Anecdotes.—Mr. Strohecker, of Pennsylvania, had a daughter three years of age, who, for a number of successive days, was remarked to leave home with a piece of bread in her hand, and go to a considerable distance. The mother's attention was attracted by the circumstance, who desired the father to follow the infant, and observe what she did with the bread. On coming up to her, he found she was busy feeding several snakes called bastard-rattlesnakes. He immediately took the infant away, and proceeded to his house for his gun, and on returning killed two of them at a shot, and another a few days afterwards. The child called these reptiles, in the same manner as chickens are called; and when her father told her she would certainly be bitten by them if she attempted it again, she innocently replied, "No, father, they won't bite me; they only eat the bread I give them."
It has been a common opinion that serpents possess a peculiar power of fascination. This is probably a vulgar error; yet the following story is told of the daughter of a Dutch farmer near Niagara. It was on a warm summer day that she was sent to spread out wet clothes upon some shrubbery near the house. Her mother conceived that she remained longer than was necessary, and seeing her standing unoccupied at some distance, she called to her several times, but no answer was returned. On approaching, she found her daughter pale, motionless, and fixed in an erect posture. The perspiration rolled down her brow, and her hands were clinched convulsively. A large rattlesnake lay on a log opposite the girl, waving his head from side to side, and kept his eyes steadfastly fastened upon her. The mother instantly struck the snake with a stick; and the moment he made off, the girl recovered herself, and burst into tears, but was for some time so weak and agitated that she could not walk home.
ORDER IV.
BATRACHEA,
THE FROG KIND.
THE FROG.
A Thief.—A correspondent of the Penny Magazine, who lived close to the outlet of a small lake, used to bestow a great deal of care and attention upon the rearing of young ducklings; but, after all, he had the mortification to find his efforts fruitless. The old ones would hatch fine healthy broods; but as soon as they were strong enough to waddle to a sedgy stream that issued from the adjoining lake, one or two daily disappeared, to the gentleman's great annoyance. Having suffered these continual depredations for two or three seasons, he one day noticed a nice duckling gradually disappear under the water; but judge of his surprise when he beheld a large bull-frog crawl out upon the prostrate trunk of a tree, with the duckling's feet still protruding from his capacious mouth! The mystery was thus solved; the bull-frogs had swallowed all the young ducks!
Curious.—Some years ago, the city of Metz was afflicted by one among the seven plagues of Egypt, namely, frogs; certain streets were filled with these animals, and no one was able to conjecture from whence they came, until it was explained by a dealer in frogs applying to the tribunals for the recovery of his property. He had shut up about six thousand frogs, designed for food, in a particular place belonging to the fish-market, where they were discovered by some children, who took part away to sell, and on leaving the troughs in the fish-market, forgot to close them. Profiting by the opening thus left, the frogs began to spread themselves in various parts, and even got into some of the neighboring houses, whose inhabitants found much difficulty in ejecting the unwelcome intruders.