The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-04-21
now A SNAKE CLIMBS A TREE.
The Surprise of q Naturalist on Dis
covering the Way II Is Done.
E-,.o,,, tbe No,s Work C,fn
From the Neto York Sun.

The SURPRISE OF q NATURALIST on Dis
covering the Way 1t Is Done.
From the Ne,o York Sun
UTf YOU never saw a snake climb a tree
said the naturalist, ''you have missed
SIGHT that is worth going @ good ways to
coo never sow the act myself until
couple of years ago. and ! could hardly be-
Iiava nv ewes, for had always supposed
,bat when a snake went up tree it climbed
Nv throwing itself in a spiral around the
rink and gliding up by moving round and
ronnd it. The books will tell you that is
4ba vrav snake climbs a tree, aud will
show YOU pictures of snakes in the act of
tuisting themselves about the tree trunk
end working upward toward the branches.
And the fact of the matter is, they don't do
ANYTHING Of the sort
~ was I'D in Monroe county, Pennsyl-
vania. and one day went out to look up
Some botanical specimens, in deep and
tbicklv wooded ravine, when ! came sud-
6srly upon blacksnake clinging to the side
of asmall, rough barked tree. The reptiles
head was about ten feet from the ground,
and its body was drawn up by number OF
very short and abrupt curves. The straight
r7,aces between these curvatures fitted close
In the perpendicular corrugations of the
bark on the tree for several inches at q
stretch, and took advantage OF every rough
eDot or crevice in the bark, both to
the right and the left. / went up to the
foot OF the tree, wondering how the snake
had managed 90 get itself in that queer
Dos!tion. / soon found out. for the reptile,
alarmed at my approach, gave me a most
interesting explanation of it by moving
slowly I'D the tree trunk, working the Curvg-
lures Of his long body on the tree with his
head raised five or six inches, just as if he
we're picking his way along the ground. AT
first il seemed that he was coming down the
tree. rs his movements now and then brought
him with his head pointed toward the
ground bat he was going up just the same.
HE did not once attempt to encircle the
tree with his body, but scaled the side of it
with the greatest ease. He went up into
the tree nearly to the top and then, as if he
didn't intend 10 be forced to a place where
he had no particular business, he turned
and came down the tree in the same wav
that he had gone up It, The movement
was SLOW, the snake occupying at least
minute in going the length of his body,
about six feet. That same summer | sur
prised a black snake robbinG
birds nest of its eggs in an apple tree
on the farm where l was stopping, and
frightened him out. He cane down the
tree lust as the one in the ravine had done,
except that his exit was deal faster. He
glded away through the grass like flash
and disappeared. The birds, whose nest
the snake had climbed the tree to rob, were
flying frantically about through the
branches, and | sat down in the shade of
another tree few feet away TO watch them.
They quieted down in few minutes and
the female resumed her place on the nest.
l had no idea that the snake would
return, hut in less than ten minutes I saw 1t
stealing out of the grass again toward the
tree. 1t glided to tine tree and Immediately
started up the stem again, in the way have
described. 1t went up as easily as q fly
walks up pane Of glass; Before it got to
the nest, though, it was discovered by the
two birds. They few excitedly about the
reptile, screaming Ia terror, and dartlng at
it in efforts to frighten it away. One
of the birds made O dive at the snakes
head. With q movement OF lightning
swiftne5s the blacksnake struck at the
bird. seized it by enc leg, and started with
the fluttering victim down the tree, the
birds mate lowering over it and striking it
fiercely with her beak. | hurried forward
and met the snake on its way down and
beahored it with aswitch, tho only thing |
could find to use as weapon. The reptile
held on to the bird in spite Of my interfer-
ence until it was near the bottom, when
it evidently became alarmed for
its own safety and released its prey and
escaped from me and disappeared in the
long grass again. 1 followed 1t, but it was
too quick in its movements for me and got
to It's hiding place. The bird fiuttered
about on the ground for few seconds and
then flew back TO the tree, where both it
and its mate chartered excitedly for some
time. Then the female took her place on
the nes5 again, and her oonsort perched on
d limb near by and kept guard, in
apparent expectation Of another attack
from its deadly foe. I remained there an
hour or more, but the snake did not come
back, and when l went away the male bird
was still on guard. The next day the farm
er's boy discovered the snake going up the
tree again and succeeded in killing it. IL was
blue snake, Of the racer variety. Twice
since that time l have discovered black
snakes IN the act of climbing trees, and they
always went up the side OF the trunk, and l
am satisfied that they climb a tree in no
other way"