158 THE BOOK OF A NATURALIST 



This power of continuing motionless, with the 

 lifted head projecting forwards, for an indefinite 

 time, is one of the most wonderful of the serpent's 

 muscular feats, and is of the highest importance 

 to the animal both when fascinating its victim and 

 when mimicking some inanimate object, as, for 

 instance, the stem and bud of an aquatic plant ; 

 here it is only referred to on account of the effect 

 it produces on the human mind, as enhancing the 

 serpent's strangeness. In this attitude, with the 

 round, unwinking eyes fixed on the beholder's face, 

 the effect may be very curious and uncanny. 

 Ernest Glanville, a South African writer, thus 

 describes his own experience. When a boy he 

 frequently went out into the bush in quest of 

 game, and on one of these solitary excursions he 

 sat down to rest in the shade of a willow on the 

 bank of a shallow stream ; sitting there, with 

 cheek resting on his hand, he fell into a boyish 

 reverie. After some time he became aware in a 

 vague way that on the white sandy bottom of the 

 stream there was stretched a long black line which 

 had not been there at first. He continued for some 

 time regarding it without recognising what it was ; 

 but all at once, with an inward shock, became fully 

 conscious that he was looking at a large snake. 



Presently, without apparent motion, so softly and 

 silently was it done, the snake reared its head above the 

 surface and held it there, erect and still, with gleaming 

 eyes fixed on me in question of what I was. It flashed 

 upon me then that it would be a good opportunity to test 

 the power of the human eye on a snake, and I set myself 



