212 TEE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



this has been called "mesmerism" or "magnetism." Prof. Czermak 

 proved that neither magnetism nor mesmerism is active in the pro- 

 duction of this phenomenon. 



This case is simple enough, that of the fowls is more complex. It 

 has been thought that if "a chalk-line" were drawn the length of a 

 hen's beak, or from eye to eye across the beak, while held upon a flat 

 surface, she would remain perfectly quiet for more or less time when 

 the hands were removed. I think this is commonly believed in our 

 own country. Here, the chalk-line seemed intimately connected with 

 the phenomenon. 



Kircher varied the experiment by erasing the chalk-line. He also 

 tied a ribbon around the legs of the fowl, and then removed it ; and 

 the hen still remained quiet. According to him the imagination of 

 the fowl plays an important part ; and he laid great stress on the 

 acts of " tying " and " chalking." 



Prof. Czermak does not attach much importance to lurcher's con- 

 clusions, in his first lecture. But, in his second, he seems to believe 

 that the " tying and chalking " exert some slight influence through 

 the imagination. He relies mainly, however, on the " stretching 

 out " of the fowl's neck. Pigeons gave him more trouble in this re- 

 spect ; and this caused him to modify his theory to some extent. He 

 agreed, however, that after a hen had once been subjected to this 

 neck-stretching process, she could be caught and placed upon the floor 

 or any other surface, icithout being again subjected to it; that is, hold 

 her firmly until all struggling has ceased, and she can be placed in 

 almost any position without once touching the neck. Here Prof. 

 Czermak stops, and from this point my own experiments begin. 



I first repeated many of his experiments on fowls, without using 

 chalk and string, and with as successful results. Afterward I varied 

 the mode of experimenting. Hens, ducks, cats, and canary-birds, have 

 thus all succumbed to this peculiar procedure at my hands, and in 

 every instance without my subjecting them once to " neck-stretching," 

 except, of course, when I was repeating his experiments. 



My first experiments, since repeated, were made upon some pet ca- 

 nary-birds when I was quite a child, and knew nothing of this phe- 

 nomenon. I had three of these little birds, one male and two females. 

 These I would often remove from their cage, hold them in my hand un- 

 til they became quiet, and then place them upon the floor. In this 

 way I would often have all three lying out upon the floor perfectly 

 motionless. As to whether their eyes remained closed or not I have 

 no recollection. The male was very wild, and, if not watched care- 

 fully, would fly from the floor. 



This experiment I haA r e since practised on a canary, and obtained 

 the same results as I did when I first noticed the peculiarity. Here 

 let me say again that I never touched the head or the neck of the 

 bird. 



