The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-08-13
THE SNAKES CHARM.
Curious Experiments by Pacific
Coast Naturalist.
Observations Which Throw Some Doubt
Upon tho Belief That Snakes Have
the Power to Mesmertxs
Their Prey.

Some twenty years ago the naturalist
Brehm procured couple of able-bodied
rattlesnakes and turned them loose in
a well-ighted garnet, where he could
observe all their movements without
betraying his presence. At first his
prisoners stuck to their lair in the recess
of an open box, but on the morning of
the third day they began 10 show symp-
toms of appetite and the professor
treated them to a breakfast of live
blackbirds. About FIVE minutes after
the appearance of the newcomers one
of the snakes left her headquarters and
crawled across to the corner next to the
front window, while her mate took post
behind a waterproof, near the center of
the room. The birds were too busy to
notice them at all There were three
windows in the garnet, and in spite Of
constant collisions the temptation to
regard the attempt at escape in a light
ward direction seemed too much to
mind such inferior incidents as the ma
neuvers of a crawling object on the
floor. The front window with its large
panes seemed to prove specially attrac-
tive, and, the San Francisco Chronicle
says, the ambushed snake had just con-
tracted her coils for the third time
when the descent of futtering bird
gave her chance to bring matters to a
crisis.
mo need of charming in this case"
thought the professor, when the strick-
en- blackbird recoiled with a frightened
squawk. But there was still need of
patience. For nearly a minute the
doomed bird futtered about in an aim
less way before the chemicals began to
operate in earnest, and he fell over on
his side with half-opened wings. He
was tc7 far gone even to keep on his
legs, AID only then the snake crawled
up to take possession of her prey,
though she had all along watched her
victim with glittering eyes.
The anatomical examination of rat
tlesnake or copperhead would explain
that sequence of events. The fangs of
a poisonous serpent are attached only
by flexible hgament 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
rattlesnake will kill squirrel in fve
minutes, a paisano or roadrunner in
three or four minutes, and even mouse
or young quail has time to run a few
steps toward it's hiding place and ap-
parently out of reach of the coiling
snake. There is no direct pursuit.
The snake can afford TO wait, well
knowing that the deliriun of the poison
fever viii drive the dying mouse out of
his hole and the bird out of his retreat
in the tangled briars- In the mean
time, however, semi-sc5entifc witness
Of the tragedy may come along and as
cribe the possibility of the finale to the
strange glittering of the serpent's eyes.
which all along have followed the move
ments of her quarry.
Prof. Brehm repeated the experiment
with sparrows, gopbers, common rats,
weasels, quails, woodpcckers and
meadow larks, and always with an an
alogous result, except in the case of .
woodpecker 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 its escape, but was
captured in srticulo morris, after be-
trsying its waning strength by ali sorts
OF curious symptoms Even the weasel
gave up its attempt at retaliation after
a shert struggle, and in its last mo
ments staggered out Of its hiding place
and finally directly toward the ap
preaching enemy.