The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-06-09
BLACKsNAKE AND THE BIRDS.
Nature Story by o 4 n Back From q Penn
syivania Trout Stream.

y had stopped along the creek to eat my
bite Of lunch and smoke a pipe, said man
Just back from a Pennsylvania trout stream,
and, having finished both, l was about to
resume my fishing, when from the waving
strip Of tall wild grass that bordered a
thicket Just beyond where l lay In the shade
a blacksnake came gliding out into the sum
light. l remained quiet in my place.
THE snake advanced slowly, unaware
Of my presence, and moved toward a chest
nut tree whose trunk was not more than a
yard from my feet as l lay at full length on
the grass. Coming to the base Of the tree,
the blacksn&ke began at once to climb it
but not in the way the books picture a
snake as climbing q tree, and as l had always
supposed 1t climbed, by moving round and
round the stem in upward spiral glidings,
This snake drew its body up along the
tree trunk by u number Of very short curves
which seehed to ft closely in the perpen-
dioular corrugations Of the bark on the
tree. Az 1t worked the curvatures Of its
long body on the tree, it kept its head raised
four or five inches, just as II 1t were picking
its way along or the ground, and it moved
upward with equal facility.
1T seemed sometimes as If the snake were
coming down instead Of going up, its move
ments bringing its head, now and then,
pointin & toward the ground, but 1t was
going up all the same, and as deity as a
fly walks on a pane Of glass.
THE blacksnake had passed half way TO
the branches OF the tree before the thought
came TO me that 1t was not at all likely that
the snake was making the climb just for the
recreation there might be in il, and ] looked
to discov what the probable impelling
cause for it was. Scanning the tree, my
eyes fell on a birds nest in the crotch Of two
limbs, well up among the branches, and l
saw the mother birds head risin 6 above
n edge Of it.
~The bird was a wood sparrow and she
discovered the snake gliding up, the stem
Of the tree at the moment had detected
the alarmed bird iuttered from the nest
and Ii Response 70 her cries her mate came
flying to the spot from somewhere about.
The snake kept on it's way. The two
birds few exoitedly about 1t. screaming in
TO brighten the dread intruder away.
@The snake reached the lower branch Of
the tree and az il glided on it's way nearer
to the nest the male bird darted viciously
at ita head. With a motion 80 quick ! could
scarcely follow 1t. the reptile struck at the
bird and seized IL by one of its legs. Evil
IDENTIFY satisfied with it's capture the snake
started with it's futtering and screaming
victim down the tree. making it's way down
as it had passed up.
HThe captured birds distressed mate
lowered over the snake as it made it's way
down the stem, pecking fercely at it and
trying to force II to release its victim. The
snake lodged and duoked to avoid the
sharp assaults Of the bird, but held firmly
to it's game In spite Of them.
1T would a got away with its captive
easily enough, but as the robber came
to the ground / rose and interfered. With
two or three blows with a switch / induced
the snake TO release the bird and seek it's
own safety by a hasty flight TO the long
grass, where Il eluded pursuit.
THE freed bird futtered about IN the
ground q few seconds, in a dazed sort OF
way, Its mate darling frantically around
il, and then they both few back to the tree,
where they sat on a limb and chartered
long and excitedly over the alarming in.
cident. After a while the female resumed
her place on the nest,
Her mate perched himself on guard
near by, In evident expectation Of another
from the foe, twittering reassuringly
20 his wife the while. During the succeed
half hour that | tarried there for further
the snake did not show itself
again. but when ] quit the scene Of that
manifestation OF the passions
that move sven the unreasoning creatures
OF the wildwood, that faithful little cock
sparrow was still standing guard over
his nesting mate"