94 Of the FASCINATING FACTLTY 



this vapour was diflipatcd, or greatly diluted, in paffing 

 through the air. 



A mephitick, or fetid, vapour emanates from the 

 bodies of many animals, befides the rattle-fnake ; from 

 the opoflum *, and the pole-cat -j-, for infiance. The 

 vapour of thefe quadrupeds would be as likely to affett 

 birds, &c. with afphyxy, as that of the rattle-lnake. 

 And poffibly it does. There is, certainly, one thing in 

 favour of the fuppoiition. The opoffum, in particular, 

 is noted for his cunning in catching birds. 



I fhall conclude this part of my memoir by obferving, 

 that the odour of the rattle-fnake is laid to be agreeable to 

 fome perfons. 



Mr, de la Cepede's fecond mode of explanation is 

 much more plaufible. I have already obferved ;};, that 

 it was the fyftem of Sir Hans Sloane, who afFe(3:ed 

 to ground it upon experiments. It is adopted by 

 the author of the well-written account of de la Cepe- 

 de's Natural Hi/hry of Serpents, in the Monthly Re- 

 view §. 



Mr. de la Cepede prefumes that, " for the moft part, 

 when a bird, a fquirrel, &c. has been feen precipitating 

 itfelf from the top of a tree, into the jaws of a rattle- 

 fnake, it had been already bitten;' and that its whole 

 condudl, flich as its crying, its agitation, its leaping 

 from branch to branch, &c. are all efFe£ls induced by 

 the violent operation of the poifon, thrown into its body, 

 by the reptile. 



An attention to fads conftrains me to reject this at- 

 tempt towards a folution of the queflion, which I am 



* Didelphis Opoffum. f Viverra Putorius. 



1 See pages 30 & 31, note. 



J Appendix to the fecond volume of the Monthly Review Enlarged, 

 p. 5 1 ! . 



confidering^ 



