The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-08-17
THE SNAKES CHARM. y
Curious Experiments by a PactAc
Coast Naturalist.
Observations Which Throw Some Doodle
Upon tho Belief That Snakes Have
tho Power to MesmaTlze
Their Prey.

Some twenty years ago tho naturalist
Brchm procured q couple OF able- bodied
ratt1csnalSes and turned them loose in
u well-lighted CARROT, whcro he could
observe all their movements without
bctraying his presence. At first. his
prisoners stuck to their lair In tho recess
OF an open box, but on the morning Of
the third day they began to show sy1np-
toms of appetite and the professor
treated them TO breakfast of live
olackoirds- About five minutes after
the appearance of the newcomers one
OF the snakes left her headquarters and
crawled across to tho corner next to the
front window, while her mate took post
behind q waterproof, near the center OF
the room The birds werc too busy to
notice them at all. There were three
windows In tho garnet, and in spite of
constant collisions the temptation TO
regard tho attempt at escape in light
ward direction seemed too much TO
mind such inferior incidents rs tho ma
neuvers of crawling object on the
floor. The front window with its large
panes seemed to prove specially attrao-
tive, and, the San Francisco Chronicle
says, the ambushed snake had just con-
tracted her coils for the third time
when the descent Of a fluttering bird
gave her chance to bring matters to a
crisis.
No need OF charming In this case,"
thought the professor, when the stricls-
en- blackbird recoiled with frightened
squawk. But there was still need of
patience. For nearly minute the
doomed bird huttered about in an nim-
less way before the chemicals began TO
operate In earnest, and he fell over on
his side with half-opcned wings. He
was too far gone even to keep ON his
legs, and only then the snake crayyled
mp TO take possession of her prey,
though she had all along watched her
victim with glitterinG eyes.
The anatomical examination of q roA-
tlesnakc or n coppcrhcad would explain
that sequence of events The fangs of
poisonous serpent arc attached only
by flexible ligament and are not
strong enough to hold a struggling
animal, though they are extremely
adapted for administering snap bite.
Now, the effect of the virus, even on
very small creatures, is not absolutely
instantaneous. The bite of our western
rattlesnalSe Will kill squirrel in five
minutes, paisano or roadrunner in
three or four minutes, and even mouse
or young quail has time to run n few
steps toward its hiding place and ap-
parently out of reach of the coiling
snake. There rs no direct pursuit.
The snake can afford to wait. we'll
| Knowing that tho deliium of the poison
fever VIII drive the dying mouse out of
his hole and the bird out Of his retreat
m the tangled briars. In the mean
time, however, n semi scientific witness
OF the tragedy may come along and as
crfbe the possibility of the finale to the
strange glittering OF the serpents ewes.
which all along have followed the move
ments OF her quarry.
Prof Brehm repeated tho experiment
with sparTows, gophers, common rats,
weasels, Quails, woodpeclzers and
meadow larks, and always with an an
aaogous result, except in the case of a
woodpeclter that made its way to the
top OF the window and died out of reach
Of the serpent In every other case the
victim at first made it's escape, but was
captured in articulo mortis, after be-
traying its waning strength by all sorts
of curious symptoms. Even the weasel
gave up its attempt at retaliation after
short struggle, and in it's last mo-
ments staggered out Of it's hiding place
and finally directly toward the ap-
preaching enemy.