112 
SNAKE. 
The following scene between two snakes is de- 
scribed in the Letters of an American Farmer ; who 
tells us that he was one day sitting alone in an ar- 
bour which he had raised upon his farm, when his 
attention was engaged by a strange sort of rustling 
noise at some paces distance. He looked about 
without being able to distinguish any thing, till he 
ascended to a little height above the ground, when 
he beheld two snakes of considerable length, the 
one pursuing the other with great celerity through 
a hemp stubble field. The aggressor was of the 
black kind, six feet long ; the fugitive was a water 
snake, nearly of equal dimensions. They soon met ; 
and, in the fury of their first encounter, appeared 
in an instant firmly twisted together, while they 
mutually tried with open jaws to lacerate each 
other. After this conflict had lasted about five 
minutes, during which time their heads were com- 
pressed to a very small size, and their eyes appeared 
exceedingly fiery, the second found means to dis- 
engage itself from the first, and hurried towards the 
ditch. Its antagonist, however, overtook it again 
before it reached the destined place of security, and 
obliged it to renew the combat. The writer de- 
scribed the scene which followed as uncommonly 
beautiful ; for, thus opposed, they fought with their 
jaws, biting each other with the utmost rage : but, 
notwithstanding this appearance of mutual courage 
and fury, the water snake still seemed desirous of 
retreating towards its natural element. In this at- 
