CHAPTER ELEVEN.
THE CHAIN OF DESTRUCTION.
Directly in front of the tent, and at no great distance from it, a thicknetwork of vines stretched between two trees. These trees were largetupelos, and the vines, clinging from trunk to trunk and to one another,formed an impenetrable screen with their dark green leaves. Over theleaves grew flowers, so thickly as almost to hide them--the wholesurface shining as if a bright carpet had been spread from tree to treeand hung down between them. The flowers were of different colours.Some were white and starlike, but the greater number were the largescarlet cups of the trumpet-vine (_bignonia_).
Francois, although listening to his brother, had for some time kept hiseyes in that direction, as if admiring the flowers. All at once,interrupting the conversation, he exclaimed,--
"_Voila_! look yonder--humming-birds!"
Now the sight of humming-birds is not so common in America as travellerswould have you believe. Even in Mexico, where the species are numerous,you will not see them every day. Indeed, you may not notice them atall, unless you are specially looking for them. They are such smallcreatures, and fly so nimbly--darting from flower to flower and tree totree--that you may pass along without observing them, or perhaps mistakethem for bees. In the United States, however, where only one specieshas yet been noticed, the sight is a rare one, and generally interestingto those who witness it. Hence Francois' exclamation was one ofsurprise and pleasure.
"Where are they?" inquired Lucien, starting up in an interested manner.
"Yonder," replied Francois, "by the trumpet flowers. I see several, Ithink."
"Softly, brothers," said Lucien; "approach them gently, so as not tofright them off--I wish to make some observations upon them."
As Lucien said this, he walked cautiously forward, followed by Basil andFrancois.
"Ah!" exclaimed Lucien, as they drew near, "I see one now. It is theruby-throat (_Trochilus colubris_). He is feeding on the bignonias.They are fonder of them than any other blossoms. See! he has gone upinto the funnel of the flower. Ha! he is out again. Listen to hiswhirring wings, like the hum of a great bee. It is from that he takeshis name of `humming-bird.' See his throat, how it glitters--just likea ruby!"
"Another!" cried Francois; "look above! It is not near so pretty as thefirst. Is it a different species?"
"No," replied Lucien, "it is the female of the same; but its colour isnot so bright, and you may notice that it wants the ruby-throat."
"I see no others," said Francois, after a pause.
"I think there are but the two," remarked Lucien, "a male and female.It is their breeding season. No doubt their nest is near."
"Shall we try to catch them?" inquired Francois.
"That we could not do, unless we had a net."
"I can shoot them with small shot."
"No, no," said Lucien, "the smallest would tear them to pieces. Theyare sometimes shot with poppy-seeds, and sometimes with water. Butnever mind, I would rather observe them a bit as they are. I want tosatisfy myself upon a point. You may look for the nest, as you havegood eyes. You will find it near--in some naked fork, but not among thetwigs or leaves."
Basil and Francois set about looking for the nest, while Luciencontinued to watch the evolutions of the tiny little creatures. The"point" upon which our young naturalist wished to be satisfied was,whether the humming-birds eat insects as well as honey--a point whichhas been debated among ornithologists.
As he stood watching them a large humble-bee (_Apis bombylicus_) camewhizzing along, and settled in one of the flowers. Its feet hadscarcely touched the bright petals, when the male ruby-throat dartedtowards it, and attacked it like a little fury. Both came out of theflower together, carrying on their miniature battle as they flew; but,after a short contest, the bee turned tail, and flew off with anangry-like buzz,--no doubt, occasioned by the plying of his wings morerapidly in flight.
A shout from Francois now told that the nest was discovered. There itwas, in the fork of a low branch, but without eggs as yet--else thebirds would not both have been abroad. The nest was examined by allthree, though they did not disturb it from its position. It was builtof fine threads of Spanish moss (_Tillandsia_), with which it was tiedto the branch; and it was lined inside with the silken down of theanemone. It was a semi-sphere, open at the top, and but one inch indiameter. In fact, so small was the whole structure, that any one butthe sharp-eyed, bird-catching, nest-seeking Francois, would have takenit for a knob on the bark of the tree.
All three now returned to watch the manoeuvres of the birds, that, nothaving seen them by the nest, still continued playing among the flowers.The boys stole as near as possible, keeping behind a large bunch ofhanging vines. Lucien was nearest, and his face was within a few feetof the little creatures, so that he could observe every motion theymade. He was soon gratified with a sight that determined his "point"for him. A swarm of small blue-winged flies attracted his attention.They were among the blossoms, sometimes resting upon them, and sometimesflitting about from one to another. He saw the birds several times dashat them with open bills, and pick them from their perch; so the questionwas decided--the humming-birds were insect-eaters.
After a while the female flew off to her nest, leaving the male stillamong the flowers.
The curiosity of the boys was now satisfied, and they were about toreturn to the tent, when Lucien suddenly made a motion, whispering theothers to remain silent. Francois first caught sight of the objectwhich had caused this behaviour on the part of his brother, and thenBasil saw it. A hideous object it was!
Crouching among the leaves, now crawling sideways, now making shortsprings, and then hiding itself, went a fearful-looking creature. Itwas about the size of one of the birds, but far different in appearance.Its body consisted of two pieces, joined about the middle, and coveredall over with a reddish-brown wool or hair, that stood upright likebristles. It had ten limbs--long, crooked, and covered with hair, likethe body--two curved claw-like antennae or feelers in front, and twohorns projecting behind, so that, but for the sharp fiery eyes of thecreature, it would have been difficult to tell its head from its hinderpart. Its rusty colour, its ill-shaped body, and hairy legs, combinedwith the piercing look from its eyes, gave it a most vicious appearance,such as belongs, less or more, to all of its race--for it was of therace _aranea_, or spiders.
"The _leaping tarantula_!" whispered Lucien to his brothers. "See," hecontinued, "it is after the ruby-throat!"
This was evident. Step by step, and leap after leap, it was approachingthe cluster of blossoms where the humming-bird was at the momentengaged. Its eyes were bent eagerly upon the latter; and whenever itflew up from the flowers and whirred idly about, the tarantula squatteditself closely, hiding behind the leaves or shanks of the vines. On theother hand, when the bird settled a moment and appeared busily feeding,the skulking creature would advance a stage nearer, either by a quickrun or a leap, when it would again conceal itself and await a freshopportunity. As the bird flitted about a good deal, the spider hadfrequently to change its direction in following. The former after oneof its short flights, settled into a pet-flower directly in front ofwhere the latter lay crouching. It did not enter the cup of the flower,but remained at the mouth--poised upon its whirring wings--while withits long prehensile tongue it drew out the honey. It had scarcely beena moment in this position, when the tarantula sprang forward andclutched it round the body with his antennae. The bird, with a wildchirrup, like that of a distressed cricket, flew outward and upwards.Its wings were still free, and all expected it would carry off thespider that was now seen clinging around it. Not so, however. Ongetting a few feet from the flower its flight appeared to be suddenlychecked; and, although it still kept in the air, flying first one wayand then another, it was evident that something restrained it fromgetting clear off. On looking more attentively a fine silk-like linewas seen stretching from the trees to the fluttering creature. It wasthe thread of the spide
r, and this it was that prevented his victim fromcarrying him into the air.
The little wings soon ceased to move, and both bird and spider fell tothe end of the thread, where they hung for a moment suspended. The boyscould see that the bird was dead, and the mandibles of the tarantulawere buried in its shining threat!
Francois would have rushed forward to kill the destroyer; but Lucien,who was too ardent a naturalist to have his lesson thus interrupted,restrained his more impetuous brother, and all three remained quiet asbefore.
The tarantula now commenced reeling in his line, for the purpose ofcarrying his prey up among the branches, where he had his nest. Theboys looked upward to discover the latter. There, sure enough, was theweb, in a shaded corner, stretching its meshes from a large liana to thetrunk of the tupelo; and towards this point the spider now slowlyprogressed with his lifeless victim.
As they watched his motions, their eyes were caught by a shining objectthat moved along the wrinkled bark of the liana. As the vine was nearlya foot in diameter, and of a deep ferruginous colour, this object wasthe more apparent against its dark ground, for it was a creature ofbrilliant hues. It was an animal of the lizard species; and if anylizard could be considered beautiful, this one might have been socalled. But the hideous, half-human form of these animals, theirpiercing looks, their stealthy and predatory habits, and, above all, theknowledge that the bite of several of their species is poisonous,combine to render them objects that excite disgust and awe, rather thanadmiration.
This one, as we have already said, was of the most brilliant colour.The whole of its upper surface was a golden green, vivid as the hues ofan emerald; while its body underneath was greenish-white. But thispart, as it lay along the liana, was not seen; and a pure, uniform greenwas the apparent colour of the whole animal. There was one conspicuousexception--the throat. This was swollen out, as though by inflation,exhibiting a surface of the brightest scarlet, that appeared in the sunas if painted with vermilion. The eyes of the animal shone like flame--for the irides were, in fact, the colour of burnished gold, with smallpupils, sparkling like diamonds, in their midst. Its arms and limbswere of the same colour as the body; and its branching feet exhibitedthe peculiarity of having small knots or tubercules at the ends of thetoes. These tubercules, together with the loose dewlap of the throat,told the genus to which the animal belonged,--an _anolius_ of the family_Iguanidae_, and the only species of the anolius found in the territoryof the United States.
These facts were communicated by Lucien to his brothers in a whisper,while they were observing the creature on the liana. Basil and Francoishad often seen the species before, and were familiar with it under thenames of "green lizard" and "chameleon,"--both of which names areapplied to it in common phraseology. The animal was not over six inchesin length; and its long coffin-shaped head, and slender, whip-like tail,were at least two-thirds of this extent. When first noticed, it waspassing up the liana, for the latter slanted upwards between the trees.It did not see the boys; or, at all events, did not regard theirpresence--for the chameleon is a bold little animal, and is not afraidof man. Up to this time it had not seen the tarantula either. As itwas passing onward, its eyes fell upon the latter as he climbed up hissilken ladder. All at once the lizard stopped, and put itself into acrouching attitude. Its colour suddenly changed. The vermilion throatbecame white, and then ashy pale; and the bright green of its body fadedinto dark brown or rust colour, until it was difficult to distinguishthe animal from the bark of the liana! Had the eyes of the spectatorsnot been already fixed upon it, they might have supposed that it haddisappeared altogether. After crouching for a few seconds, it seemed tohave formed its plan of attack--for it was evident that it meant toattack the spider--such, with flies and other insects, being its naturalfood and prey. It passed to the opposite side of the liana, and thenproceeded upward, making for the nest of the tarantula. It reached thispoint by a single run, although its back was downward as it crawled.This it could easily do by means of the tubercules upon its toes--whichenable lizards of the genus anolius to walk upon perpendicular walls, upglass windows, or along the smoothest ceilings.
For some moments it lay quiet in a crouching attitude, waiting theapproach of the spider, that, busied with his own affairs, did not dreamof a lurking foe so near him. The tarantula was, no doubt, in highspirits at the moment, exulting at the prospect of the banquet of bloodhe should have, when he had carried the ruby-throat to his dark, silkencave. But he was destined never to reach that cave. When he had gotwithin a few inches of its entrance, the chameleon sprang out from thelimb, seized the spider in his wide jaws, and all three--lizard, spider,and bird--came to the ground together. The bird was let go in the fall,and became separated from the others. Between these there was a shortstruggle over the grass--for the tarantula fought fiercely; but he wasno match for his antagonist; who, in a few moments, had ground off hislegs with his powerful jaws, and left him a helpless and motionlesstrunk. The chameleon now seized his victim by the head, sunk his sharp,conical teeth into its skull, and thus killed it outright.
What appeared singular to all was, that the moment the lizard had firstsprung upon his prey his bright colours returned like a flash, and heagain appeared with his green back and red throat, if possible morebrilliant than ever.
He now commenced dragging the body of the spider over the grass,evidently making for some decayed logs, half covered with vines andbriars, that formed a heap near the spot. Here, no doubt was hisretreat.
This time Francois did not attempt to interfere. He had no desire to doso. He looked upon the death of the tarantula as a just punishment;moreover, the chameleon, from its fine colours, its sportive habits, andits harmlessness--so far as man is concerned--is a general favouritewith all; and it was so with Francois. In fact, Francois, as well ashis brothers, who had often watched this little creature gambollingamong the leaves, and feeding upon flies and other small insects, hadnever seen it exhibit so much ferocity before. Notwithstanding this,they all applauded it for killing the hideous tarantula; and so far asthey were concerned, it might have carried the body to its hole withoutbeing molested. It was destined, however, to meet with interruptionfrom another quarter. Francois, whose quick eyes were wandering about,suddenly exclaimed,--
"Look--brothers, look! A _scorpion-lizard_!"
Basil and Lucien cast their eyes where Francois pointed--up to the trunkof a tree that rose over the spot where the chameleon was crawling.About twenty feet from the ground was a dark, round hole, evidently theformer nest of the red-bellied woodpecker (_Picus Carolinus_). Thebirds, however, who made that nest had deserted it; for it was nowoccupied by a creature of a far different kind--a scorpion-lizard--whosered head and brown shoulders at the moment protruded from the hole.
All who have travelled the great American forests are familiar with sucha sight--for this animal may be often observed in similar situations. Amore disagreeable sight is rarely met with. The scorpion-lizard, withhis red head and olive-brown body, is a hideous-looking reptile at best;but when thus peering from his gloomy tree-cave, moving his pointedsnout from side to side, his dark eyes glancing all the while with afierce, malignant expression, it is difficult to conceive a morevicious-looking creature.
His head was in motion when Francois spake--for it was this that hadcaught the eye of the boy. It was moving from side to side, protrudedout from the hole, the snout pointing downwards. The animal waswatching the ground below, and evidently preparing to issue forth, andcome down. The chameleon, rustling over the dead leaves, had attractedhis attention.
As quick as lightning his whole body appeared upon the tree, and layflat along the bark, head downwards. Here he halted for a moment; then,raising his shoulders, he ran nimbly down the trunk, and rushingoutwards, sprang upon the chameleon. The latter, thus suddenlyattacked, dropped the spider; and at first showed an intention ofretreating. Had he done so the scorpion would have followed him nofarther--as its only object in attacking him
was to rob him of his prey.The chameleon, however, is a courageous little animal; and seeing thathis assailant was not much bigger than himself--for the animal inquestion was one of the smallest of the skink family--he turned againand showed fight. His throat swelled to its largest extent, and grewbrighter than ever.
Both now stood facing each other, and about twelve inches apart, inthreatening attitudes. Their eyes sparkled; their forked tongues shotforth, glittering in the sun; and their heads at intervals rose andfell, in a manoeuvring manner, like a pair of pugilists "coming to thescratch!"
After a short while they sprang at each other open-jawed; wriggled overthe ground a moment--their tails flying in the air--then separated, andagain assumed their defiant attitudes, manoeuvring as before. In thismanner they met and parted several times, neither seeming to have gainedmuch advantage.
The weakest part of the green lizard lies in his tail. So tender isthis appendage that the slightest blow of a small switch will separateit from the body. The skink seemed to be aware of this fact, as heseveral times endeavoured to get around his antagonist, or, in militaryphraseology, to "turn" him. It was evidently his intention to attackthe tail. This the chameleon dreaded; and was equally desirous not tobe "outflanked." In whatever way the skink manoeuvred, his antagonistmet him with his scarlet front.
For several minutes the battle raged--these little creatures exhibitingas much fury and fierceness as if they had been a pair of greatcrocodiles. The chameleon at length began to show symptoms of givingout. The throat grew paler--the green became less vivid--and it wasevident that he was getting the worst of it. The scorpion now made arush, and threw the other upon his back. Before the chameleon couldrecover himself, his antagonist seized his tail, and bit it off close tothe body. The poor little fellow, feeling that he had lost more thanhalf his length, scuttled away, and hid himself among the logs.
It was well for him, as it proved afterwards, that he got off, even thusmutilated; and it would have been better for the skink had he remainedin his hole. The battle between the two had carried them some distancefrom the spot where it first commenced, and under the leafy, spreadingbranches of a mulberry-tree. While the fight was raging, a slightmovement in the leaves above had attracted the attention of the boys.The next moment a red object was thrust downward, until a foot or so ofit appeared hanging clear of the branches. It was about the thicknessof a walking-cane; but the glistening scales and the elegant curvingform told that this singular object was a serpent.
It did not remain stationary. It was slowly and gradually lettingitself down--for more of its body was every moment becoming visible,until a full yard of it hung out from the leaves. The remainder washidden by the thick foliage where its tail no doubt was coiled around abranch. That part of the body that was seen was of a uniform blood-redcolour, though the belly or under side was much the lightest.
"_Voila_!" muttered Francois, "what a red snake! I never saw suchbefore."
"Nor I either," added Basil.
"Nor I," said Lucien, "but I have heard of it. I easily recognise itfrom the description. It is the `red snake' of the Rocky Mountains(_Coluber testacea_)."
"Oh," said Basil, "I have heard trappers speak of it."
"Yes," added Lucien. "It is a rare species, and only found in the FarWest. See! the scorpion has whipped. The chameleon is running off,and, as I live, without its tail!"
The skink at this moment perceived the long, red body of the serpentdangling above him; and knowing from experience a terrible enemy, ranoff, endeavouring to hide himself in the grass. Instead of making for atree--where he might have escaped by his superior nimbleness--hisconfusion and terror led him out into the open ground. The snakedropped from the mulberry and glided after, with his head raised high inthe air, and his jaws wide open. In a second or two he overtook thelizard; and striking forward and downward, killed it upon the spot.
Lucien was in raptures with the interesting lesson he was receiving; andagain restrained Francois from rushing forward. They all, however,crept a little nearer--so as the better to observe the further movementsof the serpent. They kept as well as possible behind the screen ofleaves and bushes.
The snake, after having killed the lizard, remained out in the openground; and, stretching himself along the grass, commenced devouring it.Snakes do not masticate their food. Their teeth are not formed forthis, but only for seizing and killing. The blood-snake is notvenomous, and is, therefore, without fangs such as venomous snakespossess. In lieu of these he possesses a double row of sharp teeth;and, like the "black snake," the "whip," and others of the genuscoluber, he is extremely swift, and possesses certain powers ofconstriction, which are mostly wanting in serpents of the venomoustribes. Like all the others, he swallows his prey just as he kills it--whole. So with the one in question. Having placed the nose of thelizard _vis-a-vis_ with his own, he opened his jaws to their fullextent, took in the head, and commenced gradually sucking the body downhis throat. It was a curious operation; and the boys watched it withfeelings of interest.
But other eyes were bent upon the reptile. His bright blood-colouredbody lying along the grass had caught the far-seeing eye of an enemy,whose dark shadow was now seen moving over the ground. On looking up,the boys beheld a large bird wheeling in the air. Its snow-white headand breast, the far spread, tapering wings, but, above all, the longforked tail, told them at a glance what bird it was. It was the greatSouthern kite (_Falco furcatus_).
When first seen he was sailing in circles,--or rather in a spiral curve,that was constantly contracting downward and inward. The centre of thatcurve was the spot occupied by the snake.
It was a beautiful sight to behold this creature cutting the thin air.His flight was the _beau ideal_ of ease and gracefulness--for in this nobird can equal the kite. Not a stroke of his long pointed wingsbetrayed that he needed their assistance; and he seemed to glory that hecould navigate the air without them. Besides, the motion of these, hadhe used them, might have caught the eye of his intended victim, andwarned it of the danger. I say it was a beautiful sight to watch him ashe swam through his aery circles, at one moment appearing all white--ashis breast was turned to the spectators--the next moment his black backand purple wings glittering in the sun, as sideways he guided himselfdown the spiral curve. It was a beautiful sight, and the young huntersstood gazing with silent admiration.
Basil and Francois wondered that he did not at once pounce upon thesnake, for towards it his flight was evidently tending. They had seenother hawks do this--such as the red-tailed, the peregrine, and theosprey--which last sometimes shoots several hundred feet perpendicularlydown upon its prey. Lucien, however, knew better. He knew that thatfeat can be performed only by those hawks whose tails are full and notforked, as the bald eagle, and the species already named--theirspreading tails giving them the power to suddenly arrest the downwardmotion, and prevent them from dashing themselves against the earth. Thekites, on the other hand, have not that power; and in this arrangementLucien could perceive a beautiful adaptation of Nature--an equalising ofadvantages between these two kinds of birds. He reasoned thus:--
The hawks, although swift of wing, and capable of extended flight,cannot remain long in the air. They grow weary and need rest, whichthey take, perching themselves upon some tree. It may be observed,moreover, that they choose dead trees that overlook an open space. Theydo so, in order that the leaves may not obstruct their vision--thusgiving them a wider range, and, consequently, a better chance of espyingtheir prey. But even with this advantage their chances of seeing theirprey are circumscribed, when compared with that of hawks upon the wing;and they are frequently compelled to take to the air in order todiscover it.
Now the kites are always in the air, or nearly so. They, in fact, _liveupon the wing_, eating their food as they fly, from their claws. Livingthus, they have many more chances of _seeing_ their prey than theircousins of the hawk species; and were they possessed of the power to_pounce_ upon it with as
much certainty as the latter do, it is evidentthey would have greatly the advantage. The want of that capability,however, brings them upon an equality; and, as I have said, Lucienperceived in this that peculiar equilibrium, or "balance of power,"which constantly presents itself to the student of Nature.
These thoughts passed through his mind at the moment. They occupied buta moment however--for it was but a few seconds from the time the kitewas first noticed wheeling high in the air, until he swept along thetops of the low trees, so close that the boys could distinguish the rediris of his glistening eyes.
Now, for the first time, the snake caught sight of him. Hitherto it hadbeen too much occupied with its own prey, which it had succeeded inswallowing. The shadow of the broad wings fell upon the sunlit swarddirectly before its eyes. It looked up, and saw its terrible enemy. Itseemed to shiver through its whole length, and turn paler in colour. Itstruck its head into the grass, endeavouring to hide itself. It was toolate. The kite swooped gently downward; and, with open claw, poisedhimself a moment over the spot. As he rose again, the reptile was seenwriggling in his talons!
A few strokes of his bold wing carried the kite upward, above the topsof the tallest trees; but he was observed to fly heavily. As he rosehigher, the flapping of his wings became more hurried and irregular. Itwas evident that something was impeding his flight. The snake was nolonger hanging from his talons. The reptile had twined itself aroundhis body; and its glistening folds, like red bands, could be seenhalf-buried in the white plumage of the bird!
All at once the kite began to flutter--then one of his wingsdisappeared; and, notwithstanding the hurried flapping of the other,both bird and serpent fell heavily to the earth!
They fell close to the spot from whence they had risen. Neither waskilled by the fall, nor, to all appearance, hurt; for, the moment afterthey had touched the ground, both were seen engaged in a violentstruggle--the bird evidently endeavouring to free himself from the foldsof the reptile, while the latter seemed equally bent upon holding him!The snake knew well that this was its only hope; for, should it unfolditself and endeavour to escape, it would only give the kite anopportunity of clutching it a second time, when he would be certain todo it with more fatal effect. It was because the reptile had buried itshead in the grass that the kite had failed in seizing it properly by theneck, and putting an end to it at once.
This, no doubt, was the idea of the snake; but it is probable that itsantagonist at the moment would have been delighted to "cry quits" withit, for the bird was in a worse "fix" than it was. As things stood, theserpent had undoubtedly the advantage.
It was likely to prove a protracted struggle; for, although there wasmuch twisting and wriggling over the ground, and flapping of the oddwing--that was still free--very little change for a long time appearedto take place in the relative position of the combatants. This could beseen, whenever they paused to rest themselves--which they did every twoor three minutes.
How was it to end? The kite could not kill the snake, for he could notget at it, either with his beak or talons. The hold which he had atfirst taken he had lost, in his attempts to save himself from falling;and he was now unable to renew it, so closely was the reptile warpedaround him. The snake, on the other hand, could not kill the kite; for,although possessed of considerable powers of constriction, they were notsufficient. It was strong enough to hold, and, perhaps, _squeeze_ itsantagonist, but not strong enough to crush and kill him.
Though each, no doubt, at the moment wished to be far enough from theother, they could not separate with safety to both. The kite _could notget away_, and the snake _dared not let him go_!
How, then, was the affair to end, in the event that no third partyshould interfere? This was the conjecture of our adventurers, as withcurious eyes they watched this singular contest. The train of reasoningwas as follows:--
By one or the other dying of hunger. But which would starve first? Itwas well-known that the kite could live for days without food. Ha! butso too could the snake,--nay, more, for every day the bird could gowithout eating, the reptile could fast ten; besides, the snake had justdined--dined sumptuously upon the scorpion-lizard, that was now lyingundigested in his stomach; whereas the kite had not tasted dinner,--nay,it was very certain he had not breakfasted either--and must have beenvery hungry indeed to have attempted preying upon a blood-snake fullfour feet long--for, as is well-known, his usual prey is the locust, thechameleon, and the little green snake (_Coluber aestivus_). Under everyview of the question then, the snake had the advantage of the bird, andwould easily outstarve him. Thus, then, the affair would end, if thecombatants were left to themselves.
The young hunters arrived at this conclusion; and, having watched thecontest until their curiosity was satisfied, were about stepping forwardto put an end to it, when a new manoeuvre on the part of the combatantscaused them to remain still. The kite had got his beak close to thehead of the serpent, and was striking with open mandibles, endeavouringto seize the jaw of the latter. He was upon his back--for these birdsfight best in that position. The serpent, on the other hand, was tryinghis best to bite the bird; and for this purpose at intervals extendedits jaws, showing the double rows of sharp conical teeth. At one ofthese intervals, while its mouth was open, the kite struck quicklyupward, and seized the lower jaw of the reptile in his beak. The latterclosed its mouth on the instant; but the horny mandible was imperviousto its sharp teeth, and the bird regarded them not.
The kite continued to hold fast with his powerful beak. He had nowgained the advantage, for which he had been all the while contending.He had got a "fulcrum for his lever," and he was not slow in using it.Suddenly turning back upward, with the aid of his wing and one of hisclaws, he held himself fast to the ground, while with his strong neck hedrew the head of the serpent close under him until it lay within reachof his other claw. Then with a quick fierce stroke he planted histalons, so as to encircle the throat of his adversary, clutching andholding it like a vice.
This manoeuvre put a period to the contest. The red coils were seen toloosen, then fall off; and, although the reptile still writhed, it wasonly in its death-struggles. In a few moments its body lay along thegrass, powerless and without motion.
The kite after a short rest drew his beak from the jaws of the serpent,raised his head, extended his wings--to assure himself they were free--and, with a scream of triumph, rose upward, the long carcass of thereptile trailing after him like a train!
At this moment another scream reached the ears of the young hunters. Itmight have passed for the echo of the first, but its tones were wilderand louder. All eyes were turned to the direction whence it came. Theboys knew very well what sort of a creature had uttered it, for they hadheard such notes before. They knew it was the _white-headed eagle_.
They caught sight of him the moment they turned. It was not difficultto see him soaring upward--his great tail and broad wings expanded,seven feet in extent, against the light blue sky.
When first seen his flight was nearly in a straight line, slanting up inthe direction of the kite--for that was the object that had started him.He was evidently bent upon robbing the latter of his late-gotten booty.
The kite had heard the cry that echoed his own; and, knowing its import,at once plied all the power of his wings to rise higher into the air.He seemed resolved to hold on to his hard-earned plunder; or, at allevents, not to yield it, without giving the more powerful robber thetrouble of a chase. The fresh remembrance of the peril he had passedthrough in obtaining it, no doubt stimulated him to this resolve.
Birds of his species will sometimes outfly and escape the eagle--thatis, _some_ eagles, for these bird-kings differ in degrees of swiftnessas hounds or horses. So, too, do the kites; and the one in questionhaving, no doubt, full confidence in _his_ wings, thought he would maketrial of those of his pursuer--who, being personally unknown to him,might be some individual too fat, or too old, or too young, perhaps, topossess full powers of flight. At all
events he had made up his mind tohave a "fly" for it--believing that if overtaken he could easily put anend to the pursuit by surrendering the snake, as his cousin, the osprey,often has to do with his fish. Up, therefore, he went, in a spiralcurve of about fifty yards in diameter.
If the kite entertained the idea that his pursuer was either a very oldor young bird, or too fat a bird, or in any way a "slow" bird, he waslikely to be soon undeceived. That idea was not shared by those whowatched him in his flight. On the contrary, the young hunters thoughtthey had never seen a more splendid specimen of his kind,--of fullfeather, snow-white head and tail-tip, and broad clean-cut wings. Hewas one of the largest size, too; which proved him not to be a "him,"but a female--for, strange to say, Nature seems to have reversed herorder with these birds--the females being universally brighter inplumage, larger in body, swifter of wing, stronger, and even fiercerthan the males. It may be inferred, that in the social life of"eagle-dom" the fair sex have their "rights," and perhaps a little more.One thing is certain, and it seems to be a consequence of this (incompliment to the sex I say it) that nothing like polygamy is knownamongst them. Woe to the eagle husband that would even dream of such athing!
_Voila_! up goes the kite, straining every pinion of his pointed wings--up the spiral curve, _screwing_ himself towards the zenith. Upwardfollows the eagle, spirally as well, but in wider gyrations that embraceand seem to hold the curvatures of the other within their circumference.Both birds circle concentrically. Now their orbits cross each other--now they are wheeling in parallel curves. Still upward flies the kite--still upward goes the pursuing eagle. Closer and closer they appear tocome; narrower grow their soaring circles--but that is because they aremore distant and seem so. See! the kite is but a speck, and appearsstationary--now he is lost to the view. See! the eagle is but a speck!She, too, disappears! No, not altogether--the little spot like thefragment of a white cloud, or a piece of snow upon the sky--that is hertail-tip. Ha! it is gone too--they are beyond the reach of our vision.
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Hark! _Ish-sh-ish_! Did you hear that sound, like the whistling of arocket? See! Something has fallen upon the tree-top, breaking severalbranches! As I live it is the kite! Dead he is, and the blood isspurting from a wound in his shoulder!
Hark, again! _Whush-sh-ush_! It is the eagle. See! she has theserpent in her talons!
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The eagle had shot down from her elevation, though no eye could havefollowed her in that arrow-like descent. When within two or threehundred yards of the ground, her wings flew out, her tail was spread,and, suddenly lowered, fan-like to its fullest extent, arrested herdownward course; and, with a few measured strokes, she glided slowlyover the tops of the trees, and alighted on the summit of the deadmagnolia.
Basil seized his rifle, with the intention of having a shot. There wasnot much cover on the ground that encircled the tree where the eagle hadperched herself; and the young hunter knew from experience that his onlychance of getting near enough was to make his approach upon horseback.He therefore drew the picket that fastened Black Hawk; and, flinginghimself upon the horse's back, rode off among the bushes. He had beengone but a few minutes when a sharp crack was heard, and the eagle wasseen tumbling from her perch.
This was the last link in the _chain of destruction_!