148 THE BOOK OF A NATURALIST 



so slowly and continuously as almost to appear not 

 to be moving ; still, in most cases the movement 

 probably would be detected but for the tongue, 

 which attracts the eye by its eccentric motions, its 

 sudden successive appearances and disappearances ; 

 watching the tongue, the long, sinuous body slowly 

 gliding over the intervening space would not be 

 observed ; only the statuesque raised head and 

 neck would be visible, and these would appear not 

 to move. The snake's action in such a case would 

 resemble the photographer's trick to make a restive 

 child sit still while its picture is being taken by 

 directing its attention to some curious object, or 

 by causing a pocket-handkerchief to flutter above 

 the camera. 



Snakes have been observed to steal upon their 

 victims in this quiet, subtle manner ; the victim, 

 bird or lizard, has been observed to continue 

 motionless in a watchful attitude, as if ready to 

 dart away, but still attentively regarding the 

 gradually approaching head and flickering tongue ; 

 and in the end, by a sudden, quick-darting motion 

 on the part of the snake, the capture has been 

 effected. Cases of this description are usually set 

 down to " fascination," which I think is a mistake. 



Fascination is a fine old word, which has done 

 good service and has had a long day and happily 

 outlived its evil repute : but it had its faults at 

 the best of times ; it originally expressed things 

 purely human, and therefore did not exactly fit 

 things serpentine, and was, to some extent, mis- 



