1907.] ON SERPENTS IN CAPTIVITY. 793 



certain facts regarding the psychical effect of snakes on other- 

 animals, facts partly known to those who have had an opportunity 

 of observing them, but not yet matters of common knowledge. 

 In the first place, there is no such thing as a power of fascination 

 possessed by snakes. In the vast majority of cases there is not 

 even a pretext for imagining the existence of such a power. A 

 good many animals, however, are inquisitive, and this in the case 

 of many small and feeble creatures, such as the smaller birds and 

 mammals, is associated with the power of attention. If a move- 

 ment is sudden or noisy, they may start off at once ; if it is slow, 

 silent, and stealthy, they remain motionless but intensely watchful. 

 If a snake is quick enough, it may secure its prey in that brief 

 moment of motionless watchfulness, but a human hand slowly 

 and carefully advanced has just as much power of fascination. 



The second point on which we have been able to satisfy ourselves 

 is that, except in the case of one group, animals have no specific 

 fear of serpents. The vast majority of animals, including of course 

 frogs, rats and mice, guinea-pigs, rabbits, ruminants, and birds, 

 are totally indifferent to their presence, and even when a snake 

 approaches them directly avoid it, just as they would avoid a stick 

 thrust at them. In the case of such animals, the problem involved 

 in giving them alive to snakes is no more than whether they are 

 killed more painlessly by snakes or by human beings. In their 

 recognition and fear of snakes, however, the Primates are in 

 marked contrast to all other animals. Many naturalists have 

 recorded that monkeys display an instinctive fear of snakes, and 

 we ha\'e made a number of experiments on this point, displaying 

 live and active snakes, such as the brightly coloured Corn Snake, 

 a Tree-Boa, and a small Reticulated Python, to the Monkeys in the 

 Society's Collection. "We assumed that it was unnecessary to 

 select poisonous snakes, as probably monkeys, like most savages 

 and many civilised persons, would make no distinction between 

 poisonous and harmless snakes. We wish first to record the 

 extremely interesting fact that Lemurs differ- markedly from true 

 Primates, inasmuch as they exhibit no fear of snakes whatever. 

 It was most curious to notice how, when we approached adjoining 

 cages, the one with lemurs the other with monkeys, carrying with 

 us writhing snakes, how the monkeys at once fled back shrieking, 

 whilst the lemurs crowded to the front of the cage, displaying the 

 greatest interest and not the smallest perturbation when a snake 

 was brought so close to them that its tongue almost touched their 

 faces. We got the impression that had the lemurs been given 

 the opportunity, they would at once have seized and tried to 

 devour the snake. The South American monkeys showed fear in 

 irregular and sometimes slightly marked form. Spider-monkeys 

 {Ateles) were quite as excited and alarmed as any Old World 

 monkey. Some of the larger Cebidse did not retreat, but un- 

 covered their canines and looked as if they were ready to show 

 fight. Some small specimens retreated but showed no special 



