1857.] Fascination. 543 



in coil, with head erect, awaiting their approach. It appears, how- 

 ever, that the serpent's power has its well-defined limits, and its own 

 peculiar philosophical phenomena. If the movements of the birds 

 toward it are due to the attractive power employed by the serpent, 

 then the law of attraction in this case is a positive reversion of the 

 laws of magnetic attraction. The attractive power of the magnet ia 

 greatest when the body acted upon is in contact with it, and it loses 

 its force in proportion to the distance to which that body may be re- 

 moved. That is to say, it requires more force to remove a piece of 

 iron when in contact with a magnet, than is demanded for its remov- 

 al when at the distance of a foot or two from it. But such is not 

 the case with the serpent. In the supposed fascination the birds, 

 though unable, while at the distance of ten or a dozen feet, to resist 

 its attractive powers, are able, nevertheless, at the last moment, when 

 the devourer is in the act of striking, to break the charm, and, by 

 a reverse movement, to fling themselves instantly out of danger's 

 way. 



Such is the theory of fascination, as based upon occurrences that 

 have been witnessed by many observers. Its philosophical defects 

 may be inferred from the hints already given ; but whether such 

 transactions prove that serpents possess the power of fascination, or 

 that the observers are mistaken in their interpretation of facts, will 

 be better understood, when a case is stated which was observed by 

 myself. 



Business led me to cross the Chilhowee mountain, in Tennessee, 

 on the 27th June, 1857. When near Montvale Springs, I observed 

 two birds at a couple of rods distance from the road, performing 

 movements new and strange to me. They were in an open space, 

 near a small stump, but did not take to flight on my approach, as they 

 would have done under ordinary circumstances. On reaching a 

 point opposite to them, I noticed that they were the brown mocking 

 bird, and that a very large black snake lay coiled at the side of the 

 stump. On seeing me, it suddenly began to uncoil itself, and move 

 ofi" as if to make its escape. But before it had stretched itself to 

 more than half its lensith, the birds flew at it in the most energetic 

 manner. Instantly the snake whirled again into coil in its former 

 position. The male bird then commenced to run and skip with 

 great activity, in a semi-circle, the snake being the center, and grad- 

 ually closed in until within a foot or two of its coils, when, with a 

 sudden dart forward, the bird thrust its head toward that of the 



