202 CHILDHOOD OF ANIMALS 



and we are quite wrong if we suppose that all animals or most 

 animals possess it. 



Whilst I was making these observations, I was anxiously on the 

 watch for any signs of the fascination which so many persons say 

 is exercised by snakes on other animals, especially on birds. I 

 have now seen a very large number of birds and small animals in* 

 the presence of snakes, both under natural conditions and in cap- 

 tivity, but I have never seen any trace of what is described so often* 

 and so graphically, of a bird or little mammal being fixed by the' 

 beady glittering eye of its enemy, and then inevitably, drawn by 

 some invisible force, slipping down the branch or along the ground 

 until it falls into the jaws of the reptile. What I have seen again 

 and again is a display of the power of attention. A sudden move- 

 ment may frighten away a bird or mammal at once, but if any object 

 the tip of an umbrella, the human hand, or the head of a snake 

 be pushed forwards very slowly and quietly, the bird or mammal 

 turns round, fixes its attention on the moving spot, and if no sudden 

 noise or jerk be made, the umbrella or the hand may reach the 

 creature, or the snake come at striking distance of its victim. But 

 I have never seen any sign of the victim being, so to say, magnetised 

 or itself approaching the snake, and at any moment too great 

 eagerness on the part of the snake, or any sudden noise makes the 

 prey move off. 



So far as I know, none of the toads, frogs, or newts helps to feed 

 the young. When the tadpoles get into water, they have to forage* 

 for themselves, and they are greedy, omnivorous creatures, hunting! 

 everywhere and not disdaining flesh, fish, or vegetable. They 

 have not the strength to attack large living creatures, but with 

 then: horny jaws they are able to rasp and gnaw decaying animal 

 matter or the tissues of plants. When the tadpoles of frogs change 

 into little frogs, the digestive tract also changes. The intestinal 

 canal of the tadpole is very long in proportion to the size of the 

 creature, and is twisted up into a spiral, whilst the adult, which 

 is purely carnivorous or insectivorous, has a much shorter and 

 straighter digestive tube. Tadpoles seem to find their food much 

 more by smell than by sight. If they are accustomed to be fed on 

 shredded meat, they will pay no attention to it, if it be sealed in 

 a thin and transparent tube before being thrown into the water ; 

 but if a drop of meat juice be squeezed into the water in which they* 

 are swimming, the tadpoles at once become excited, and hunt in 

 every direction for the appetising substance. Frogs and toads, 



