This is the swiftest of all the snakes which are to be found here, for it moves so quick, that a dog can hardly catch it. It is therefore almost impossible for a man to escape it if pursued: but happily its bite is neither poisonous nor any way dangerous; many people have been bit by it in the woods, and have scarce felt any more inconvenience than if they had been wounded by a knife; the wounded place only remains painful for some time. The Black Snakes seldom do any harm, except in spring, when they copulate; but if any body comes in their way at that time, they are so much vexed, as to pursue him as fast as they can. If they meet with a person who is afraid of them, he is in great distress. I am acquainted with several people, who have on such an occasion run so hard as to be quite out of breath, in endeavouring to escape the snake, which moved with the swiftness of an arrow after them. If a person thus pursued can muster up courage enough to oppose the snake with a stick or any thing else, when it is either passed by him, or when he steps aside to avoid it, it will turn back again, and seek a refuge in its swiftness. It is, however, sometimes bold enough to run directly upon a man, and not to depart before [[205]]it has received a good stroke. I have been assured by several, that when it overtakes a person, who has tried to escape it, and who has not courage enough to oppose it, it winds round his feet, so as to make him fall down; it then bites him several times in the leg, or whatever part it can get hold of, and goes off again. I shall mention two circumstances, which confirm what I have said. During my stay in New York, Dr. Colden told me, that in the spring, 1748, he had several workmen at his country seat, and among them one lately arrived from Europe, who of course knew very little of the qualities of the Black Snake. The other workmen seeing a great Black Snake copulating with its female, engaged the new comer to go and kill it, which he intended to do with a little stick. But on approaching the place where the snakes lay, they perceived him, and the male in great wrath leaves his pleasure to pursue the fellow with amazing swiftness; he little expected such courage in the snake, and flinging away his stick, began to run as fast as he was able. The snake pursued him, overtook him, and twisting several times round his feet, threw him down, and frightened him almost out of his senses; he could not get rid of the snake, till he [[206]]took a knife and cut it through in two of three places. The other Workmen were rejoiced at this sight, and laughed at it, without offering to help their companion. Many people at Albany told me of an accident which happened to a young lady, who went out of town in summer, together with many other girls, attended by her negro. She sat down in the wood, in a place where the others were running about, and before she was aware, a Black Snake being disturbed in its amours, ran under her petticoats, and twisted round her waist, so that she fell backwards in a swoon occasioned by her fright, or by the compression which the snake caused. The negro came up to her, and suspecting that a Black Snake might have hurt her, on making use of a remedy to bring his lady to herself again, he lifted up her cloaths, and really found the snake wound about her body as close as possible; the negro was not able to tear it away, and therefore cut it, and the girl came to herself again; but she conceived so great an aversion to the negro, that she could not bear the sight of him afterwards, and died of a consumption. At other times of the year this snake is more apt to run away, than to attack people. However I have heard it asserted frequently, that even in summer [[207]]when its time of copulation is past, it pursues people, especially children, if it finds that they are afraid and run from her. Several people likewise assured me from their own experience, that it may be provoked to pursue people, if they throw at it, and then run away. I cannot well doubt of this, as I have heard it said by numbers of creditable people; but I could never succeed in provoking them. I ran always away on perceiving it, or flung something at it, and then took to my heels, but I could never bring the snakes to pursue me: I know not for what reason they shunned me, unless they took me for an artful seducer.
Most of the people in this country ascribed to this snake a power of fascinating birds and squirrels, as I have described in several parts of my Journal[54]. When the snake lies under a tree, and has fixed his eyes on a bird or squirrel above; it obliges them to come down, and to go directly into its mouth. I cannot account for this, for I never saw it done. However, I have a list of more than twenty persons, among which are some of the most creditable people, who have all unanimously, though [[208]]living far distant from each other, asserted the same thing; they allured me upon their honor, that they have seen (at several times) these Black Snakes fascinating squirrels and birds which sat on the tops of trees, the snake lying at the foot of the tree, with its eyes fixed upon the bird or squirrel, which sits above it, and utters a doleful note; from which it is easy to conclude with certainty that it is about to be fascinated, though you cannot see it. The bird or squirrel runs up and down along the tree continuing its plaintive song, and always comes nearer the snake, whose eyes are unalterably fixed upon it. It should seem as if these poor creatures endeavoured to escape the snake, by hopping or running up the tree; but there appears to be a power which withholds them: they are forced downwards, and each time that they turn back, they approach nearer their enemy, till they are at last forced to leap into its mouth, which stands wide open for that purpose. Numbers of squirrels and birds are continually running and hopping fearless in the woods on the ground, where the snakes ly in wait for them, and can easily give these poor creatures a mortal bite. Therefore it seems that this fascination might be thus interpreted, that the [[209]]creature has first got a mortal wound from the snake, which is sure of her bite, and lies quiet, being assured that the wounded creature has been poisoned with the bite, or at least feels pain from the violence of the bite, and that it will at last be obliged to come down into its mouth. The plaintive note is perhaps occasioned by the acuteness of the pain which the wound gives the creature. But to this it may be objected, that the bite of the Black Snake is not poisonous; it may further be objected, that if the snake could come near enough to a bird or squirrel to give it a mortal bite, it might as easily keep hold of it, or, as it sometimes does with poultry, twist round and strangle or stifle it. But the chief objection which lies against this interpretation, is the following account, which I received from the most creditable people, who have assured me of it. The squirrel being upon the point of running into the snake’s mouth, the spectators have not been able to let it come to that pitch, but killed the snake, and as soon as it had got a mortal blow, the squirrel or bird destined for destruction, flew away, and left off their moanful note, as if they had broke loose from a net. Some say, that if they only touched the snake, so as to draw off [[210]]its attention from the squirrel, it went off quickly, not stopping till it had got to a great distance. Why do the squirrels or birds go away so suddenly, and why no sooner? If they had been poisoned or bitten by the snake before, so as not to be able to get from the tree, and to be forced to approach the snake always more and more, they could however not get new strength by the snake being killed or diverted. Therefore, it seems that they are only enchanted, whilst the snake has its eyes fixed on them. However, this looks odd and unaccountable, though many of the worthiest and most reputable people have related it, and though it is so universally believed here, that to doubt it would be to expose one’s self to general laughter.
The black snakes kill the smaller species of frogs, and eat them. If they get at eggs of poultry, or of other birds, they make holes in them, and suck the contents. When the hens are sitting on the eggs, they creep into the nest, wind round the birds, stifle them, and suck the eggs. Mr. Bartram asserted, that he had often seen this snake creep up into the tallest trees, after bird’s eggs, or young birds, always with the head foremost, when descending. A Swede told me, that a black [[211]]snake had once got the head of one of his hens in its mouth, and was wound several times round the body, when he came and killed the snake. The hen was afterwards as well as ever.
This snake is very greedy of milk, and it is difficult to keep it out, when it is once used to go into a cellar where milk is kept. It has been seen eating milk out of the same dish with children, without biting them, though they often gave it blows with the spoon upon the head, when it was overgreedy. I never heard it hissing. It can raise more than one half of its body from the ground, in order to look about her. It skins every year; and its skin is said to be a remedy against the cramp, if continually worn about the body.
The rye was now beginning to flower.
I have often observed with astonishment, on my travels, the great difference between the plants and the soil, on the two opposite banks of brooks. Sometimes a brook, which one can stride over, has plants on one bank widely different from those on the opposite bank. Therefore, whenever I came to a great brook or a river, I expected to find plants which I had not met with before. Their seeds are carried down [[212]]with the stream from distant parts. The soil is likewise very often different on the different sides of a rivulet, being rich and fertile on the one, and dry, barren, and sandy on the other. But a great river can make still greater differences. Thus we see the great disparity between the province of Pensylvania, and New Jersey, which are only divided by the river Delaware. In Pensylvania the soil consists of a mould mixed with sand and clay, and is very rich and fertile: and in the woods which are higher in the country, the ground is mountainous and stony. On the other hand, in the province of New Jersey, the soil is poor and dry, and not very fertile, some parts excepted. You can hardly find a stone in New Jersey, and much less mountains. In Pensylvania you scarce ever see a fir-tree, and in New Jersey are whole woods of it.
This evening I arrived at Philadelphia.
May the 22d. The locusts began to creep out of their holes in the ground last night, and continued to do so to-day. As soon as their wings were dry, they began their song, which is almost sufficient to make one deaf, when travelling through the woods. This year there was an immense number of them. I have given a [[213]]minute account of them, of their food, qualities, &c. in the Memoirs of the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences[55]; it is therefore needless to repeat it here, and I refer the reader to the quoted place.
May the 25th. The tulip-tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) was now in full blossom. The flowers have a resemblance to tulips, and look very fine, and though they have not a very agreeable smell, yet the eye is pleased to see trees as tall as full-grown oaks, covered with tulip-like flowers.
On the flowers of the tulip-tree was an olive-coloured Chafer (Scarabæus) without horns (muticus), the future and borders of his wing-shells (Elytræ) were black, and his thighs brown. I cannot with certainty say whether they collected the pollen of the flower, or whether they coupled. Later in summer, I saw the same kind of beetles make deep holes into the ripe mulberries, either to eat them, or to lay their eggs in them. I likewise found them abundant in the leaves of the Magnolia glauca, or beaver-tree.