THE SERPENT’S TONGUE 147 
hawk, or any other creature whose enmity is well 
known to them. I have frequently seen little birds 
running about and feeding on the ground within a 
few feet of a snake lying conspicuously in their sight; 
furthermore, I have been convinced on such occasions 
that the birds knew the snake was there, having 
observed them raise their heads at intervals, regard 
the reptile for a few moments attentively, then go 
on seeking food. This shows that birds do some- 
times come near snakes and see them with little or 
no fear, but probably with some slight suspicion 
- and a great deal of curiosity, on account of the 
singularity of their appearance, their resemblance 
to vegetable rather than to animal forms of life, 
and, above all, to their strange manner of pro- 
gression. Now the bird, or lizard, or small mammal, 
thus brought by chance near to a hungry, watchful 
snake, once it begins to regard the snake curiously, 
is in imminent danger of destruction in one of two 
ways, or by a combination of both: in the first 
case it may be deluded as to the distance of the 
suspicious-looking object and in the end _ seized, 
just as the fly is seized by the salticus spider, 
before it can make its escape; secondly, it may, 
while regarding its singular enemy, be thrown 
into a trance or convulsive fit and so rendered 
powerless to escape, or it may even be moved to 
cast itself into the open jaws of the snake. In 
either case, the serpent’s tongue would, I believe, 
play a very important part. In a case of the first 
kind the snake would approach its intended victim 
