STUPEFACTION THROUGH FRIGHT. 



29 





mere presence of the terrible danger might be so attractive to the 

 that it would venture too near, and so fall a prey to its recklessness, 

 of danger for its own sake is certainly a character- 

 istic of many men, and some do not seem able to 

 resist encountering the greatest risk, and doing 

 themselves positive harm, for no reason except 

 that they have a good opportunity. Many per- 

 sons commit suicide, doubtless, under the same 

 strange longing to throw one's self off some pre- 

 cipice, or into deep water, which most of us have 

 felt when standing on the top of a big building, 

 or close to swift and turbulent rapids, like those 

 at Niagara. 



It may be that the fearful peril — and there 

 is no danger a bird can better appre- 



bird 

 Love 



c i a te — stupefies and turns the heads of the 



birds until, often, they commit suicide. But 



this is not caused by any " fascination " from 



the eyes of the snake; for when a heronry 



catches fire, or a house is burning upon which 



storks have built their nests, the poor owners 



will fly round and round in the smoke and flame, as though they found 



it impossible to leave the spot, until they fall dead ; and sometimes when 



