Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-07-23
SNAKE CHARMING A HUmBya.

A correspondent Of Lqnd and lFater
says John K, Campbell gives very en-
tertaining and insfructiveaccou OF mod
ern Egyptian snake charmer and his per-
Torrance. 1t TALES with curious exactnets
with some details on the same subjse5
furnished to me some months ago by Pro
fessor Hermann, the well-known prestidi-
eitateur. launching with him at Monte
Video, and chatting about the pair OF bOss
| am tanning for him, and their capabilities
in connection with the magic art, he gave
me a recital of his own personal experience
of snake charming. When he was in Cairo,
seeing many of these pseudo magicians ana
the faith reposed IN them by the people, he
resolved to initiate their tricks at his own
soirees. lie obtained a certain amount OF
instruction from an Arab, and several
serpents-of harmless species, he believes,
but, since he describes them as being
hooded. they would more probably be the
nsja haze, with the fangs excIsed-at any
rate, I do not know Of any innocent
coluber with Cistensibie neck II
that part Of the world. MANY
other snakes besides the cobras have ex-
pansile hoods, so called even now,
venomous ones; notably the Caninana,
Soilotes p9cilostoma, OF South and Central
Ame-ica). Having "Pr' due q tbs
reptiles mystefiously, NJ. Hermann used
to throw them on the ground, blow mot
spit) violently on the head, and press it
with short stick. lie assures me chat IN
few minutes tney became perfectly rigid,
and when taken up by the tail could be
held out straight, Ike stick. He used a
bamboo for pressing the head, because he
did net care to put his hand IN that quar-.
ter; in fact, he did not repeat the per
formance many times, for he shared in no
small degree that invinclbie repugnance to
the serpent tribe common TO most OF Eyes
descendants, and was sometimes obliged to
rash eff the stage and tear his coat of,
seized with a sudden horror Of the reptiles
lying concealed IN the "profondes. !
should very much like to learn the reason
OF this rigidity. Many creatures become
seIni.rigid when seized by the tail-slow-
worms, for instance, and all snakes at
timss-buJ they do not strsighten them
selves, and the stiffness has always ap-
pesred to me to be the result Of helpless
ness rather than anything Of cataleptic
nature.
doubt founded on very good grounds tprob
ably he had felt its sharp teeth more than
once in the course OF his cruel trainine),
for though monkeys scream at first when
they see snakes, toads, lizards, or any thing
else that ley do not understand, they get
accustomed TO them in a very short time.
l have known marmosets, and other mon
keys Of my own, when their cage has been
SO situated that they could always look
into a snake BOX, cease 70 chatter at the
occupants IN an hour, and even paw the
glass in attempts to play with them IN a
day or two, just as they learn to tolerate
human beings, cats, dogs, or moving IMAM
innate objects, when they find they are not
moested thereby.
When the late John Keast Lord was in
Egypt he saw some wonderful charming
aud manipulation OF the horned asp or
cerastes, a most deadly serpent. Having
his suspicious, Mr. Lord seized the charmed
reptile By the neck, and on examining IT,
found it TO be a perfectly harmless snake
with an artificial horn bound cleverly on
it's head To demonstrate the truth of his
assertion to the bystsnders. he allowed it
to bite him but the Arab juggler, nothing
dsunted, Immediately pronounced a charm,
and made some mystic passes over the bit.
ten hand, and then coolly assured the nat
uralist that he need have no fear Of the
consequences.
Snake-charming is all humbug; snake
tanning or training is possible enough !; and
the apparent results of the former are
easily understood by any one who has
practised the latter.