each one by name, and would bring all or any one of them 
to the barn as called without error. She also knew the 
names of several of the cows. She knows, as surely as 
Malty did, the meaning of "hen," "pig," "cow,"_ "calf," 
"horse" (and knows our own two horses by their indi- 
vidual names, too*), and the common name of all domestic 
creatures near, and the name of every species of wild 
thing she ever has to do with, from "snake" down to 
"bug;" yet her knowledge of words is very limited com- 
pared to Malty's. 
She shows her foolishness, not instinct, by the way she 
plays with large stones, preferring them to softer or 
lighter, substances ; but perhaps this is _ wiser than ap- - 
parent. It may be her method of keeping her muscles 
hard and responsive. She will roll a stone, from the size 
of a goose-egg to the size of. a half-gallon bucket, down 
a steep hillside, then hurl herself after it and catch it, 
perhaps at its greatest velocity, and stop it, too, or go 
tumbling along with it. I have never known any man to 
be able to bowl a stone down a gentle slope too swiftly 
for her to catch it, though she were held until the rock 
struck the ground about twenty feet ahead. Talk about 
sport! It is a most exciting sight, if not an appalling 
one, to see her overtake a huge stone when, at a distance 
of one hundred feet or more, it has attained its highest 
speed, and is knocking fire out of the flinty ground at 
every bound, and mowing down the stiff dead weeds as 
might a small tornado, and plunge upon it like a confused, 
misshapen black ball, stopping it within ten feet, at 
farthest, sometimes within three feet. One expects to see 
her teeth knocked out, or her head jerked off, or her 
paws torn off, or her whole body hopelessly mangled ; that 
is, on first beholding the performance. 
She will roll a large rock, using her nose, pig-fashion, 
into the water; wade in, carry it out, gnaw it awhile, then 
tumble it in again; and repeat over and over. Usually 
she manages to hurl it further and further, until it lodges 
in water deep enough to compel her to dive after it. Thus 
she goes on until she loses it, or is recalled, or diverted 
in some way. 
Once, in swimming where she could not touch bottom, 
a stone, the size of a mighty fist was hurled toward her, 
the thrower designing to have it sink and see her dive 
after it ; it was done before I could warn him. But the 
dog — fearless or fool, as you please — sprang fairly out 
of the water, perch-like, caught it, held on to it, fell back, 
and went under with it, and then crawled on the bottom 
to the edge of the pool, about six feet, and came triumph- 
antly ashore with it. How's that for retrieving? She'd 
be worth a fortune to me if I were a duck hunter. But 
all this is small for her. Note the following: ■ Prof. 
F. F. Mace, of Hot Springs, was in swimming with the 
undersigned in the picturesque Ouachita. We found a 
heavy beer bottle (no, we didn't take it there, for we are 
strictly temperate, even to crankiness), which we tightly 
corked and threw into the water. Now comes evidence 
of Coallie's strength and endurance. It was so thick and 
heavy that when it ceased bobbing, but little more than 
the neck showed above the surface, and even that little 
was difficult to see, being near the color of the water. 
But Coallie saw the splash and plunged after it, and tried 
to grab it. Hard and smooth, it eluded her, sinking per- 
haps a foot. Without waiting for it to rise, she promptly 
followed it, snapping at it more violently than before. Of 
course, the more suddenly she struck it, the deeper it- 
descended. When she was compelled to come up for air, 
it popped up behind her ; feeling it strike her tail, she flew 
around and began another eager struggle with it; and 
she did not give up until she won k, and brought it out. 
Does "a burnt child dread the fire?" As soon as the 
bottle was thrown in again — this time further out — she 
leaped in as enthusiastically as before. Twill not describe 
the trouble of finding it and securing it ; suffice to say she 
brought it out all right, and "wrung herself out" on the 
sand, then got up and "dared" us to throw it again. 
Prof. Mace threw it this time, sending it a distance I 
could not have believed possible — so far, in fact, that it 
could not be seen, only the splash as it struck the water 
serving to locajte it. Again the dog got it. It was an in- 
teresting exhibition of staying quality, of strength, 
sagacity, grit; the long watery voyage, the searching- 
round and round in a diminishing circle; the desperate 
struggle, on and under the water; the laborious return 
with the hard-earned prize. It seemed that she could 
scarcely hold her nose above the water by the time she 
reached shore. Still she was willing to "spend and be 
spent" in our service. So it was sent out again, and 
again, and again; so many times I would hardly dare 
state if I had counted them, from the fact that I have 
agreed not to exaggerate, and I have no doubt that my 
account will already look rather florid to persons who 
have known only timid and characterless canines; yet, as 
I read it over to myself, I sigh and mentally exclaim^. 
"Truly, words are sometimes merely a hint of the reality." 
I here feel it incumbent upon me to defend myself from 
probable charges of heartlessness toward the dog, in 
allowing her to venture her life so much, and for mere 
sport. Allow me to say that I was neither indifferent nor 
unprepared regarding her. I often swam after her, gen- 
erally far behind, but near enough to reach her in time if 
she began to show indications of giving way, and was at 
all times ready to plunge after her. And as to my ability 
— well, I have never known a man whom I believed could 
swim further or for a longer time, or dive deeper than 
Coallie's master. As to Coallie's own powers in the 
water, local sportsmen all speak of her in terms of highest 
praise, and none ever suggest a possible rival. I wish all 
true sportsmen who read Forest and Stream could see 
her in the water. 
But her most valued and inexplicable accomplishment 
or habit — it is almost a habit — is her snake-killing one. 
And, whether from intelligence or instinct I know not, 
it is almost impossible to compel her to kill or injure 
one of the harmless sorts, unless it is of large size. But 
she needs no encouragement to attack venomous ones, 
such as rattlers or moccasins, and destructive, egg-steal- 
ing species like blacksnakes, coaehwhips, and "chicken- 
snakes." I don't think Mr. Hay described or even men- 
tioned the latter in his valuable treatise on snakes. It is 
the largest American snake that I am acquainted with; 
that is to say, it averages largest. I never saw a small 
one— "Wundah whar dey stays till dey git growed?" — 
and is the toughest, strongest, and hardest to conquer. It 
climbs trees rapidly and easily, and by means of even a 
slight crook, much less than a coil, about a slightly rough 
projection, holds on so firmly that a very hard pull is re- 
quired to tear it loose; that is, tail first. Of course it can 
be drawn forward easily, as a snake's scales are not 
adapted to resist forward motion, and it cannot move 
backward without contorting its body. I have had some 
very queer experiences with many sorts of reptiles, but a 
series of adventures with this species surpasses all the 
others combined; but of that some other time. 
Coallie commenced her warfare on snakes while yet a 
puppy; and as she was very awkward about it at first- 
giving the enemy every chance to strike first— I helped 
her a few times. Soon she became so expert that I ceased 
to be uneasy about her, and her self-confidence was such 
that she didn't even call me always. Frequently she was 
"popping" a serpent before I knew she had found one. 
If she found one in the water, though, or in a hole, or in 
a hollow tree, anywhere that seemed inaccessible or that 
allowed it too great an opportunity for escape — she 
always called for help. 
The second season after she had learned the exciting 
art, I began to count the big snakes she destroyed; but 
after the number reached sixteen or seventeen before my 
corn was planted, I gave it up. Two of them were "king- 
snakes ;" I am sorry to say I am compelled to- try to keep 
even the non-poisonous varieties in check, as they are too 
numerous here, and are very destructive of eggs and 
young chickens, though I once allowed a four-foot black- 
snake unrestricted possession of my barn loft for a week, 
because I saw him catching rats and didn't see him taking 
eggs. 
A detailed account of Coallie's more difficult or danger- 
ous feats with snakes would expand to a serial by itself; 
but I will mention two, and then dismiss her for the 
present. 
She discovered the head of a cotton-mouth above the 
surface of a pool in the brook near-by. The pool is about 
two feet deep in the center where the head showed, and 
twelve feet wide. Determined not to let it escape, she 
barked loudly. Gypsy, a tiny terrier, and fairly respect- 
able snake dog herself, ran to help surround it, and 
crossed over to the opposite shore, just in time, too, to 
head it off. I hadn't my rifle along, so picked up a stone, 
and waited to see if I would be needed. The loathsome 
reptile (I hate them more than rattlers, and for several 
very good reasons) appeared in the middle again, and 
seemed more defiant than fearful. Coallie was quivering 
with rage, her usually brown eyes glowing like green 
balls of fire. Suddenly, after taking careful aim, perhaps, 
she leaped outward and downward, squarely upon that 
astonished monster — if a snake has sense enough to ever 
be astonished ; you see, I'm not claiming any great intelli- 
gence for that animal. There was a tremendous splash, 
then confusion in the midst of a muddy spray, followed 
instantly by a slapping, popping sound, and she came 
ashore with the mangled snake, which was not five feet 
long, as I had expected, but a good three. It had all 
been done so surprisingly that I cannot be sure whether 
she caught the snake by the head ere he could go under, 
or whether she dived and caught him beneath the surface, 
either of which could not have been easy, as a snake dives 
very swiftly: - 
In hot weather Coallie always makes a careful and in- 
telligent search for the reptiles every time she goes near 
a watercourse. Her methods suggest an experienced de- 
tective picking up clues. 
One day when I was working in a patch of new ground, 
I heard Coallie barking in a livelier manner than usual out 
in the virgin forest beyond. Leaving my brother plowing, 
I hurried to her. She had found three big chickensnakes, 
the shortest 4^ and the longest 5^4 feet, I afterward 
found by measuring them, lying full length, defying her. 
I leaped toward them with my formidable sprouting-hoe ; 
they started to run, but — well, that small dog not only 
stopped every one of those swift, powerful creatures, but 
actually killed them all without me striking a blow. It 
was all done in a few seconds, but it would take half a 
column to minutely describe how it was accomplished. 
Briefly she caught two of them at first grab, and by a 
tremendous effort temporarily disabled them ; then drop- 
ping them, she dashed after th£ third, which she caught 
and also placed, for a time, Tiors de combat. _ Subse- 
quently she finished them one at a time, chewing and 
crushing nearly every joint of each from head to tail. 
Winding them around my hoe-handle, and noting that 
they produced a bulk at least half the size of a common 
water bucket, I carried them to the field and exhibited 
them until their odor warned me to bury them. We sel- 
dom leave any dead thing large enough to seem important 
lying around to pollute the atmosphere. Even the child 
Chester (the naturalist) has acquired the habit of pick- 
ing up and burying every dead chick, rat, etc., that he 
finds near or far. 
In very dry weather when the brook ceases to be a liv- 
ing stream, and lies dormant in a chain of disconnected 
pools, Coallie, alone or otherwise, recOnnoiters the bed 
for half a mile, up or down, daily; and, if evidences are 
not misleading, she seldom fails to conquer at least one 
snake. Sometimes she finds one with only its head pro- 
truding from a hole in the bank, so that there is no 
chance to attack it in the rear ; whereupon a terrible battle 
ensues. If every art she can devise to^ lure it forth fails, 
she becomes so desperate that she will snatch it by its 
very jaws and tear it from its den. Under no circum- 
stances will she give up ; the snake she must have at any 
cost. Four times, at least, she has carried away an enor- 
mously swelled head or neck from wounds that would 
have been fatal to some animals. She is just as fearless 
of the fragrant skunk; she dug out and executed eleven 
matured ones at one den. L. R. Morphew. 
[to be continued.] 
Foreign Birds in America. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
It is a well established law of bird life that all birds go 
from their equatorial limit toward the poles to breed, 
never in the other direction. I think the shape of North 
America was the' cause of the loss of the quail and other 
birds turned loose in the Northern States. The birds 
followed the Attlantic Coast southwards, and having no 
hereditary pathway to guide them as the American birds 
have, they were lost at sea when they left the south Cape 
of Florida. 
In the case of the skylark and the European goldfinch, 
these birds were hardy enough to winter ih the Southern 
States. I am glad to see by Mr. Frank Moonan's letter of 
July 21, that the skylark is spreading in the Eastern 
States. In President Roosevelt's "Hunting Trips on the 
Prairie," published in 1902 (but it must have been written 
several years before), he speaks of hearing the song of the 
skylark in the bad lands of South Dakota. If it was the 
European skylark he meant, and I think the President is 
accurate in his descriptions, it must have qpme from the 
Portland, Oregon, importation twelve or fourteen years 
ago ; at that rate the Eastern and Western birds ought to 
meet soon. 
It is wonderful how indifferent most people seem to 
be to the advent of this magnificent songster. We ought 
to build a monument to the first man who turned loose 
the skylark. The way to build it would be to start an all- 
American Acclimatization Society, with headquarters for 
liberating the birds on the plateau of Mexico, where they 
would have unbroken land for their migrations both north 
and south. Then we could get the nightingale with a 
fair chance of success. I believe there are thousands of 
people all over this country who would respond to the 
right man in this cause. Mountain Texas. 
[The skylark referred to by President Roosevelt was 
the Missouri skylark (Neocorys spraguei), a native spe- 
cies. It has a song like the European skylark, and, like it, 
sings on the wing.] 
Amherst's Audubon Bird Collection. 
By the gift of the Hon. Elbert E. Farman, L.L.D., 
of Warsaw, New York,, Amherst College possesses Au- 
dubon's celebrated collection of birds, amounting in all 
to about six hundred species. Many of these are the 
typical specimens by which the species were determined, 
and about one hundred have been mounted for exhibition 
in the Appleton Cabinet. Also, there have been added to 
this collection by the same donor several of the rarer 
California birds which have been discovered since the 
death of Audubon. Massachusetts. 
He Had Felt It. — Singleton — "Did you ever feel that 
you were an insignificant atom in the great plan of the 
universe — that you were really unnecessary, so to 
speak?" Wedderly — "You bet I have — and I never felt 
it more strongly than I did last night when I got home 
and found my wife discussing the fashion with a couple 
of her women friends."- — Chicago Daily News. 
Cause for Rejoicing— Mrs. Rabbit — "Oh! I am so 
glad you're home again. I've missed you dreadfully." 
Mr. Rabbit — "Thank you, my dear. I'm happy to say 
that the amateur hunter I met did the same thing." — 
Puck. ' 
