The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-07-15
ALL A MISTAKE.
A Story Which Proves That Injustice Ha
Been Done the snake.

snake. This isn't the peoples fault.
1t is the result of ignorance. 1t is their
misfortune not to know the snake. II
they could only come into closer com.
munion with snakes and study them
without prejudice they would find tina,
the popular estimate of these interest.
ing and intelligent reptiles has done
them ages of injustice. That unfortu-
nate affair in the Garden of Eden ought
to be sufficient evidence that the snake
IS smart A little circumstance of more
recent occurrence, which | want to tell
Won about, will convince any one that
the snake is by no means bad.
The water snake, although pretty
and harmless. is one of the most unpop.
ular members of the ophidian race.
This is probably because he has rare
tooth for fish, and especially for trout,
of which he takes a great many away
from the angler every year. And, when
you come to think of it, why hasn't he
as good right to them as the angler?
Anyhow, whether he has or not, he
shows that he has a delicate sense OF
what is good by his partiality for trout.
One day | was fishing for trout up
in Pike county, and ! saw a water snake
drop down into the creek from an alder,
presently come out on the other side of
the stream with a trout in its mouth. |
at that time shared the popular dislike
for snakes. and when | saw this one
with the trout | became so enraged that
! picked up stone and threw il at the
snake. The stone struck the snake a
foot or so above its tail and disabled il.
1t dropped the fish, which vas still
alive, and the trout Topped back into
the water. The snake lay writhing on
the ground, and was cruel enough to
pass on. leaving it to die, as believed.
in agony. because OF my adherence of
its kind
The next day. fishing the same
stream again, as approached the spot
where had stoned the water snake, l
saw kingfisher sitting on a dead limb
above pool in the brook. ] knew it
was watching for a fish, and stopped
to see whether the bird would catch
one. had to wait but a very short
time. The kingfsher pumped like a
shot down into the water. disappeared
for a moment, and came up with a
gocd-sized club in its bill expected.
of course, to see the bird fly away home
with its catch, but instead of that il
few to the side of the creek. and to nv
surprise laid the club on the ground in
~ la I Aa.4
before. 1t was the water snake | had
hit with the stone the day before. 1t
was not dead, but had been unable to
move away from the spot where the
stone had crippled it. As the kingtisher
laid the fish in front of the snake. the
latter seized it and proceeded to gorge
it. The kingfsher flew back to its
limb, went to fishing again, soon caught
another fish, and few away with it to
its nest
Now half-witted man couldn't
have helped but understand what this
all meant at glance. The wounded
snake, unable to move, and consequent
iy unable to get anything to eat, had
been discovered in its sad plight by the
kingfisher. and the kingfisher. being a
tender-hearted bird. had taken pity on
it, and was feeding it to keep it alive
until its wound healed and it was able
to do for itself again. This touched me,
and resolved to let the snake alone
and see what the outcome of the incl
dent would be. | didn't get back on
the creek again for three or four DAYS
after that and when got down to
where the snake had lain Il was gone.
of course had no means II knowing
what had become of it. but naturally
concluded that it had recovered and
gone away.
While | stood there the lingfisher
alighted on the dead limb again. and
sat there as motionless as a knot. watch
ing for a chance To catch a fish 4 king
fisher fishing is always an interesting
sight to me, and so | waited again to
see the result of this vigil. had to
wait a good while this time, for the bird
was evidently intent on big game.
While he set there watching. a fish
hawk appeared, high up. circling around
over the creek, looking for a dinner
himself. by and by the kingisher's op-
portunity came. He shot into the water.
came ont with nice trout and started
for home. didn't know whether the
tishhawk had had his microscopic eve
on that trout or not. but if he had. he
didn't intend to be done ont of it by the
kingtisher. the latter had gone scarce
ly rod when down on him the fish
hawk pounced and q lively but short
struggle for possession of the trout en-
sued. The kinghsher finding the fight
to hot for him, dropped the trout 1t
fell on the ground. but before the
hawkcould fasten his talons in ii a snake
shot out of the bushes like flash.
grabbed the trout and shot back ont of
sight IN the bushes again. A. soon as
the kingtisher dropped the front it flew
back to the dead limb and went to fish
ing again. never saw anything sur
prised quite as much as that hawk was
when he saw the front disappear in the
bushes. He lowered over the spot a min
ut or 80, as If he couldn't believe his
eyes and then sailed away.
''Wellr' said to myself That wise
old snake just lay low and got the best
Of both of them
Il was about to start on again. when
| saw a movement in the bushes at the
foot Of the tree the lingfisher was on.
/ looked. and ont came the snake with the