CREATURES OF MYSTERY 
261 
her. The second chided her sister for not having the courage 
to resist the attack of the hen and put her hand into the nest, 
but with the same result. When the third had made the same 
attempt, but without results, the three went running to the 
house and told their mother. The mother, seeing that there 
were two wounds upon each of their hands, had her suspicions 
aroused, so went to investigate herself. Being able to see, she 
found a five-foot rattler coiled within the nest. For the want 
of immediate medical attention, the bite was fatal to all three 
of her children. 
A similar tragedy came dangerously near being re-enacted in 
a home, the members of whom were all well known to me. The 
family lived in one of those hardwood hummocks along by the 
side of a large creek. For a week or longer prior to the occur¬ 
rence, members of the household took notice of a peculiar note 
in the direction of the barnyard. It was the subject of nightly 
discussions. Some insisted that it was the note of crickets 
while others said not. Finally, a small girl was sent by night 
to get some eggs from a nest underneath the shelter for their 
breakfast. In the darkness she felt something in the nest which 
alarmed her, so hurried to the house and told her father. 
Going immediately with a flashlight he found a large rattler in 
the hen’s nest. This reptile had found a spot where he could 
earn a living all summer. All day long he would remain in his 
place of hiding and by night would come forth to devour all 
the eggs laid by the farmer’s hens during the day. The note 
they had been hearing was that of this rattler talking to his 
mate: off a distance, and had this family been familiar with 
the note might have avoided this unnecessary exposure. 
In all probability the one committing the triple murder of 
these three innocent children had been about the barnyard 
uttering such call for days, but the parents made the fatal mis¬ 
take of believing it to be the note of some nocturnal bird. 
A friend who related to me this observation had made his 
way to a lake deep in the swamp and quietly sat down by the 
side of the stream and commenced fishing. There was absolute 
quiet about him for an hour or so—the stillness was broken 
by a dull thud upon the ground. Turning about to determine 
