388 Intelligence and Miscellanies. 



10. Protest against the admission of a power of fascination 

 in Snakes. 



TO PROFESSOR SILLIMAN. 



West Chester, Penn. August 4, 1827. 



Sir — I was rather surprised to observe an article, in the 

 last number of the American Journal of Science and Arts, 

 (Vol. xii. page 368,) which speaks of the supposed fascinating 

 power of snakes, as though it were an established fact. The 

 writer professes to be " convinced by ocular demonstration ;" 

 and yet, so differently do men view occurrences of a similar 

 character, — I have witnessed cases fully as much in point, and 

 I think even stronger than the one there related, which " con- 

 vinced" me, that the notion of a fascinating power, in those 

 animals is an utter fallacy, and delusion. I had supposed, 

 indeed, that the doctrine, (so far as intelligent, cautious ob- 

 servers of the phenomena of natural history were concerned,) 

 had long since descended to the ".tomb of the Capulets," 

 together with the kindred belief, that certain aged and ill-fa- 

 vored females, of our own species, were also endowed with 

 the power of incantation. At all events, I think those who 

 undertake, at this time of day, to demonstrate the existence 

 of such a power, in serpents, ought at least to furnish cases 

 in which the process was consummated; and not content 

 themselves, as they almost invariably do, with relating in- 

 stances in which the operation was interrupted by some ac- 

 cident, or interference. Such evidence I consider very in- 

 adequate to the establishment of so extraordinary a process 

 as that which is understood by fascination. 



In the numerous cases which I have heard related, 

 something always occurred to break the charm; and the 

 excited feelings of the observer enabled him to imagine the 

 catastrophe that was about to happen ! Testimony of this de- 

 scription can never satisfy a mind that is not strongly pre- 

 disposed to an implicit faith in the marvellous. 



What is there in the eyes of a snake, more than in those of 

 a cat, by which birds may be fascinated ? Birds will flutter 

 and hover round both these relentless enemies, at certain sea- 

 sons and do often fall victims to the wiles and dexterity of 

 both : but to assert that there is a magic influence by which 

 they are attracted into the jaws of a known enemy, is an at- 

 tempt to tax our credulity rather too severely, for the present 

 condition of science. The artifices of birds, to decoy unwel- 



