ASCRIBED TO THE RATTLE-SNAKE, &c. «5 



curious to look to the fources of Ins credulity. Tlie ftudy 

 of nature, as it refpedts this globe, is, perhaps, of all 

 the fciences, the moft unfavourable to fuperftition, or 

 credulity. But the greateil of naturalifts was one of the 

 moft credulous of philofophers. 



It is proper, however, to obferve, in this place, that 

 Linnaeus by no means afferts, that he himfelf had ever 

 been a witncfs to the fafcinating power of any of the 

 ferpent-tribe. He feems to have received the tale from 

 fome of his mnny pupils, whom he animated with the 

 love of natural hiftory. It is probable that Kalm, whom. 

 Linnasus quotes upon various occafions, and whom he 

 could not but efteem, principally contributed to fix his 

 illuftrious mafter's credulity in this refpedl : for, in dif- 

 ferent parts of his Travels, this induftrious author has 

 given his decided aflent to the tale ; and he informs us, 

 that he has treated of the fame fubjedt, more fully, in a 

 treatife which is printed in the Memoirs of the Royal 

 S'-^ed'/Jh Academy of Sciences^ for the year 1 753*. 



Kalm is candid enough to tell us, that he never faw 

 an inflance of the fafcinating power of the ferpent-kind. 

 " However," lays he, " 1 have a lift of more than 

 twenty perfons, among which are fome of the moft cre- 

 ditable people, who have all unanimoufly, though living 

 far diftant from each other, aflerted the fame thing -f-." 

 He then goes on to tell us a long ftory, fimilar to that 

 which I have related, in the beginning of this memoir, 

 and which, therefore, it is not neceflary to repeat, in 

 this place. 



Our author is not content to make mere mention of 

 the fad: : he vmdertakes to fpeculate upon it. And here, 

 although a talent for ingenious reafoning is, certainly, 



* Travels into North-America, 8cc. vol. i. p. 318 oc 319. 

 t Ibid. vol. ii. p. 207 & 208. 



M not 



