THE ICHNEUMON 
venomous serpent, and to hint that such a thing is open 
to a doubt would be an attempt to dispel, in too summary 
a manner, the long-cherished belief in such an accomplish- 
ment on the part of the ichneumon. The writer, how- 
ever, as a Practical Naturalist, accepts such, and all 
similar, statements with caution. Having had the oppor- 
tunity of submitting to frequent experiments several of 
these animals, I have arrived at the ojDposite conclusion, 
and am perfectly satisfied that the assertion that those 
animals have a knowledge of certain plants, capable of 
curing the bite, is entirely a fable, and is without the 
slightest foundation. A perfectly harmless snake of 
considerable size has been held in the hand, and the 
ichneumon driven into a corner of the room ; upon 
holding the snake with its head directed towards the 
ichneumon, the latter animal exhibited all the signs of 
the greatest fear and alarm, and rushed from the spot ; 
but no sooner was the snake allowed to crawl or glide 
away on the ground, than the ichneumon darted upon it 
and killed it without difficulty. When an ichneumon 
finds a snake, poisonous or otherwise, it endeavours to 
steal suddenly upon it, and, by seizing the snake by the 
back of the neck, to crush the first few vertebra with his 
sharp and powerful teeth, its bite being most determined 
and vicious. The spine of the serpent being thus injured, 
the creature is rendered powerless ; should the ichneumon 
in its first attempt fail, it will, with great caution, renew 
the attack, and in order to avoid being bitten will invari- 
ably try to rush upon the snake from behind. In such 
encounters the ichneumon does not always escape un- 
scathed, and, although wounded, is not necessarily 
poisoned ; however, should the beast be inoculated with 
poison, it succumbs to its effects. The animal that is 
unable to distinguisli a perfectly harmless snake from a 
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