The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-11-26

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not move faster than . smart walk to
keep up with II.
THAT serpents possess the power Of
charming or fascine ting their victims n
generally denied by n~aturalists. as Is
the allegation thai they swallow their
young to preserve them from harm. II
II true that birds. rats. guinea piss,
rabbits and chickens are known to have
shown no fear when placed In a cage
with snakes. but II snakes cannot fas-
cinate. how can the actions OF such
creatures be accounted for when they
are confronted under some conditions
by snakes? Every one knows with
what agility q chipmunk will take IT.
self on when approached by q perspn
trespassing on It's domain I was not a
little surprised n day as I was walk
ing through q wood to see one of these
sprightly little animals sit still. on a
rock n pay no attention to me as I
approached II. although 1 had got as
near to Il n Ave yards. The squirrels
side was toward me and the animal sat
as motionless as IL II had been part OF
the rock itself. 1t was gazing intently
in the direction of a log that lay per-
haps six feet distant. 1 stopped and
watched the chipmunk a moment Then
l thought I would fire at II with my re-
volver to see II that wouldn't rouse II
from its Mt Of abstraction. The bullet
ploughed the rock directly I'm front CT
the squirrel. but II did not cause a per-
ceptible movement in the little crea-
ture. Then. noticing the staring. intent
expression In h one eye of the chip
munk. ! followed with my eyes the d.
rection OF the gaze. and there. on the
log. I saw q rattlesnake coiled. its rat
ties erect but silent. and Its big head
raised from the coil. cts Eyes cleaning
and fixed on the squirrel Inc its ton
que darling in and out of its mouth at
short intervals. ! had always been
skeptical about the power Of the snake
to charm. but II seemed to me that II
here wasn't a positive case of serpent
fascination or hypnotism, I would lie
pleased to have some one explain To me
what IL was. To give still further dein-
o%nstration as to whether the snake al
really influencing the action of the chip
munk-the snake having noticed my
presence fired at II and had the good
luck to knock IL. from the log at the
first shot. When the wounded a
was thrashing about on the ground i
turned my attention to the chipmunk.
For perhaps half a minute IL remained
quiet. n then began to move. II NOV
ed about on the rock in a dazed n
uncertain way for a short time. stop
ped as II 10 collec its senses. and then
went scampering away and disappear
ed into Its hole with Its saucy chirup.
That same summer I saw a robin
fiuttering and posing over a spot near
the top of a stone wall. The actions of
the bird were so peculiar that i at once
suspected that a rattlesnake had ONE
thing to do with them. I approached
the spot cautiously. IN got so close to
the bird that I could have reached out
and taken IL i'm my hand. for Ii did not
notice me. CHANGING along the wall 1
discovered the rattlesnake's head pro-
truding from a hole. The robin evil
IDENTIFY made frantic efforts to fly away.
but got n further than two feet eth
err one way or the other. The snakes
head turned in whichever direction the
bird moved and seemed to hold IL pow
erless with It's gaze. Before what / am
sure would have been the fatal moment
for the robin arrived. j shot the snakes
head on. The robin fiuttered there a
few seconds longer n then few and
lighted on the wall two or three yards
away. 1t remained there a minute OF
more, with its wings raised from its
sides an inch or so, and they quivered
as III the robin was in a tremor. BY
and by the bird seemed to recover from
the effects Of Its experienced and few
away. 1t a no nest anywhere near.
for the time was past the nesting sea-
son, SO the bird could not have been
moved with rag against the nah in
the defence of her eggs or young.
which il the explanation given by writ
ers who scout at the power Of snakes
to charm.
IT had not the personal knowledge
of the rattlesnake's eye. but / gained
some a~fterward. and / do not hesitate
to say now that I believe the rattle
snake. at least. has the power to
charm. to paralyze, to h~ypnotize or
whatever the condition may properly
be termed. / also believe that. 1T will
take a man of IRON nerve and will to
resist the fascination of a r~attlesnake's
eye IL he cares to attest his ability by
gazing into the eye when the ugly rep
tile is angry and excited. using a
strong glass In making the test. Even
the eye OF a dead rattlesnake has a
terribly malignant expression. When
the reptile Is alive and ~quivering with
excitement, his. brilliant length coiled
like a spiral. the nat. triangular. vi
cious head raised and curved above
the folds and the harsh rattle vibrating
as rapidly as a humming birds wing.
there is nothing I'M all nature so dread
full in its appearance as the eye that
glitters n gIares above all this dead
~ beauty, and i am satisfied hat II
is enough to strike not only birds and
beasts. but men also. with irresistible.
nduntlnR nightmare, the speil OF winch
they are unable to break until some
disturbing force destroys its potency.
! have never seen the man who could
look into the eye Of an angered rat
tlesnake through a powerful glass for
more than a minute without feeling
himself fascinated by the very terror
of II. ! hav myself made-the expert
ment many times. I am as strong Of
nerve as the next man and have no
dread of snakes OF reptiles OF any
kind. but / have never been able to
Withstand the influence OF the rattle
snakes eye. Notwithstanding his and
what I nave seen rattlesnakes do to
birds and animals. I have seer a chick
en- that was turned into a rattlesnake's
cage deliberately roost on the snakes
back n peck at Its tongue as II dart
ed in n out. evidently imagining IL
to be an insect on the wing or a worm
in motion. and the snake never once
offered the chicken harm.
"As to snakes swallowing their
young. the books declare the thing rid
iculous. The books are right. but only