Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 313 



cupied by the ligneous parts of the trees were, by infiltration, tilled 

 up with siliceous particles and iron, with some partial attempts at 

 carbonization. Had there been a large pile of trees in a body, they 

 would probably have formed stone coal, as is the case in the sand 

 rock a few miles above ; but this is only conjecture. There is abed 

 of stone coal in the same hill, not far from the trees. Native alum 

 and copperas are also found in this vicinity. — Sillimans Journal, 

 June 1827. 



ON THE FASCINATION OF SNAKES; BY MR. NASH. 



I have often heard stories about the power that snakes have to 

 charm birds and animals, which, to say the least, I always treated 

 with the coldness of scepticism, nor could I believe them until con- 

 vinced by ocular demonstration. A case occurred in Williams- 

 burgh, (Mass.) one mile south of the house of public worship, by the 

 way side, in July last. As I was walking in the road at noon-day, 

 my attention was drawn to the fence by the fluttering and hopping 

 of a robin red-breast, and of a cat-bird, which upon my approach 

 flew up, and perched on a sapling two or three rods distant ; at this 

 instant a large black snake reared his head from the gi'ound near 

 the fence. 1 immediately stepped back a little, and sat down upon 

 an eminence ; the snake in a few moments slunk again to the earth, 

 with a calm placid appearance, and the birds soon after returned 

 and lighted upon the ground near the snake : first stretching their 

 wings upon the ground, and spreading their tails, they commenced 

 fluttering around the snake, drawing nearer at almost every step, 

 until they stepped near or across the snake, which would often move a 

 little or throw himself into a different posture, apparently to seize his 

 prey, which movements, 1 noticed, seemed to frighten the birds, and 

 they would veer off a iew feet, but return again as soon as the snake 

 was motionless. All that was wanting for the snake to secure the 

 victims seemed to be, that the birds should pass near his head, which 

 they would probably have soon done, but at this moment a waggon 

 drove up and stopped. This frightened the snake, and it crawled 

 across the fence into the grass; notwithstanding, the birds flew 

 over the fence into the grass also, and appeared to be bewitched to 

 flutter around their charmer, and it was not until an attempt was 

 made to kill the snake that the birds would avail themselves of their 

 wings and fly to a forest one hundred rods distant. 



The movements of the birds while around the snake seemed to 

 be voluntary, and without the least constraint ; nor did they utter 

 any distressing cries, or appear enraged, as I often have seen them 

 when squirrels, hawks, and mischievous boys attempted to rob their 

 nests or to catch their young ones ; but they seemed to be drawn 

 by some allurement or enticement, (and not by any constraining or 

 provoking power ; ) indeed, 1 thoroughly searched all the fences and 

 trees in the vicinity to find some nest or young birds, but could find 

 none. 



What this fascinating power is, whether it be the look, or efflu- 

 vium, or the singing by the vibrations of the tail of the snake, or 



iVrtt! i'mVi. Vol. 2. No. 10. Oc/. 1827. 2S any 



