Aug. 5, 1911.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
219 
A Battle Between Snakes. 
Tucson, Ariz., July 20 . — Editor Forest and 
Stream: Some four years or so ago I saw pub¬ 
lished in the Mojave County Miner a statement 
regarding a battle witnessed between a black 
and white kingsnake and a rattler. From the 
description of the kingsnake I take it to have 
been a Boylii and which I know to be common in 
that section of country. To be doubly sure of 
what took place I wrote to Anson H. Smith, 
the editor of the Miner, and received the fol¬ 
lowing reply: 
“The original story was told me by R. P. 
Wheeler, superintendent of the Nonpareil 
mines. Afterward the story was corroborated 
BLACK duck's NEST AND EGGS. 
by a Mr. Cole, of the University of Iowa, a 
young civil engineer, who happened to be with 
Mr. Wheeler when the fight took place. Eight 
or ten men viewed the battle and many of them 
have told me that my story was absolutely true. 
I never saw a snake fight, although a resident 
of the desert for nearly thirty years. A young 
woman who lives in the edge of the yucca forest 
told me a story similar to the one related and 
she said that the kingsnake swallowed the 
rattler tail first. Mr. Cole told us the other day 
that the head of the rattler was hard to swallow 
and the kingsnake had a time getting it inside 
of the mouth. The rattles of the rattler had 
been broken off by one of the onlookers during 
the fight and the tail was bleeding when the 
kingsnake began the work of deglutition, which 
may account for the manner of swallowing. 
“When the men first came upon the snakes 
they were coiled round and round each other 
in the wagon road. The kingsnake had evident¬ 
ly been struck a number of. times by the rattler, 
as he was bleeding in several places. Later in 
the fight the rattler sunk his fangs into the side 
of the kingsnake and the fangs became fastened 
and had to be pried away with a stick. The 
kingsnake was bleeding very freely from the 
wound and for a while appeared weak, but re¬ 
vived and fought with great fury. In the act 
of swallowing the rattler the kingsnake coiled 
about the rattler’s body and forced all the 
bulky part into himself by drawing up his folds. 
This was done until there was nothing but 
skin and head left, and when the head was 
against the membranes of the mouth, the king¬ 
snake tried many ways to get it inside and at 
last moved over to where a flat stone lay and 
by pressing first one side of the rattler’s head 
and then the other against the stone, succeeded 
in forcing it in. While this does look rather 
strong, it is vouched for by many truthful men. 
“Last year we witnessed a fight between a 
rattler and a common ground squirrel, in which 
the squirrel came out victor, although it was 
struck a number of times and was very sick 
after the fight. Its head swelled up very large, 
its eyes were closed and we thought it would 
die, but the next day it was as lively as ever. 
This same squirrel killed and ate a chuckawala, 
one of the largest desert lizards.” 
The published account, which I have unfortu¬ 
nately mislaid, stated that after the death of the 
rattler the kingsnake slowly passed along the 
body, giving it a most careful examination. 
On reaching the bloody tail from which the 
rattles had been pulled, it drew its head sudden¬ 
ly back as if to again strike it, then seized it 
by the end and the process of swallowing com¬ 
menced. I have seen numerous snakes swallow 
one another, but have always seen them go in 
head first. I can appreciate the use the snake 
made of the rock in order to force the head 
through its jaws. About two years ago I 
watched a Texas blacksnake swallow an ordi¬ 
nary sized garter. The victim coiled itself 
around the head and neck of the black, and when 
the latter began to suffer for breath it thrashed 
violently about and finally broke the hold of 
the little fellow, but it could not break the coils 
from the head. It then coiled and by repeatedly 
thrusting its head between the coils, compres¬ 
sing them together and then drawing its head 
out, it finally succeeded in pulling the coils off. 
The little fellow was then swallowed double. 
gull’s nest. 
Photographs made by P. R. Robinson on Little Island 
Pond, on the Megantic Club preserve in Maine. 
Boyle’s kingsnake is small by comparison with 
the average diamond back, and it would be im¬ 
possible for a snake of its size to swallow a full- 
grown one. Herbert Brown. 
^ Birds in the Megantic Preserve. 
New York City, July 21. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: The accompanying photographs were 
taken on the Megantic Club’s preserve while on 
my usual spring fishing trip to Maine. As I 
approached Little Island Pond I saw something 
white on the large rock. When I paddled closer 
I saw a gull fly from the rock and then realized 
that I had discovered a gull’s nest. There were 
three eggs in the nest, although I am told that 
only two are usual. The old gull seemed very 
much worried at my presence, and sometimes 
aproached quite near me, continuing to soar 
around until I took my departure. 
the rock on which the gull’s nest was found. 
On the small island, after which this beautiful 
little lake is named, .1 discovered a blackduck’s 
nest containing eight eggs. The mother duck 
flew from her nest as I approached, and I saw 
her return as I left the pond. 
By the way, Little Island Pond is “chuck full” 
of trout. They made a mad rush for my flies 
every time I cast. I caught all I could eat in 
a few minutes, and reeled in my line in disgust. 
They were too easy. P. R. Robinson. 
[Nuttall says the number of eggs laid by the 
mackerel gull is from two to five, usually three. 
Hornaday records the laying of three eggs by a 
pair of captive herring gulls.- —Editor.] 
Purple Martins. 
Tarpon Springs, Fla., July 28.— Editor Forest 
and Stream: As far as I have observed the pur¬ 
ple martin seems not to be very regular in its 
habits. In 1910 they left their nest with their 
young about the middle of June, and departed 
about the first of July. This year they had 
reared their young very early in June, but al¬ 
though they frequently came to see us, they did 
not finally disappear until the 14th of July. They 
often came swirling about their house, and we 
were always glad to see them, but the last day 
that we saw any of them only a single bird ap¬ 
peared. Kelpie. 
The Forest and Stream may be obtained from 
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supply you regularly. 
