Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-03-16
DO SNAKES CHARM?
THERE ARE PROS AND CONS TO THIS
QUESTION APPARENTLY.

SOGS tStv APpAn6Nl
A Tale From Texas which supports the
AArmativs. but There Are Nssur.aists
who Say No-Claim That the Snakes
Victims Are Self Hypuotised.
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
naturalists had the unusual but fortunate
experience at Escondido Of happening
upon large gopher snake just as the
reptile was about to overcome trem-
bling cottontail rabbit and envelop the
animal in its deadly coils. For some
time the naturalist watched the snakes
movements.
1t was within 10 or 10 inches of the
apparently fascinated rabbit. Silently
and almost imperceptibly the snake had
wormed its way nearer and nearer to its
victim. Its eyes glistened with an in
tense brightness. Not movement did
1t make which might alarm the timid
rabbit. The forked tongue, which to
the 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 a 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
abont 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 q 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 q despsiring cry almost hu-
man in 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 a 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 AN animal
it seems almost necessary for the snake
to fascinate the victim.
Other naturalists claim that snakes dc
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 to 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 snake or even &C
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 al
food in the 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 o,
the snakes. Ny belief is that it is posi-
BILE to account for the popular belief that
snakes possess a power to fascinate fol
several reasons. An observer may com,
on the scene and find number Of birds
mobbing q snake Just rs they will mol
| an owl or buzzard. Tho dashes of tn,
| bird toward the snake and their fiutter
ing round it may easily be put down t.
the effect Of the snakes glance, whil'
they are in reality merely attempts o
the birds to drive off the intruder.
mother bird whose young are attacked
will almost certainly behave in this wa.
and may herself fall victim, not to tn,
power of fascination in the snake. bu
to the force of her maternal feelings.
1t may be the mobbing of the snak
by the companions of victim that ha
been seized or Of a mother whose mes
has been robbed; it may be simply tn
effect Of poison already injected befor
the observer has come upon the scene
or it may be simple curiosity. In ninety
nine cases out of a hundred one or tn
other of these causes has been at work
What. then, Of the hundredth case, am
what about the fascination exercised O
man, cases of which have undoubtedl
been recorded? The explanation lies il
the probability that it is case Of sci
hypnotism.
| 1t is an error to suppose that vii
power has anything to do with the ei
feet. The matter has been taken up SCI
mtifically by the medical profession an
it has been found that the hypnoti