The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-02
ARE SNAKES HYPNOTIsTss
A Story From Texas That Offers an
Affirmative Argument

Affirmative Argument.
San Diego Correspondence Chicago Times.
A gopher snake as Escondido has been
the cause OF much earnest discussion
among local naturalists recently. The
question discussed was do Snakes Charm
or Hypnotic Their Prey?" One Of the nat
uralists had the unusual but fortunate ex-
perience at Escondido Of happening upon
a large gopher snake just as the reptile
was about 10 overcome "a trembling cot
ton rabbit, and euVelOp the animal in its
deadly coils Fer some time the natural
list watched the snakes movements.
IL was within ten or twelve inches Of the
apparently fascinated rabbit. Silently and
almost imDerceptihly the snake had worm
ed its way nearer and nearer to its vic
tim. Its eyes gllstened with an intense
brightness. Not a movement did IL make
which might alarm the timid rabbit. The
torked tongue, which to the eye of hu-
man being Is 50 repulsive and intended to
be terrifying, appeared to exert an en-
tirely different influence upon the mind of
the innocent rabbit.
This darling tongue either excited the
victims curiosity or caused the animal
10 so concentrate its mind on the snakes
tongue as to throw that mind into a hyp-
motto condition of such strength that IL
could not break the spell and run away
from impending death. The fork ed 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 little body crept nearer and
nearer. The rabbit was motlonless. It's
eye was liked 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 its
folds about the creature. Then was the
spell broken.
But the 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 vainiy TO escape, and as the
rings OF the snake drew closer about the
1rail form so tightly that breathing be-
came difficult, the rabbit uttered a de-
spairing cry almost human in its intense
ness and sound. 1t was the rabbits last
earthly utterance. An extra twist Of the
cruel coils and bunny was no more. Lungs
heart and bones were literally crushed
The snake did not relax the pressure for
FULLY ten minutes. Unwindng itself the
snake dragged the prey under an adtoins
ing Dusn Tor dinner. Beginning at the
rabbits head the snake undertook the te-
dlous task of swallowing the animal
1t seemed impossible that a snake with
a BODY or about the size of a mans wrist
could stow away in its stomach full
grown rabbit. Opening its mouth the
greedy captor forced the membranes of its
upper ana lower jaws over the rabbits
mead; SO wide was the mouth when OPEN
ca tnat the snake appeared to be all
mouth, all semblance of a head having
disappeared. Imperceptibly almost. the
snake made progress. A close watch of
snow
any distinct movement Of the body. vet il
continued to disappear into the snake
IN the course OF a few hours the rabbit
was out of sight, and the snake. too
weary and fun for utterance. silent AZ the
scene of the banquet '''o
10 the naturalist who watched the can
lure OF the rabbit it appeared as if the
snake had certainly fascinated the ami
mai AS gopher snake is not poison
GUS ana mas no well developed fangs its
V tiay means me- OF killing prey is by constrc-
n. catch
necessary of the snake to fascinate the
victim. 'iS
Other naturalists claim that snakes do
no{ possess the power of fascinating
either birds or animals. One man. who
mas given the matter much study re-
marked that no error is apparently more
rooted IN the human mind than that
winch attributes to snakes this peculiar
power or fascination" BY this power
t thhey are SAID TO be able so to paralyze
are rendered utterly incapable of move
ment, and wait for the attack of a snake
VI even 60 forward to meet it, in fear
of retaliation. F"ei
Now, anyone WHO watches the beba-
Xlof OF small animals placed alive as food
IN me cages in which snakes are kent
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 it is possible TO ac-
COUNT LOT the popular belief that snakes
possess a powe~ to fascinate for several
reasons. An observer may come ON the
scene and find a number of birds moh-
b1ng snake just as they will mob an
owl or a buzzard The dashes Of +ba
Dlfd toward the snake and their fiutter-
ING round 1t may easily be put down to
~ ne erect ne OF me snakes glance while
tney are IN reality merely attempts of the
birds to drive off the intruder. A mother
DIrd whose young are attacked will al
most certainly behave in this way and
victim Rt
power of fascination in the snake. but 10
the force of her maternal feelings. It
mas been noticed that a hen placed in n
snakes cage will often go toward if and
make a determined peck at the snake,s
tongue A frog has been seen to do the
same thing Were this seen to occur in
a wild bird it may easily be nut down 10
fascination. With regard to snakes tba
XII their prey by the injection of poison.
II is even more easy TO account for the
appearance or the power, for they bite
once and only once.
1t may be the mObbing of the snake bv
the companions OF a victim that has been
seized or of mother whose nest has been
robbed; 1t may be simply the effect az
poison already injected before the observer
mas come upon the scene or it NAV he
simple curiosity. In ninety-nine Ga ses o,,t
of hundred one or the other Of tbese
causes has been at work. What, then. of
the hunuredth case, and what about +ba
fascination exercised on man cases of
which have undoubtedly been recorded
The explanation lies in the probability
tA-e't - - d Cast u lNpnOtlSm, IL NAV he
said, however, this is giving up the whole
argument and admitting that a snake
can fascinate, only it is calling the mower
by another name and saying that il can
hypnotize. This is not so The snake
does not hypnotic. The person is SELF
mesmerized; the action is purely subject
i've. School boys have a trick of holding
a rooster with its beak pressed against
a table and drawing a chalk line from The
tip of the beak along the table. The bird
VIII remain in the position it has been
placed in, though perfectly free to move
In the same way a snake no more ever
cises the power voluntarily than does the
chalk line position and tactile Impress
ion here produce hypnotism and visual
impression can produce it likewise
It is an error to suppose that will power
has anything to do with the effect me
matter has been taken uD scientificaiIv
by the medical profession and it has been
found that the hypnotic state of sleen or
trance, or whatever it may be termed. can
be produced by looking fxedly at the on
orator or at a coin or at the tip of one's
own nosei it is not necessary to go into
the question of how the result is brought
about, but there is physiological expla-
nation. What happens then in the hun
dredth case is that the man or the ami
NAL may be self-hypnotized by gazing
fixedlV at the snake rho etghfoof 49,,