El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1901-01-09
HYPN0TIZED ANIMALS.
Novel EXP riments Frogs, Guinea Pigs and Chickens
Prof. Max Verw0rn Acts the Part of Geological Sven
gali-Anmas and Reptiles Made Helpless by Skil,fui
Man puatiOn

its recovery, like that of the guinet
pig, was sudden. though the hinder
parts were affected for awhile after
ward.
Frogs were not affected so easily
though they succumbed after awhile
When held upon it's back, it's move
ments being hindered. the common
edible frog would become perfectly
quiet after five or ten minutes, it's eff
forts to rise growing more and more
feeble. until finally it would become
motionless. remaining so for twenty
or thirty minutes thereafter. Some
times. indeed. the animal would remain
thus frozen into rigidity for hours. if
caution was taken against noises. The
slightest thing that produced sense
impression woulu release the batrd-
chan. Its heart beat and breathing
became feebler and less frequent. as
the condition was prolonged. and the
color of the skin would actually grow
lighter-a curious and unexplained
phenomenon. Occasionally it happens
that a frog. when grasped suddenly
with pair of pincers and thus cramp-
ed into an unusual posture, will il
stantly become motionless and rigid.
HOLSTERS, it seems, are subject to ia
huence in the same way, remaining
perfectly rigid in grotesque poStures
for long time after being held for
five or ten minutes. The method adopt
ed by Pro. Verworn was to stand TIE
lobster on its head. so that it rested
upon its big claws and antenuae
Treated in this manner the crustacean
not only became unconscious but was
overcome with so profound a slumber
that no amount of jogging, or even
throwing it into the water. would wake
it up.
Snakes are by no means exempt. The
professor made series of most inter-
eSting experiments with two specimens
of the benomous serpent known as the
naje-haje. two specimens of which
were obtained for him from Egypt by
the hereditary Princess of SaXony. So
dangerous were these reptile that their
poison fangs were removed as a pre-
liminary to the trial. Their DISPOSE
ton was truly ferociuos, and they
would coil themselves on the floor and
keep their heads always turned toward
the professor as he walked around
them-ready to strike him if they got n
chance. They would try to bite him
again and again, but when, with a
quick action, he would step forward
and grab one OF the reptiles behind
the neck. It's excitement instantly dis
appeared and it became perfectly harm
less and Imp. so as to be put in any
position that might be desired. Never
theless a quick motion in front of the
eyes or blowing upon the nose would
awaken the serpent instantly to ac-
tivity and ferocity.
1t is with this kind of snake that the
serpent charmers of Egypt have always
worked. even so far back as the days
of Moses. A student of the scriptures
Will find ceHtain descriptions of rods
transformed into snakes which may
have reference to such phenomena. In
that country at the present time the
serpent charmers takes the excited
''naje-haje" by the back of the neck
and renders it in a moment perfectly
rigid, laying it thereupon on the floor
and going on with other tricks. This
produces great impression upon spec
tatorS who are not less excited to won
derment when the magician picks up
the unconscious snake and restores it
in an instant by his breath or a pass of
the hand.
From his experiments Prof. Verworn
draws the conclusion that nearly all
kinds of animals. no matter how wild, |
if skillfully treated after the method
here indicated, may be rendered I'M
and unable to move. Where |
ever phenomena of the kind have been |
observed in the past they have been
Naturally, they suG-
gested the notion of magic or else it
was supposed that the creature was
charmed '-influenced, that is to say. !
by mysterious and metaphysical pow
er. In the case of the hen, her imag-
ination was supposed to be at work, |
the bird mistaking the chalk mark