Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-05-29
SIGHTS SEEN nv A rxerrxR.

skill With the fly on the trout in Gale
donna spring Greek for two hours on
Fnday. he never scored A rise. n,
nnally hid himself behind an alder busI
on the margin Of the creek. From hi,
position he could command a vIev
OF a long stretch OF water without he
Ing himself seen. He wanted 20 sa,isf,
himself whether there were auy trout
IN the stream or not by watching foI
possible rises after nies. As he va,
eszina up and down the creek. a blns
heron dropped quietly down on the
edge OF the stream, thirty feet from
aim, and waded solemuly out until th.
water came MP to- where its knee,
would have been il it had had an,
knees. 1t then drew one foot up aosins;
its stomach, stood on the other one a,
motionieEs ~ though it were a panel
from a Japanese screen, and, as Bel
Thought, immediately proceeded to lose
itself in sleep.
Inc fisherman was making a mental
calculation as to how long the bird
could stand there On it's pips-stem leo
without losing its equipoise, when there
came fiutter in the air. and, Rlancino
up, he saw a kinefisher alieht on the
aead lfmb OF a tree that stood on the
opposite bank of the creek. The new.
conner was not more than a rod avay
from the concealed angler. Its oazs
was at once fastened on the creek. For
ten minutes the heron dozed in the
water and the kingfisher watched from
the tree without anything occurring TO
break the monotony.
1hen Bell saw another sight. MOVING
up along the bottom of the stream like
a shadow came q drove of trout. They
were large ones, and went their vay
lelsurely. They had barely passed the
spot where Bell lay, when from beneath
q log not two feet away from the fisher
man, turtle foot or so in diameter
slowly emerged. Il rose to the surface
and moved cautiously up the stream.
Then, creeping stealthily along in the
wake OF the trout, came what Bell at
nrst took to be an eel, but which he soon
discovered was large water snake.
The drove Of trout disappeared In the
deeper water above, on the edge of
which the turtle lowered. The snake
crept stealthily along. The kinefisher
gazed patiently from the limb. The
heron balanced himself on his single
stilt and slept on. Suddenly the turtle
dived quickly from the surface Of the
shallow into the depths of the pool. and
at the same moment the kingfsher
dropped down into the stream aud dis
appeared. Instantly score or more of
front flashed dswn the stream like me
teors and were gone. The kingfisher
arose from the creek, shook ths water
in showers from his wings, and bcse
away in his beak trout fit for kings
table. The bird was not yet ont of sight
when the somnolent heron suddenly
awOke. Its other foot came down into
the water. Its neck, which had been
drawn in against its breast, shot out
like released spiral spring, and was
buried for moment full length in the
water. When il WAS withdrawn a big
trout came out of the water with it, aad
the tall bird flew indolently away up the
stream, trailing its legs.
The turtle and the snake were yet to
be heard FROM. The snake made its ap-
pearance first, moving rapidly down the
creek with its head out of the water. IL
had no trout, and was evidently disap
pointed. Ii steered for the spot where
the angler was concealed, crawled out
of the water, crept by within a foot Of
Bell, and. winding itself around an al
der. made its way out on a branch that
extended two feet above the creek and
foot above the surface. There the
snake took up a position from which 1t
watched the water below. While the
snake WAS settling into position the tur-
tie came leisurely down the creek. Its
venture had been successful, for ID
swept by burdened with good half
pound trout.
Il WAS evident that the sudden ap-
pearance of the tnrtle and the king
fisher among the trout had scattered
them at once, some OF them flying back
down stream and others seeking hiding
places above. 1t was one of these lat
ter that the heron had taken in. The
sud- disintegration of the school had
spoiled the plans of the snake, and IL
returned empty mouthed from the
chase. IL was clear, however, that the
snake knew that all is possible to him
who waits, and had accordingly laid
other plans. Bell resolved 10 stay and
note their issue. All was quiet for half
an hour. Then the trout began to
make their appearance again. A dozen
fine ones came stealing by, and. stop
ping in full sight, lay with their heads
up stream, Watching for flies. Presently
the snake began to slowly uncoil itself
from the limb, and glided into the
water rs noiseless as n shadow. IL
| tioated down stream, its head alone
| being visible above the water. When
the snake had passed down twenty feet,
the head also disa ppeared beneath the
surface. In q few minutes Bell saw the
snake creeping slowly along the bot
tom, IA before. IL drew nearer and
nearer TO the trout. The tish nearest TO
IL was at least eight inches long. The
snake stopped when within two feet OF
this trout and then darted forward 90
| quickly that the excited spectator hard-
| ly saw the movement. The next tnihR
| he saw was the snake with its Jaws
| firmly closed on an inch OF the trout
tail. In spite of the game struggles oil
the fish, the snake backed down stream
with IL until il reached low, sandy
spot, where it drew the trout out upon
| the shore and disappeared with II
among the alders.
The Buffalo angler vent 10 Monroe
Green. Superintendent of the State Fish
| Hatchery, and told him what he had
| seen.
THAT'S nothing" said Monroe
"Snakes and herons and kinghshers
| DESTROY more trout, not only of thii
stream. bat ON every stream, than al
she fishermen In the country can oatch
We ought 70 keep three men busy n
doing nothing but laying for 'em will
guns. We do kill great many. rns
snakes are the worst, because there
more of 'em. LAST season, when va
tore down the old Matching shed, my
self killed eighty black water snake,
tl.at had hidden IN the various parts o'
il, You can lay hidden any day sionI
the Spring creek and see juss such !
sight as you witnessed today. There
plenty of trout in Caledonia creek. on
IL Won want TO catch 'sm you've got q
be as well balanced as . heron, ~ "a
sient as kingfisher, as deceptive as
turtle, and as willy 40 snake.
Not being a Buffalo politician, BEL
unjointed his rod. put up his nies. AM
went home.
ms raruERs CmRIsriAN NAME
Al the beginning of o school term a
pupils in the public schools are rcqairs'
10 give their fathers full name. IN