502 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



of the box, but too small to allow the escape of even a mouse. Birds, 

 when put into the box, in the division including- the rattlesnake, would 

 often hop around and over it for hours unmolested; but, at leng-th, when in 

 a favorable position, the snake would strike the fatal blow, and death ensue 

 in a few minutes. One instance only need be noticed; a l>alf grown bird, 

 when struck, at once commenced screaming' with wings outstretched,, and, 

 turning'. round once or twice, seemed to droop aud^icken rapidly. In three 

 or four minutes from the moment it was bitten, it fell forward toward the 

 mouth of the rattlesnake and expired. Tlie movements of this bird were 

 in accordance with such actions as have been observed in cases where fas- 

 cination alone was supposed to be employed. In this case the charm was 

 a fatal one, truly, being nothing- less than the poison of the serpent cours- 

 ing through its veins. 



The birds placed in the box were not swallowed by the rattlesnake seem- 

 ingly, as afterwards appeared, because it would not encumber its jaws so 

 as to be unprepared for defence while the human eye rested upon it. In 

 experimenting on the non-venomous species, it was found that they also 

 would not take their food when any person was present; but that when 

 alone and secure they would eat ravenously; one of them, the common bull 

 snake, having eaten nine young birds in a few hours. Profiting- by this 

 discovery, a rat, two-thirds grown, was thrown to the rattlesnake, when it 

 immediately struck it twice. The victim soon exhibited signs of dying, 

 and the box was closed and locked. Upon examination, fifteen minutes, 

 afterward, the rat had been swallowed and the serpent's thickness propor- 

 tionably increased. 



By this experiment and others similar, it was ascertained that the rattle- 

 snake does eat food which has been poisoned by its own venom; and that 

 it is probable that it always captures its victims by striking them, as, un- 

 conscious of danger, they pass its place of concealment; the poison of its 

 fangs being a much more efiScient agency than the fascination of its eyes. 



It may be remarked, in explanation, that although the poison of serpents 

 infused into the veins and arteries, is always fatal to the smaller animals, 

 yet it may be received into the stomach without injury, as it is easily 

 digested and exerts no prejudicial influence upon the system. In the 

 smaller animals killed by the bite of the snake, no inflammation, no swell- 

 ing of the body, takes place as in the case of the larger animals, for the 

 reason that the extinction of life occurs too soon to allow of any such effects. 



If, then, the veriomous serpents eat the food killed by their own poison, 

 and ti\ii non-venomous species can climb almost everywhere that birds 

 build their nests, where is the necessity of any of these reptiles being 

 endowed with the powers of fascination ? They possess the means of 

 attack and defence, independent of the power of charming, in a degree fully 

 equal to the necessities of their existence, and, in this respect, are not 

 behind any other order in the animal kingdom. Why, then, should they 

 be given such an advantage, as fascination would confer, over the other 

 orders of the irrational creatur<?s ? 



