96 THE OLD STORY OF "FASCINATION." 



bled basilisk — older, indeed, for to it, no donbt (as I have mentioned in a 

 previous chapter), the very image of the basilisk owes its origin. Travel- 

 ling westward, it came to America with the earliest book-makers, and was 

 at once attached to our subject and to the blacksnake. "Birds have been 

 seen to drop into its Mouth," wrote Pennant ; " Squirrels descend from 

 their trees and Leverets run into its jaws. Terror and amazement seem 

 to lay hold on these little animals," etc., etc. "All agree," says old Cates- 

 by, of South Carolina, who confesses he never witnessed the phenomenon 

 of fascination for himself — " all agree in the manner of the Process, which 

 is that the Animals, particularly Birds and Squirrels, no sooner spy the 

 Snake than they skip from Spray to Spray, hovering and approaching 

 gradually nearer the Enemy, regardless of any other Danger, but with dis- 

 tracted Gestures and Outcries descend, tho' from the top of the loftiest 

 Trees, to the Mouth of the Snake, who openeth his Jaws, takes them in, 

 and instantly swallows them." . 



Nowadays no well informed person accepts this tale as containing 

 more than the merest grain of fact. It is true that the rattlesnake does 

 lie for hours at the foot of a tree or in other convenient situations, silent 

 and watchful. If he is seen there by any of the small denizens of the 

 woodland it is doubtful if he is recognized at, once as an enemy. I have 

 never been a M-itness, nor do I recall a record of a commotion in the 

 woods arising from his presence such as follows the discovery of a hawk 

 or owl. When Dr. Kunze excited his captive snake into a perfect frenzy 

 of rattling and alertness, then brought his pet squirrel close to the glass 

 front, neither of the animals paid the least attention, the squirrel showing 

 no concern whatever at the proximity and noise of the crotalus. This is 

 .by no means an isolated instance of its kind. 



In the. case of tree-climbing, bush-prowling snakes, which are arrant 

 nest -robbers, the discovery by birds of their young in the marauder's 

 grasp would lead to frantic efforts to drive the intruder away and secure 

 the release of the fledgling. In attempting this with the rattlesnake they 

 would flutter about his head, and probably get struck down as the reward 

 of their noble exposure. This situation accounts for many supposed in- 

 stances of "fascination." 



Cases of another class have often been attributed to an "amazement 

 and terror" at being suddenly brought face to face with a strong and re- 

 lentless enemy, that amounts to paralysis and leads to such behavior as 

 Catesby has outlined. . But from all that we can learn of the reptile in 

 captivity, and from negative evidence out-of-doors, no snch recognition 

 of the snake as a foe occurs. This fact, by taking away any cause of 



