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LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"> <FO This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --Boundary_(ID_QLss887PzU1FqMg1tc1Pdw) Content-type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable Snake question HI FLORA; TO ME IT SOUNDS AS IF THE SNAKE WAS GUARDING ITS DEN OF EGGS/BABIES. IT = WILL BE INTERESTING TO HEAR WHAT OTHERS HAVE TO SAY. DONNA ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Wild Flora=20 To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca=20 Sent: Friday, July 13, 2007 8:31 PM Subject: [NatureNS] Snake question I had an unusual (for me, anyway) experience with a snake this morning = and wonder if anyone can shed some light on it. I was taking the dog for = her usual morning walk, passing as always over a bridge that crosses a = small brook. On one side of the bridge the road crews have installed a = safety barrier, and there is a lot of rock there-great snake habitat. As = we were passing the end of the safety barrier, I noticed an abrupt = movement out of the corner of my eye and turned to see that a moderately = large snake (I'm pretty sure it was a common garter snake, and it was = probably about the size of my thumb at its widest point) that was coiled = up in front of what might have been a burrow. The odd part was that the = snake had its mouth open and kept striking in my direction. It didn't = come anywhere near reaching me - I was at least a foot too far away - = but it kept striking anyway. Mind you, neither the dog nor I had done = anything to disturb the snake other than walk past it. I found this very = odd because, despite having grown up in Texas, home of the diamondback = rattler, I've never seen a snake be aggressive in this fashion. So I was = wondering if anyone else has seen this and what would explain it. Have I = suddenly begun to resemble a very large mouse? Flora --Boundary_(ID_QLss887PzU1FqMg1tc1Pdw) Content-type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD><TITLE>Snake question</TITLE> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; = charset=3Diso-8859-1"> <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2800.1555" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#fff8f0> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2> = HI=20 FLORA;</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>TO ME IT SOUNDS AS IF THE SNAKE WAS = GUARDING ITS=20 DEN OF EGGS/BABIES. IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO HEAR WHAT OTHERS HAVE TO=20 SAY.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2> DONNA</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=3Dltr=20 style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV=20 style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B>=20 <A title=3Dherself@wildflora.com = href=3D"mailto:herself@wildflora.com">Wild=20 Flora</A> </DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=3Dnaturens@chebucto.ns.ca=20 href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</A> = </DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, July 13, 2007 = 8:31 PM</DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [NatureNS] Snake = question</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV><!-- Converted from text/rtf format --> <P dir=3Dltr><SPAN lang=3Den-us></SPAN><SPAN lang=3Den-us><FONT = face=3DArial>I had an=20 un</FONT></SPAN><SPAN lang=3Den-us></SPAN><SPAN lang=3Den-us><FONT=20 face=3DArial>usual (for me, anyway) experience with a snake this = morning and=20 wonder if anyone can shed some light on it. I was taking the dog for = her usual=20 morning</FONT></SPAN><SPAN lang=3Den-us></SPAN><SPAN = lang=3Den-us><FONT=20 face=3DArial> walk, passing as always over a bridge that crosses a = small brook.=20 On one side of the bridge the road crews have installed a safety = barrier, and=20 there is a lot of rock there</FONT></SPAN><SPAN = lang=3Den-us></SPAN><SPAN=20 lang=3Den-us><FONT face=3DArial>=97</FONT></SPAN><SPAN = lang=3Den-us></SPAN><SPAN=20 lang=3Den-us><FONT face=3DArial>great snake = habitat.</FONT></SPAN><SPAN=20 lang=3Den-us></SPAN><SPAN lang=3Den-us><FONT face=3DArial> As we were=20 passing</FONT></SPAN><SPAN lang=3Den-us></SPAN><SPAN = lang=3Den-us><FONT=20 face=3DArial> the end of the safety barrier, I noticed an abrupt = movement out of=20 the corner of my eye and turned to see that a moderately large snake=20 (</FONT></SPAN><SPAN lang=3Den-us></SPAN><SPAN lang=3Den-us><FONT=20 face=3DArial>I</FONT></SPAN><SPAN lang=3Den-us></SPAN><SPAN = lang=3Den-us><FONT=20 face=3DArial>=92</FONT></SPAN><SPAN lang=3Den-us></SPAN><SPAN = lang=3Den-us><FONT=20 face=3DArial>m pretty sure it was a</FONT></SPAN><SPAN = lang=3Den-us></SPAN><SPAN=20 lang=3Den-us> <FONT face=3DArial>common</FONT></SPAN><SPAN = lang=3Den-us></SPAN><SPAN=20 lang=3Den-us> <FONT face=3DArial>garter snake,</FONT></SPAN><SPAN=20 lang=3Den-us></SPAN><SPAN lang=3Den-us><FONT face=3DArial> = and</FONT></SPAN><SPAN=20 lang=3Den-us></SPAN><SPAN lang=3Den-us><FONT face=3DArial> it = was</FONT></SPAN><SPAN=20 lang=3Den-us></SPAN><SPAN lang=3Den-us> <FONT face=3DArial>probably = about the size=20 of my thumb at its widest point)</FONT></SPAN><SPAN = lang=3Den-us></SPAN><SPAN=20 lang=3Den-us> <FONT face=3DArial>that</FONT></SPAN><SPAN = lang=3Den-us></SPAN><SPAN=20 lang=3Den-us> <FONT face=3DArial>was coiled up in front of = what</FONT></SPAN><SPAN=20 lang=3Den-us></SPAN><SPAN lang=3Den-us> <FONT face=3DArial>might have = been=20 a</FONT></SPAN><SPAN lang=3Den-us></SPAN><SPAN lang=3Den-us><FONT = face=3DArial>=20 burrow.</FONT></SPAN><SPAN lang=3Den-us></SPAN><SPAN lang=3Den-us> = <FONT=20 face=3DArial>The odd part was that the snake had its mouth open and = kept=20 striking in my direction. It didn</FONT></SPAN><SPAN =