Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1896-11-13
Tale From Texas Which Supports the
Affirmative, but There Are Nsturalists
Who Say No Claim That the snakes
Victims Are Self Hypnotized.

wormed it's way nearer and nearer TO its
victim. Its eyes glistened with an in.
tense brightness. Not movement did
il make which might alarm the timid
rabbit. The forked tongue, which to
the eye Of a 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 victim S curiosity or caused the ami
NAL 60 so concentrate its mind on the
snake S 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 Us the needle of sewing
machine rises and falls in the cloth. The
| 1.-the body crept nearer and nearer. The
| rabbit was motiOnlcss. It's eye was fixed
OH 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 i'll
snake form wreathed its folds about the
creature. Then was the spell broken.
But tho strong coils Of the snake were
in position. Never 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 therings Of the snake drew
| loser about the frail form so tightly
that breathing became difficult the Fab
bit uttered q desVaring cry almost hu-
man IN its lntenSeueSS and sound j.
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 Tbs
snake did not relax the pressure for full
y ten minutes. Unwinding itself, the
snake dragged the prey under an aG.
Joining bush for dinner.
To the naturalist who watched the
capture Of the rabbit it appeared as if
me snake had certainly fascinated the
animal. As Il 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
il seems almost necessary for the snake
TO fascinate the victim.
Other naturalists claim that snakes do
not possess the power Of fascinating Ell
Their 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 10 snakes this peculiar power OF
fascination. By this power they are
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 1t III fear and trembling,
out without any power Of retaliation.
Now, any one who watches the be-
havior Of small animals placed alive as
food in the cages III which snakes are
kept in captivity in the hope Of seeing
this marvellous power i'll operation will
be grievously disappointed. Chickens,
rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, all move
about with an utter absence Of fear Of
the snakes Ny belief is that it is posi-
ole 10 account for the popular belief that
snakes possess power TO fascinaee for
several reasons. An observer may come
m the scene and find a number of birds
nobbing "a snake just as they will mob
IN owl or buzzard. The dashes of the
bird toward the snake and their futter-
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 victim not to the
power Of fascination in the snake, but
TO the force of her maternal feelings.
1t mag be the mobbing of the snake
by the companions of victim that has
been seized or of mother whose nest
has been robbed; it may be simply the
effect Of poison already injected before
the observer has come upon the scene,
" IT may be simple curiosity. In ninety
rine cases out Of a hundred one or the
lther of these causes has been at work
What, then, of the hundredth case. and
what about the fascination 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 et-
feet. The matter has been taken up sci
entifically by the medical profession ana
IL has been found that the hypnotic
state Of sleep or trance, or whatever it
may be termed, can be produced by
looking fixedly at the operator or at Q
coin or at the tip Of ones own nose. II
IL not necessary to go into the question
If how the result is brought about. but
there is a physiological explanation.
What happens then in the hundredth
Ease is that the man or the animal may
be self hypnotized by gazing fiXedly at
the snake, the subject being thus thrown
into a sort Of trance, making no attempt
10 move out of danger unless rouse3 by
some exterior influence. San Diego CIR.
Chicago Times herald
The "geneIaI' of our army a On