The Somerset reporter., 1896-02-20
DO SNAKES CHARM?
THERE ARE PROS AND CONS TO THIS
QUESTION APPARENTLY.
A Tale From Texas Which supports the
Affirmative. but There Are Naturalists
who Say No-Claim That the Snakes
victims Are Self HypnotIzed.


Affirmative. but There Are Naturaiists
Who Say No-Claim That the Snakes
Victims Are Self Hypnotlzed.
A gopher snake at Escondido has been
the cause of much earnest discussion
among local uaturalists. The question
discussed was, do Snakes Charm or
Hypnotic Their Prey One Of the
naturalsts had the unusual but fortunate
experience at Escoudido of happening
upon u large gopher snake just as the
reptile was about to overcome a trem-
bling cottontall rabbit and envelop the
animal in its deadly coils. For some
time the naturalist watched the snake y
movements.
1t was within 10 or IL inches of the
apparently fascinated rabbit. Silently
and almost imperceptibly the snake had
wormed its way nearer and nearer to its
victim. Its eyes Rlistened with an in
tense brightness. Not movement did
it make which might alarm the timid
rabbit The forked tongue, which to
tho eye Of human being is so repulsive
and intended to be terrifying, appeared
to exert an entirely different influence
upon the mind of the innocent rabbit
This darting tongue either excited
the victims curiosity or caused the ami
nal to so concentrate its mind on the
snakes tongue as to throw that mind
into hypnotic condition of such
strength that it could not break the
spell and run away from impending
death The forked tongue darted out of
the snakes mouth almost as regularly
and rapidly as the needle Of a sewing
machine rises and falls in the cloth. The
1.-THE body crept nearer and nearer. The
rabbit was motionless. Its eye was fixed
on the piercing eye Of the snake. Even
the waving Of the wind kissed shrubs
about the rabbit failed to break the spell,
and softly and slowly grim death in
snake form wreathed it's folds about the
creature. Then was the spell broken.
But the strong coils of the snake were
in position. Never a rabbit lived that
could break that embrace of death.
Realizing at last the terrible peril, the
terrified rabbit struggled vainly to es
cape, and as the rings Of the snake drew
closer about the frail form so tightly
that breathing became difficult the rab
bit uttered despairing cry almost hu-
man III its intenseness and sound 1t
was the rabbits last earthly utterance.
An extra twist of the cruel coils and
poor bunny was no more. Lungs, heart
and bones were literally crushed The
snake did not relax the pressure for full
ly ten minutes Unwinding itself, the
snake dragged the prey under an ad
joining bush for dinner.
To the naturalist who watched the
capture Of the rabbit it appeared as if
the snake had certainly fascinated the
animal AS gopher snake is not poi
sonous and has no we'll developed fangs
it's only means Of killing prey is by con
striction. In order to catch an animal
it seems almost necessary for tho snake
to fascinate the victim.
Other naturalists claim that snakes do
not possess the power of fascinating ell
ther birds or animals. One man who has
given the matter much study remarked
that "no error is apparently more rooted
in the human mind than that which at
tributes to snakes this peculiar power of
fascination. By this power they arc
said to be able SO to paralyze their vic
tins that the birds or animals are rem
dered utterly incapable of movement and
wait for the attack Of a snake or even go
forward to meet it in fear and trembling
but without any power of retaliation
Now, any one who watches the be-
havior of small animals placed alive as
food in the cages in which snakes are
kept i'll captivity in the hope of seeing
this marvellous power in operation will
be grievously disappointed. Chickens,
rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, all movo
about with an utter absence of fear of
the snakes. My belief is that it is posi-
BILE to account for the popular belief that
snakes possess power to fascinato for
several reasons. An observer may come
on the scene and find number of birds
mobbing q snake just as they will mob
an owl or buzzard. The dashes of the
bird toward the snake and their flutter-
ing round it may easily be put down to
the effect Of the snakes glance, while
they are in reality merely attempts of
the birds to drive off the intruder. A
mother bird whose young are attacked
will almost certainly behave in this way
and may herself fall a victim, not to the
power Of fascination in the snake, but
to the force Of her maternal feelings.
1t may be the mobbing of the snake
by the companions of victim that has
been seized or of a neither whose nest
has been robbed; it may be simply the
effect Of poison already injected before
the observer has come upon the scene,
or it may be simple curiosity. In ninety
nine cases out of hundred one or the
other of these causes has been at work.
What, then, Of the hundredth case. and
what about the fascipation exercised on
man, cases of which have undoubtedly
been recorded The explanation lies in
the probability that it is case of self
hypnotism.
1t is an error to suppose that will
power has anything to do with the eff