below.

"During all this while, the rattlesnake had been busily engaged with the
squirrel, and thought of nothing else. After licking the latter to his
satisfaction, he extended his purple jaws, drew in the head of his
victim, and, stretching his long body to its full extent, proceeded to
swallow it, tail and all. In a few seconds, the head and shoulders of
the squirrel had disappeared.

"But the glutton was suddenly interrupted in his meal; for, at this
moment, we observed the black snake gradually lower himself from the
liana, until nothing remained upon the tree but a single loop of his
prehensile tail; and his long body stretching downward, hung directly
over the other.

"`Surely,' thought we, `he is not going to encounter the rattlesnake--
the most terrible of all reptiles.' But the constrictor understood
_one_ chapter of herpetology better than we--for the next moment we saw
him drop to the ground; and, almost as quick as thought, appear lapped
in sable folds around the speckled body of the `crotalus!'

"It was a singular sight to see those two creatures writhing and
wriggling over the grass; and it was some time before we could tell how
they battled with each other. There was no great difference between
them, in point of size. The black snake was longer--by a foot or so--
but much more slender in the body, than his antagonist. He possessed,
however, an advantage that soon made itself apparent--his activity,
which was ten times that of the rattlesnake. We saw that he could
easily evolve or wind himself at pleasure around the body of the
latter--each time compressing him with those muscular powers which have
entitled him to his name `constrictor.' At each fresh embrace, the body
of the `crotalus' appeared to writhe and contract under the crushing
influence of his sable adversary.

"The rattlesnake had but one weapon, which he could have employed with
effect--his fangs. These were already locked in the body of the
squirrel, and he could not use them upon his adversary. He could not
get rid of that hairy morsel, that, like a barbed arrow, was now
sticking in his throat. We could see that the squirrel still remained
there; for, as the two reptiles struggled over the grass, its bushy tail
was seen waving in the midst of their tortuous contest.

"At length, the battle began to flag. The motions of both combatants
waxed slower and slower. We could now see _how_ they fought. We could
see--strange it a