The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1880-06-03
Snakes Catching and Eating Fish.

For a number of years past it has been
my custom, because unable to find any
better way to dispose of my summer
leisure, to do good deal of fishing in
the Potomac River, sometimes in the
immediate front of the city, sometimes
at the Little and Big Falls above, and
sometimes at the Four Mile Run below.
have generally used live bait, there
being minnows in any quantity along
the edges of the river. Three summers
AGO I went TO catch minnows at the
mouth of small run called Gravelly
Creek, situated on the west bank of the
river, Just at the foot of the Arlington
estate. A short distance north of the
run is the once quite celebrated Airing
ton Springs, which is still place of re-
sort for large numbers of Sunday visit
ors from the city. To reach the springs.
except by boat, it is necessary to cross
Gravelly Greek, near its mouth, or go
quite a long distance around the creek.
To enable parties to cross the creek at
the mouth, q passageway has been made
by kind of loose dam of stones. At
low water the creek here is some forty
feet wide, but at full tide it is fully sixty
feet, and four or five feet deep. The
loose stones form quite an impeachment
to the tide, so that, when the tide is ris-
ing, the water on the river side OF the
dam is several inches higher than the
water on the other side, and flows
through and over the loose stones quite
rapidly, and the reverse is the case when
the tide is falling. Vast numbers of
minnows are to be found at all times in
the marsh along the river banks, and
as the tide rises they seek the runs to
be found here and there to avoid the
white and yellow perch which prey up
on them. and it is while they are max
inc up the creek that catch the guam
tity l want.
One day, while catching minnows as
usual, | noticed a number of snakes,
the common water moccasin, approach
ING the dam or footway of stones. The
water vet lacked several inches of
reaching the top of the stoneway, al
though it was rushing in quite rapidly
and carrying with it many bull Min
nows and small white perch that were
unable to resist it. Watching the
snakes. l saw one after another reach
the dam and take their station upon 1t,
submerging themselves all but their
heads. which were raised about an inch
above the water and pointed in the di-
rection of the incoming tide. In this
position / counted seventeen snakes,
arranged at uneven intervals, in space
of less than sixty feet l came to the
conclusion at once they were fishing.
and watched them with good deal of
interest. Pretty soon | saw one head
strike forward, going under the water,
reappearing in a moment with very
large bull-minnOw in its mouth. The
snake Immediately loosened its hold
upon the rocks and swan for the shore,
reaching which it disappeared in the
bushes; and this was repeated at inter-
walls by each of the seventeen snakes.
When they returned from the bushes,
having made short work of their
catch" each snake sought his own
particular location on the rocks, there
being no clashing of interests there.
Now, how is this for reason or in
stinct? How do these snakes Know
where to locate themselves, and the
particular stage of the tide at which to
start on their fishing excursion? How
do they know that a number OF min
nows will be swept over the miniature
falls made by the rocks? These are
questions that 90 beyond my compre-
tension and leave them for others to
answer. But the facts remain and any
one who will take the trouble may YER
fly them at any time during the summer
by a visit to Gravelly Creek.-FOrest
and Stream.