; m. SWUlERaL A HP MUkf f-TOBY 
Ih© monotony of ca mp life was broken yesterday evening, 
August 22, by a little episode which may be of interest to you* 
I crossed the creek to take a short stroll in the woods that 
border the valley on that side* Presently I noticed what T sup- 
posed to be two squirrels fighting or quarreling in a tree some 
thirty fe8t above the ground* The chattering was spasmodic and 
seemingly agonizing. In the top of the tree was a nest, fur- 
prised at the extraordinary activity displayed I stopped to look 
and soon concluded it was not two squirrels but one squirrel 
fighting some other creature - perhaps a snake. In order to 
settle the matter I went back to camp and got my field glasses 
and pistol. With the aid of the glasses I soon discovered a 
large snake coiled up on a large branch near where it joined the 
trunk, some twenty-five feet above the ground. The squirrel 
was fighting for her young. I watched her vain attempts to dis- 
lodge the snake. She would spring from above so as to graze the 
C]rVLl of<Xw. 
reptile as she descended, turning gfcs&i aalriy aside Just in time 
to avoid the serpent’s thrust with open mouth, falling off among 
the branches below and scrambling up again to renew the attack. 
Again she would run along the branch, chattering until within a 
foot of the reflexed head of the snake where she would spring 
back and forth threatening to Jump, but always passing to one 
side fearing to be caught, yet hoping always to throw the ser- 
pent off hie balance and get rid of him. 
