Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1892-08-18
THE SNAKES CHARM.
Naturalist Rrehm's Interesting Expert

Naturalist Rrehm's Interesting Expert
mcnts with Couple of Hattlers.
Some twenty years ago the naturalist
Brehm procured q couple of able-bodied
rattlesnalles and turned them loose in
well-lighted garnet, where he could
observe all their movements without
betraying his presence. At first his pris-
oners stuck to their lair in the recess of
an open box, but on the morning of the
third day they began to show symptoms
of appetite and the professor treated
them to breakfast of live blacllbirds.
About five minutes after the appear
ance 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
maneuvers of n crawling object on the
floor. The front window with its large
panes seemed to prove specially at
tractive, and the ambushed snake had
Just contracted her coils for the third
time when the descent Of huttering
bird gave her chance to bring matters
to a crisis.
"No need of charming in this case"
thought the professor when the stricken
blackb recoiled with frightened
squawk. But there was still need Of
patience. For nearly minute the
doomed bird huttcred about in an aim
less way be r@re the chemicals began to
operate in earnest, and he fell over on
his side with half-opened wings
He was TOO far gone even to keep on
his legs, and only then the snake
crawled up to take possession of her
prey, though she had all along watched
her victim with ghttering eyes.
The anatomical examination of rat
tlesnal1e or coppcrhead would explain
that sequence of events, The fangs of
a poisonous serpent are attached only
by flexible ligament, and are not
strong enough to hold a struggling ami
NAL, though they are extremely well
adapted for administering a snap bite.
Now, the effect of the virus, even on
very small crea lures, is not absolutely
instantaneous The bite of our west
ern rattlesnake will kill q squirrel in
five minutes, q paisano or roadrunner
in three or four minutes, but even a
mouse or young quail has time to run
few steps toward its hiding place and
apparently out of reach of the coiling
snake. There is no direct pursuit.
The snake can afford to wait, well
knowing that the delirium of the poison
fever will drive the dying mouse out Of
his hole and the bird out of its retreat
in the tangled briars. In the mean.
time, however, semi-scientific witness
of the tragedy may come along and
ascribe the possibility of the finale tc
the strange glittering of the serpent''
eyes, which all along have followed the
movements of her quarry.
Prof Brehm repeated this experiment
with sparrows, gophers, common rats
weaslcs, quails, woodpecl;ers and mead
ow larks, and always with an analo
gous result, except in the case of ;
woodpecker that made its way to tn,
top of the window and dicd out of reacl
of the serpent. In every other case tn
victim at first made its escape, but wa
captured in articulo morris, after be
traying its waning strength by all sort
of curious symptoms Even the wease
gave up its attempt at retaliation afte
short struggle, and in its last me
ments staggered out of its hiding plac
and finally directly towards TIA
approaching spsmy'-sap FrSncise
Chyeniele :