How Snake Eats Frog

How a snake eats frogs is worth the telling. The writer distinctly remembers witnessing a dramatic meal of this kind, in which, of course, the snake came out the winner, getting nis dinner in excellent style and completely vanishing the frog. Though a snake may seem at flrst sight an organism that is extraordinarily slow of comprehension, any well regulated ophidian knows, nevertheless, exactly how to satisfy the wants of nature in the most approved manner. A snake invariably grabs a frog by the hind legs. This preliminary struggle is one of the most impressive features of the combat. With a well-defined natural instinct the chief effort of the frog is to keep his other hind leg far away from the snake's mouth, in the hope that he may speedily exhaüst his enemy's strength, and also because he feels that if his other hind leg is made captive he will have iess power to flght. Once both hind legs are within the serpent's fangs the act of swallowing begins. Inch by inch the struggling frog is drawn further and further into the yawning orífice that expands at sach gulp. The channel through which the frog has to pass is gradually enlarged by slow efforts on the snake's iart, accompanied by fiercer and fiercer convulsions of the wretched wiggler. The gullet of the snake in its natural proportions is quite large enough to ;ontain the limbs of the frog, but as by 'requent gulps the body is drawn further and further into the gullet the 'lifflculty of swallowing increases. Gradually the ophidian's throat is distended, gradually the frog is compress3d and drawn out. Finally the latter s doublé his normal length and half lis circumference. As the proeeas of expansión on the one hand and contraction on the other goes on, the frog s worked down little by little, until hi ■wb ja on big afternoon nap.