8-12-03: A few minutes after the dragonfly left, we came upon this garter snake and his prey.

8-12-03: He seemed sufficiently preoccupied that he didn't seem to care if we took his picture or not.

8-12-03: He spent a good five or ten minutes just holding on, waiting for the newt to wear itself out.

8-12-03: He made no attempt to constrict it (I guess that's just not what they do) but instead just held tight.

8-12-03: When its struggles finally weakened considerably, the snake began to work it around in its mouth until it got to an end. They're supposed to start with the head, but no one told this snake that... and besides, the tail was much closer.

8-12-03: Down it goes...

8-12-03: This part went fairly quickly, the snake simply inching its mouth around it, like you might work on a stocking that's a tight fit.

8-12-03: For a moment, it looks like a two headed beast.

8-12-03: I wonder if those fir needles will cause any indigestion?

8-12-03: Oh dread, he's up to my....

8-12-03 Almost gone...

8-12-03: The snake works to get its jaw back in place

8-12-03: Hey, what are you guys looking at?

8-12-03: I think I've got something I need to be doing...

8-12-03: You can see the lump where the newt now resides. The snake sidled off rather quickly after I took this picture.