Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1852-05-29

On reaching this point, the stake grad
ually drew its rings closer together, until
they appeared TO touch each other, tapping
the Llama. 1t then commenced unwinding
itself by the head, which was slowly cir
cled backward about the vine--stil, how
ever, creasing closely along it. After a
sufficient number Of evoluiions, the rings
had completely disappeared : with The ex-
ception Of one or two near the tal--and
the reptile lay doubled along the liana.-
! These manpuyres it had executed silently
and with great caution and it now seem
ed 10 pause, aud survey what was going on
below. ... .. ....... ..t .t
During all this while, the ratilesnake had
been busily engaged with the squirrel, and
thought oil nothing else. After licking The
latter TO his satisfaction, he extended his
purple Jaws, drew in the head Of his VIC
tIm, and, stretching his long bodyto its full
extent, proceeded TO swallow it, tail and
all. In few seconds, the head and shoul-
ders Of the squirrel had disappeared.
But the gluiton was suddenly interrupt
ed in his meal for, at this moment, we
observed the black snake gradually lower
! J.
maincd upon tie tree but single loop of
his prehensile tail; and bis long body,
stretching downward, hung directly over
| the other.
''Surely," thought we, "he is not going
to encounter the rattlesnake-the most ter
rible of all reptiles" But the constructor
understood one chapter of herpetology bet
| ter than We--for the next moment we saw
him drop TO the. ground and, almost as
quick as thought, he appeared, tapped in
sable folds around the speckled body OF the
''CrotaIuS :" .-.. .. ...
1t was a singular sight 10 see these two
creatures writing and wriSg!ing over the
grass; aud it was some time before we
could tell how they battIed with each 9TH
er. There was no great difference between
them, in point Of size. The black snake
was ionger--by foot or So but much
more slender in the body than his antago-
mist. He possessed, however, an advan-
tage that soon made itself apparent--his
activity, which was ten times that of the
rattlesnake. We saw that he could easily
evolve or wind himself at pleasure around
the body Of the latter, each time compress
ing him with those muscular powers which
nru ntao1h % M ,r"sh ar,brooa ',,I - ,ho bodu 81
,ha -, ''i' =, ~ ~ oon ~
troct nndar ,b,i rrrnahi,l, I' ;nen,nca ., h;s
sohIs aIysrsoru % "' O''' '''''"' ''N' " us
Tha ro,,I,s1a,,, b,a b,,t an, u,,,ron :
which ba ''rt ca,lI, n,l, bora ~ or,,,orod v;h e.
f,ctN..h;s fanaS' rhsso ".r, olra,dy loot.
ed in ,hs h,dy IF tba son;,ral and hs conId
NOT 'nse them unon n; adyrrsarv He conId
not r.t r;J ot hat bo;rv ,norSs that I;kn
h,Tbsa arr",n ,'r, no," " s;ncr. :, b;s ,hroo, ~
w. oalG 49, a., r,,,;rn,r -. ',;l r,nao;o
cd there Cor as Ibe M ,wo r,,n,;yns strngaIed
oyrr tbe ara,s ~ ;,s tnshy ta;l was seem y.
;n, in ,bts n'iis, oC ,hn;r tor,rons contsst
a lcnath the hattie beron 70 fap, The
and slower We corla now sea hon, they
fought. W. could see--s,range it appear.
ed 10 us--that, instead Of battling head tc
head--iace to face--the fangs of the "con.
strictor" were buried in the raties of The
''crotaIus" !" Stranger still, the tail OF the
former rose ard fell with muscular ant
poWerinf impetus, whipping the latter 'tt
uea1n'
rue co'''tSl- was soon enGeu' ne 'a.
''e',''"e '"S '''' al ~"
o,;l ,t;,,,''l =. a., ra.I.,,,d hoJ,, .,
|