Lab
Library
Journal
Shop
Sign in
to keep
Share image
1
136
My Studio Neighbors
·
W. Hamilton Gibson
34
For
an
hour
or
more
the
bombardment
of
pellets
and
small
stones
continued
from
the
mouth
of
the
pit,
until
a
small
pile
of
the
spent
ammunition
had
accumulated
at
several
inches
distance,
and
at
length
the
hole
entirely
disappeared,
the
earth
in
its
vicinity
presenting
an
apparently
level
surface--an
armed
peace,
in
truth,
with
the
two
touchy
curved
calipers
on
duty,
as
already
described.
Following
the
hint
of
past
experience,
I
concluded
to
explore
the
depths
of
one
of
these
tunnels,
especially
as
I
desired
a
specimen
of
the
wily
tenant
for
portraiture;
and
it
is,
indeed,
an
odd
fish
that
one
may
land
on
the
surface
if
he
be
sufficiently
alert
in
his
angling.
No
hook
or
bait
is
required
in
this
sort
of
fishing.
Taking
a
long
culm
of
timothy-grass,
I
inserted
the
tip
into
the
burrow.
It
progressed
without
impediment
two,
three,
six,
eight
inches,
and
when
at
the
depth
of
about
ten
inches
appeared
to
touch
bottom,
which
in
this
kind
of
angling
is
the
signal
for
a
"strike"
and
the
landing
of
the
game.
Instantly
withdrawing
the
grass
culm,
I
found
my
fish
at
its
tip,
from
which
he
quickly
dropped
to
the
ground.
His
singular
identity
is
shown
in
my
illustration--an
uncouth
nondescript
among
grubs.
His
body
is
whitish
and
soft,
with
a
huge
hump
on
the
lower
back
armed
with
two
small
hooks.
His
enormous
head
is
now
seen
to
be
apparently
circular
in
outline,
and
we
readily
see
how
perfectly
it
would
fill
the
opening
of
the
burrow
like
an
operculum.
But
a
close
examination
shows
us
that
this
operculum
is
really
composed
of
two
halves,
on
two
separate
segments
of
the
body,
the
segment
at
the
extremity
only
being
the
true
head,
armed
with
its
powerful,
sharp,
curved
jaws.
As
he
lies
there
sprawling
on
his
six
spider-like
legs,
we
may
now
easily
test
the
skill
of
his
trap,
and
gain
some
idea
of
his
voracious
personality.
Marker
Marker
Fine marker
White-out
Fine white-out
Circle
Paint
Unmarker
Hand
Scalpel
Dice
Sieve
Purify
Undo
Redo
Start over
