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Title
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Forest Reserve, Thomas County
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Date
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1911
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Creator
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Frank Shoemaker
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Description
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Frank Shoemaker - Omaha, Lincoln, and Nebraska Narratives
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Identifier
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321301
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Transcription
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1 Bull snake & vireo's nest July 7, 1911 Forest Reserve Thomas Co., Nebr. I was enjoying my usual evening walk along the outer edge of the border of trees skirting the Middle Loup River, and had reached a point about a half mile east of the Forest Reserve station, when my attention was attracted by the excited chattering of Bell's vireo, one the very common birds in the thickets along the river. I made my way through the plum thicket, and, guided by the notes of the birds, presently reached the center of disturbance. There was a nest containing young birds, and the parent birds were fluttering about in great excitement. The nest was well out on a branch, suspended in the usual way between diverging twigs not over two feet from the ground. Ordinarily a blue jay is responsible for a riot of this kind ; but in this instance it proved to be a bull-snake. ( Pituophis sayi ), which I did not at first see, as it was in the branches above and several feet away from the nest. The snake had observed my approach, and was motionless except for the playing of its tongue. Very slowly, in order not to alarm the snake, I settled to an easy position with one knee on the ground, and awaited developments. The birds were so overwrought by the menace of the snake that the lesser calamity of my presence near their nest did not seem to add to their anxiety. They perched several times near by, and seemed to devote their attention entirely to the snake. Other birds joined the party. A long-tailed chat stopped to observe, did not appear
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Rights
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To inquire about usage, please contact Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries. These images are for educational use only. Not all images are available for publication.
