842 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



tridges; sparrows, mice, Guinea-pigs, rab- 

 bits, etc." ("Popular Science Monthly 

 Supplement," xviii., p. 5*74); and he con- 

 siders that fear is the chief cause of the 

 inhibition of spontaneity. In view of these 

 premises it seems not improbable that the 

 same species might pass into a similar sub- 

 jective condition on being suddenly brought 

 in view of serpents, of which all of these 

 animals stand in great dread. Indeed, this 

 is in substance the explanation of serpent- 

 charm given by Dr. Preyer himself. Grant- 

 ing this, it is easy to see that the ophidians, 

 whose intelligence is, according to Darwin 

 (ib., 352), "greater than might have been 

 anticipated," would be likely to learn to 

 take advantage of it. As soon as this took 

 place, serpent-charm would be practically 

 established as a factor in the animal econ- 

 omy, though perhaps a very unimportant 

 one ; and in corroboration we have the evi- 

 dence of Preyer and several other natural- 



ists, who accept the " fascination of birds by 

 snakes " as a scientific fact ; while, as Dr. 

 Oswald admits, we have the testimony of 

 eminent ophiologists that snakes are unable 

 to capture birds unless aided in some man- 

 ner. Of course it is not yet established by 

 competent observers that small birds and 

 animals do actually pass into a subjective 

 condition on seeing a snake (and the evi- 

 dence adduced by Dr. Oswald is of a nega- 

 tive character), but it seems more probable 

 that this is so than that the few skilled and 

 the many unskilled observers should have 

 erred so egregiously ; and it is certainly 

 much more probable than that the popular 

 notions regarding serpent-charm should 

 have originated in the aimless struggles of 

 birds or small animals wounded to the death 

 by the fangs of a venomous serpent. 

 Very truly yours, 



W. J. McGee. 

 Farley, Iowa, September 1, 1879. 



EDITOR'S TABLE. 



THE SCIENTIFIC ASSOCIATIONS. 



THE scientists had a profitable and 

 pleasant time at Saratoga. The 

 twenty-eighth annual meeting of the 

 American Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science, which met there this 

 year, was well attended and successful 

 i a every respect. A larger number than 

 usual of the old and eminent members 

 of the body were present, and that the 

 gathering represented a goodly propor- 

 tion of the scientific working power of 

 the country is shown by the fact that 

 about one hundred and fifty papers 

 were contributed, in different fields of 

 inquiry, many of which were of marked 

 merit. There are two or three respects 

 in which the proceedings were note- 

 worthy, and to which we desire to call 

 attention. 



The American Association was 

 formed upon the model of the British 

 Association, which had been in opera- 

 tion for some years, and incorporated 

 its main features. They embrace com- 

 mon objects, and have both undergone 

 a development that has accompanied 

 the progress and widening of scientific 

 thought. Their annual sessions occur so 



nearly together that the contributions 

 from both sources come upon us at the 

 same time ; and, regarding them as 

 substantially one organization, we se- 

 lect their papers for printing by the 

 rule of convenience. The able inaugu- 

 ral address of President Allman at the 

 Sheffield meeting appears in our pres- 

 ent number, and we shall publish a re- 

 vised edition, with notes, of the equal- 

 ly able address of Professor Marsh at 

 Saratoga in our next issue. In his ad- 

 dress before the Physiological Section of 

 the British Association, over which he 

 presided, Dr. P. H. Pye-Smith stated 

 the leading objects of the organization, 

 as follows : 



"The Association to which we be- 

 long seeks to advance natural science, 

 that is, accurate knowledge of the ma- 

 terial world, by the following means : 



" 1. By bringing together men who 

 are engaged in the various fields of sci- 

 ence indicated by our several sections, 

 by promoting friendship between them, 

 by giving opportunity for discussion 

 on points of difference, by encouraging 

 obscure but genuine laborers with the 

 applause of the leaders whom they 



