LETTERS FROM ALABAMA. 
107 
destroyed by dogs^ by the gun^ or by birds of prey. 
Whether the domestic fowl might not by this 
method be very soon brought back to its original 
savage state ^ and thereby supply another additional 
subject for the amusement of the sportsman^ will 
scarcely admit of a doubt. But the experiment, in 
order to ensure its success,, would require to be 
made in a quarter of the country less exposed than 
ours to the ravages of guns, traps, dogs, and the 
deep snows of w.inter, that the new tribe might 
have full time to become completely naturalized, 
and well fixed in all their native habits.'’ 
Going home from school one evening, we saw 
crossing the path before us a very beautiful species 
of snake, which I suppose to have been the Scarlet 
Viper ( Viper a fulvia^ Harlan ; Coluher coccineus^ 
Say), The boys gave chase to it, and killed it; 
they called it the Blunt-tailed Mocassin Snake. 
It was bright scarlet, with transverse bands of 
black. I examined its head, and found that, by 
the rule given by Shaw, it should be harmless, as 
it had small teeth in the palate as well as in the 
jaw, and I perceived no poison fangs ; but if I am 
right as to the species, it must have them : it has 
the reputation of being highly poisonous, but with 
the common people this accusation is so indis- 
criminately brought against all the tribe of ser- 
pents, that it is of very little weight ; as I have 
found in most other instances of the kind, when T 
inquired , if they had ever heard of any one who 
was bitten by it, they acknowledged that they had 
not, but everybody said that it was venomous." 
The children are very expert in discovering indi- 
cations of the wild animals : they often show me a 
slight line in the dust across the road, where they 
