SNAKE CHARMERS. 247 
facing him, for the snake is well aware that he is at a serious 
disadvantage if taken in the rear. If you start walking round a 
Cobra you will find he will face you all the time. He carefully 
turns his body to time with your degree of speed. By walking 
round and round a Cobra for some time, he can be completely 
exhausted. 
I have, many times, succeeded in doing with Cape Cobras 
what the Indian snake charmers do with their Cobras, but the 
snakes were by no means charmed or hypnotized, for the simple 
reason, as already stated, that it is a natural habit of the Cobra 
to follow any sudden or rhythmic movements of the hands, head, 
or body. The snake charmers usually render the snakes they 
handle harmless by removing their fangs, by either snipping them 
off or dissecting out the anterior maxillary bone to which they 
are attached. This latter operation prevents any subsequent 
development of fangs. 
I have examined the collections of snakes of a considerable 
number of snake charmers, and found that most, and sometimes 
all the snakes belonged to the harmless species. 
The snake charmers always positively refused to allow me to 
examine the mouths of the reptiles, hypocritically pretending that 
I would be bitten and die. 
However, the fangs are not always removed. It is a fact that 
the more daring and fatalistic snake charmers freely handle the 
deadly Indian Cobra. These men are, from long observation, 
thoroughly acquainted with the natural movements of this snake, 
and are exceedingly dexterous in the use of their hands, for they 
all practise the conjuring art, which mainly takes the form of 
deceiving the eye by the rapid movements of the hands. 
Although apparently careless in handling these deadly 
serpents, the snake charmers are, nevertheless, keenly on the 
alert, knowing full well that a bite will probably result in death. 
Many cases are on record of snake charmers having lost their 
lives by being bitten by the snakes they professed to charm. 
These men profess to charm snakes from houses and other 
retreats. What they really do is to conceal one or more snakes 
about their persons, the fangs of which, of course, they have care- 
fully removed previously. Sleight-of-hand work being their pro- 
fession, they invariably find it an easy matter to withdraw one of 
the concealed snakes and surreptitiously place it in the spot 
