THE SERPENT'S TONGUE 147 



hawk, or any other creature whose enmity is well 

 known to them. I have frequently seen little birds 

 running about and feeding on the ground within a 

 few feet of a snake lying conspicuously in their sight ; 

 furthermore, I have been convinced on such occasions 

 that the birds knew the snake was there, having 

 observed them raise their heads at intervals, regard 

 the reptile for a few moments attentively, then go 

 on seeking food. This shows that birds do some- 

 times come near snakes and see them with little or 

 no fear, but probably with some slight suspicion 

 and a great deal of curiosity, on account of the 

 singularity of their appearance, their resemblance 

 to vegetable rather than to animal forms of life, 

 and, above all, to their strange manner of pro- 

 gression. Now the bird, or lizard, or small mammal, 

 thus brought by chance near to a hungry, watchful 

 snake, once it begins to regard the snake curiously, 

 is in imminent danger of destruction in one of two 

 ways, or by a combination of both: in the first 

 case it may be deluded as to the distance of the 

 suspicious-looking object and in the end seized, 

 just as the fly is seized by the salticus spider, 

 before it can make its escape; secondly, it may, 

 while regarding its singular enemy, be thrown 

 into a trance or convulsive fit and so rendered 

 powerless to escape, or it may even be moved to 

 cast itself into the open jaws of the snake. In 

 either case, the serpent's tongue would, I believe, 

 play a very important part. In a case of the first 

 kind the snake would approach its intended victim 



