SNAKE-CHARMERS 233 
a sort of somnolent condition. Its eyes, which at first watched 
the juggler as though in order to take him by surprise, are, to 
a certain extent, fixed and fascinated by the latter’s gaze. The 
Hindu takes advantage of this moment of stupefaction on the 
part of the snake by approaching it slowly without ceasing to 
play, and touches the head of the Cobra, first with his nose and 
then with his tongue. Although this takes but an instant the 
reptile starts out of its sleep, and the juggler has barely time to 
throw himself backwards so as not to be struck by the snake, 
which makes a furious dart at him. 
‘We doubt whether the Cobra still has it fangs, and whether 
the Hindu incurs any real danger in approaching 1t. Accordingly 
we promise our man a Spanish piastre if he will make the snake 
bite a couple of fowls. A black hen, which struggles violently, 
is taken and offered to the Cobra, which half rises, looks at the 
bird, bites it, and lets it go. The fowl is released and runs off 
terrified. Six minutes later, by the watch, it vomits, stretches out 
its legs, and dies. A second fowl is placed in front of the snake, 
which bites it twice, and the bird dies in eight minutes.” ! 
Certain jugglers exhibit snakes from which they have taken 
care to extract the fangs; they offer the animal a piece of cloth 
or soft stuff into which it drives its poison-teeth, and the fabric 1s 
then quickly snatched away in order by this means to break off 
the poison-fangs that have penetrated it. This operation 1s repeated 
at certain intervals with a view to preventing the reserve fangs 
from coming into use, and the reptiles can then be handled 
without any danger. 
It is unquestionable, however, and I have personally satisfied 
myself of the fact, that many genuine snake-charmers go through 
their performances with Cobras whose poison-apparatus is absolutely 
intact. That they almost always avoid being bitten is due to a 
perfect knowledge of the habits and movements of these reptiles. 
1 Brehm’s “ Thierleben”’’; French edition, ‘ Les Reptiles,” p. 480. 
