The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1836-03-30

Tar RATTLEsEARE AND SoiRREL.-Rat-
tlesnake hunt, and secure for their prey,
with ease, gray squirrels that abound ip
our woods therefore they must be pos
sessed of swittness TO obtain them. Having
enjoyed the pleasure of beholdLg such u
chase in the year 1921, shall detail its
circumstances. Whilst lying on the ground
to watch the liablts of bird which was
new to me, previous to shooting 1t, heard
smart rustlng not far from me, and turn
ing my head that way, saw, at the same
moment, a gray sqirrel issuing from the
thckcts, and bouncing Off in n straight di-
rection, in leaps of several feet at a time !;
and, not more than twenty feet behind, IA
rattlesnake of ordinary size, pursuing,
drawn out apparently to its full length, and
sliding over the ground so rapidly, that, as
they both moved away from me, was at
no loss to observe tire snake gain upon the
squirrel. The sqirrel made for tree, aud
asccnded to its topmost branches as mimbly
as sqirrels are known to do. The snake
performed the same task considerably more
slowly, yet so fast that the squirrel never
raised its tail nor basked, but eyed the enc
my attcntivelv as he mounted and approach
ed. When within few yards, the SPUR
rel leaped to another branch, aud the soake
followed by stretching out full two thirds OF
its body, whilst the remainder held it Sc
curely from falling. Passing thus from
branch to branch, with rapidty that as
tonished me, the sqirrel went m and out OF
several holes, but remained in none, know
ing well, that wherever its Eead could enter,
the body of his antagonist would follow
and, at last, much exhausted and terrified
took a desperate leap, and came to the
earth, with legs and tail spread to their III
most, to ease the fall. That instant the
snake dropped also, and was within few
yards Of the sqirrel before it had began max
ing off. The chase on land again took
place, and, ere the squirrel could reach an
other tree, the snake had seized it by the
back near the occiput, and soon rolled tsel
about it in such a way, that, although
heard the cries of the victim, ] scarcely saw
any portion OF its body. So full of its ulti-
mate object was the snake, that it paid nc
attention to me, and approached 1t, to see
/ in what manner it would dispose of its prey
A few moments elapsed, when | saw the
reptile lossening gradually and opening its
folded coils, until the squirrel was left en-
tircly disengaged, having been killed by suf-
location. The snake then raised few inch
es of its body from the ground, and passed
/ its head over the dead animal in various
WAYS, to assure itself that life had departed ;
it then took the end Of the squirrels tail,
swallowed it gradually, bringing first one,
and then the other of the hind legs parallel
with it, and sucked with difficulty, and for
some time, at them and the rump the an
imal until its jaws become so expanded that,
after this. il swallowed the whole remaining
parts with apparent ease.-Jameson's Edin-
bugh Phiio'ophieat Journal
The WoIr.-A gentleman Of my nc
quaintance was travelling in Greece, and
passed few days at the hoase OF friend
in that country.-While he was there, a
large body Of wolves came down from the
mountains in the night, aud committed
great hnyoc among the sheep, goats and
other animals belonging to the inhabitants
of an adjoining village. As the country
people knew the place to which the wolves
generally retrea,ed, they assembled IN
large BODY, and made an attack upon them
In The evening some Of the peasants brodght
dead wolf of large size to the gentleman
referred to, and told him it was the leader
or head Of the pack Of marauders.-II's
/ foo, was as large as the fist Of man. On
auesti1ning the country people on the sub
ject, they asserted as a well known fact
wolves were occasionally in the habit of Sc
lec,ing one particular whclp from the lit
ter, which they carefully concealed m some
secure place, and fed with live animals