The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-02-15
DO SNAKES CHARM?
THERE ARE PROS AND CONS TO THIS
QUESTION APPARENTLY.

A TaIe From Texas Which Supports the
Affirmative, but There Arc Naturalists
Who Say No-Claim That the Snakes
Victims Arc Self Hypnotized.
A gopher snake Mt Escondido has been
the cause of much earnest discussion
among local uaturalists.- Tho question
discussed was, "Do Snakes Charm or
Hypnotize Their Prey?" One of the
naturalists had the unusual but fortunate
experience Mt Escondido of happening
upon n large gopher snake just rs the
reptile was about to overcome trem-
bling cottontail rabbit and envelop the
animal in it's deadly coils. For, some
time the naturalist watched the snako's
movements.
It was within 10 or 10 inches of the
apparently fascinated rabbit. Silently
and almost imperoeptibly the snake had
wormed its way nearer and nearer to its
victim. Its eyes glistened with an in
tense brightness. Not q movement did
it make which might alarm the timid
rabbit The forkod tongue, which to
the eye Of human being is so repulsive
and intended to be terrifying, appeared
to exert On 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 it's mind Oh the
snakes tongue as to throw that mind
into hypnotic condition Of such
strength that it could not break tho
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 sewing
machine rises and falls in the cloth. The
1.-the body crept nearer and nearer The
rabbit was motionless 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 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 o rabbit lived that
could break that embrace of death.
Realizing ut 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 We're literally crushed. The
snake did not relax the pressure for full
ly ten minutes. Unwinding itself, the
snake dragged the prey under an adj
joining bush for dinner.
To tho 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
its only means of killing prey is by con
striction. In order to catch All animal
1t seems aim ost necessary for tho snake
to fascinato the victim.
Other naturalists claim that snakes dc
not possess the power of fascinating Ell
ther birds Or animals One man who has
given the matter much study remarked
that mo error is apparently moro rooted
III the human mind than that which at
tributes to snakes this peculiar power of
fascination. By this power they are
said to DO able so to paralyze their vic.
tins that the birds or animals are ren-
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-
hayior of small animals placed alive as
food in tho cages in which snakes are
kept in captivity in the hope Of seeing
this marvellous power in operation will
be grievously disappointed. Chickens,
rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, all move
about with an utter absence Of fear of
the snakes. My belief is that il is posi-
bic to account for the popular belief that
snakes possess power to fascinato for
several reasons. An observer may come
Oh tho scene and find number of birds
mobbing snake just as they will mob
an owl or buZzard. Tho dashes Of the
bird toward tho snake and their flutter-
ing round it may easily be put down to
the effect Of the snakes glance, while
they arc in reality merely attempts Of
the birds to drive off tho 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 may 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,
or it may DO simple curiosity. In ninety
nine cases ont of a hundred one or the
other of these causes has been at work.