SNAKE CHARMERS. 247 



facing him, for the snake is well aware that he is at a serious 

 disadvantage if taken in the rear. If you start walking round a 

 Cobra you will find he will face you all the time. He carefully 

 turns his body to time with your degree of speed. By walking 

 round and round a Cobra for some time, he can be completely 

 exhausted. 



I have, many times, succeeded in doing with Cape Cobras 

 what the Indian snake charmers do with their Cobras, but the 

 snakes were by no means charmed or hypnotized, for the simple 

 reason, as already stated, that it is a natural habit of the Cobra 

 to follow any sudden or rhythmic movements of the hands, head, 

 or body. The snake charmers usually render the snakes they 

 handle harmless by removing their fangs, either by snipping them 

 off or dissecting out the anterior maxillary bone to which they 

 are attached. This latter operation prevents any subsequent 

 development of fangs. Sometimes the glands are destroyed with 

 a white-hot wire or the connecting duct burned and the fangs 

 left intact. The snakes do not survive this drastic and cruel 

 treatment for long. 



I have examined the collections of snakes of a considerable 

 number of snake charmers, and found that most, and sometimes 

 all the snakes belonged to the harmless species. 



The snake charmers always positively refused to allow me to 

 examine the mouths of the reptiles, hypocritically pretending that 

 I would be bitten and die. 



However, the fangs are not always removed. It is a fact that 

 the more daring and fatalistic snake charmers freely handle the 

 deadly Indian Cobra. These men are, from long observation, 

 thoroughly acquainted with the natural movements of this snake, 

 and are exceedingly dexterous in the use of their hands, for they 

 all practise the conjuring art, which mainly takes the form of 

 deceiving the eye by the rapid movements of the hands. 



Although apparently careless in handling these deadly 

 serpents, the snake charmers are, nevertheless, keenly on the 

 alert, knowing full well that a bite will probably result in death. 

 Many cases are on record of snake charmers having lost their 

 lives by being bitten by the snakes they professed to charm. 



These men profess to charm snakes from houses and other 

 retreats. What they really do is to conceal one or more snakes 

 about their persons, the fangs of which, of course, they have 



