Evening star., 1945-01-18
This and That
By Charles E. Tracepeu.
"W. IRVING STREET

Dear Sir:
Il have read your column with pleas
ure for many years. noticed tonight
that you say that many persons write
IN With accounts of happenings that
seem strange but which are not really
L doubt If many have experienced
what happened to me in the woods near
the Massachusetts, coast last summer.
There is pine tree about S feet from
living room window, which by trim
ming has been made into a thick grow
ing bush about 10 feet high and nearly
as thick.
"A robin had her nest there this
summer in plain sight from the window.
Three young birds had grown for sew
eral weeks.
One day heard high note of ex-
cited squawking from the tree, and i'm
mediately concluding that gray squir-
rel who had been fussing around the
tree good bit was causing the uproar,
l hurried to the rescue.
Climbing on large rock beside the
tree and being still full of the squirrel
idea. I thought saw his tail hanging
down from the nest.
Reaching through the branches. my
hand was just closing in on the tail,
when suddenly realized it was not a
squirrel but something very different,
which view was confirmed by a large
black snake which whipped his head
around from the nest and straight into
my face.
He didn't quite reach me, though he
acted with strong intent, as I threw
myself off the rock and grabbed bit
of scantling few feet away, and re-
turned to the battle.
HE had swung his head back to the
nest. I struck an exposed coil a hard
blow and he instantly dropped. hur-
ried around to the other side of the
tree, but was surprised to find no trace
OF MIN, he having got away in the low
bushes.
feet.
There were only two birds left, so I
suppose he got away with one.
He never came back
Very truly yours, C. r. r."
&
Our correspondent certainly had an
unusual experience.
His snake probably was the pilot
black snake, often confused with the
common black snake.
The pilot black snake is a tree
climber found chiefly in the mountain
Gus regions. 1t is often called the
mountain black snake for that reason.
This pilot black snake feeds largely
on birds.
The common black snake usually does
not eat birds, but is regarded as the
farmers friend by reason of its destruc-
ton of mice and rats.
The mountain black snake also eats
rodents.
All of these snakes have the group
name of racers, owing to their speed
Most OF them are said to be good
natured in captivity The coachwhip of
the South is an exception, being rather
fierce when held captive. This is the
fastest of all these racers.
Another racer is the gropher or indigo
snake of the great Southwest. 1t is a
big one, often being feet long.
1t gets its common name of gopher
snake by seeking shelter in a gopher
turtle hole.
Those who like snakes take a great
fancy to the indigo, since it is very
tame, and actually seems to enjoy being
handled.
Birds eggs are particularly liked by
many snakes. The big bull snake
swallows such eggs without cracking the
shell at first
Observers say that when the egg gets
exactly IA inches down the throat pow
erful muscles crack it, whereupon the
entire egg, shell and all, is digested.
This snake gets plenty Of mineral
matter.
Not all snakes attack birds. The
smooth green snake, found in the
Northwest, eats spiders and insects
mainly. The rough green snake Of the
West and South also feeds upon insects,