102 THE RATTLESNAKE. 



below, is so mentally overbalanced that it is forced to approach the foe against its own will, 

 and is drawn nearer to those deadly fangs by the very same impulse that would urge a human 

 being to jump over the edge of a precipice or from the top of a lofty building. 



Every squirrel or every bird may not succumb to the same influence, just as every human 

 being does not yield to the insane desire of jumping from heights, and it is probable that a 

 Rattlesnake may coil itself under a tree and look all day at the squirrels sporting upon the 

 branches, or the birds flitting among the boughs, without inducing one of them to become an 

 involuntary victim. Yet it is possible that out of the many hundreds that could see the Ser- 

 pent, one would be weak-minded enough to yield to the subtle influence, and, instead of 

 running away, find itself forced to approach nearer and nearer the fearful reptile. 



Some persons acknowledge the fact that the bird approaches the Snake, and is then 

 snapped up, but explain it in a different manner. They say that the bird is engaged in mob- 

 bing or threatening the Snake, just as it might follow and buffet a hawk, an owl, or a raven, 

 and in its eagerness approaches so closely that the Snake is able to secure it by a sudden dart. 

 Such is very likely to be the case in many instances, as the little birds will often hover about a 

 poisonous Snake, and, by their fluttering wings and shrieking cries, call attention to the 

 venomous reptile. But the many descriptions of the fascinating process are too precise to 

 allow of such a supposition in the particular instances which are mentioned. 



Even common Snakes can exercise a similar power. I have seen one of these Snakes in 

 chase of a frog, and the intended victim, although a large and powerful specimen of its race, 

 fully able to escape by a succession of leaps such as it would employ if chased by a human 

 being, was only crawling slowly and painfully like a toad, its actions reminding one of those 

 horrid visions of the night, when the dreamer finds himself running or fighting for his life, 

 and cannot move faster than a walk, or strike a blow that would break a cobweb. In such 

 cases, the victim may be taken from the pursuer, but unless it is carried to a considerable dis- 

 tance, it will soon be in the jaws of the Serpent a second time. 



It is worthy of notice that in all such instances, a sudden sound will seem to break the 

 spell and snap the invisible chain that binds the victim to its destroyer. If birds are spell- 

 bound by finger or chalk line, as has already been described, a quick movement or a heavy 

 footstep will release them from their bonds, and a sudden shout will in a similar manner enable 

 a bird to break away from the Serpent into whose jaws it was on the point of falling. One of 

 my friends when in Canada saw a little bird lying on the ground, fluttering about as if dusting 

 itself, but in a rather strange manner, and on his nearer approach, a Snake glided from the 

 spot, and the bird gathered its wings together and flew away. The Snake was one of the 

 harmless kind, and being taken to the house of the person who had interrupted it in its meal, 

 served to keep the premises clear of rats and mice. The Serpent is not the only creature to 

 which this singular power is attributed, for the natives of Northern Africa assert that the lion 

 is also gifted with this influence, and can induce certain hapless men and women to leave their 

 homes and follow him into the woods. This, however, is only a popular tradition among the 

 natives, and has met with no corroboration. 



The Rattlesnake retires to its winter quarters as soon as the increasing coldness of the 

 weather gives it warning to seek a home where it can find protection against the frosts. Some- 

 times the Snake chooses a convenient hole or crevice for this purpose, but in general it prefers 

 the neighborhood of marshy ground, and harbors under the heavy masses of a certain long- 

 stemmed moss (sphagnum palustre) which grows plentifully in such situations. In such 

 localities the Rattlesnake may be found during the winter, either coiled up in masses contain- 

 ing six or seven individuals, or creeping slowly about beneath the protecting moss. Many of 

 these fearful Snakes are killed during the cold months by persons who are acquainted with 

 their habits, and surprise them in their winte'r quarters. 



The general color of the Rattlesnake is pale brown. A dark streak runs along the 

 temples from the back of the eye, and expands at the corner of the mouth into a large 

 spot. A series of irregular dark brown bands are drawn across the back, a number of round 

 spots of the same hue are scattered along the sides, upon the nape of the neck and back of 

 the head. 



