coldness of scepticism, nor could I believe them until convinced by
ocular demonstration. A case occurred in Williamsburgh, Massachussets,
one mile south of the house of public worship, by the way-side, in July
last. As I was walking in the road at noon-day, my attention was drawn
to the fence by the fluttering and hopping of a robin red-breast, and a
cat-bird, which, upon my approach, flew up, and perched on a sapling two
or three rods distant; at this instant a large black snake reared his
head from the ground near the fence. I immediately stepped back a
little, and sat down upon an eminence; the snake in a few moments slunk
again to the earth, with a calm, placid appearance; and the birds soon
after returned, and lighted upon the ground near the snake, first
stretching their wings upon the ground, and spreading their tails, they
commenced fluttering round the snake, drawing nearer at almost every
step, until they stepped near or across the snake, which would often
move a little, or throw himself into a different posture, apparently to
seize his prey; which movements, I noticed, seemed to frighten the
birds, and they would veer off a few feet, but return again as soon as
the snake was motionless. All that was wanting for the snake to secure
the victims seemed to be, that the birds should pass near his head,
which they would probably have soon done, but at this moment a wagon
drove up and stopped. This frightened the snake, and it crawled across
the fence into the grass: notwithstanding, the birds flew over the fence
into the grass also, and appeared to be bewitched, to flutter around
their charmer, and it was not until an attempt was made to kill the
snake that the birds would avail themselves of their wings, and fly into
a forest one hundred rods distant. The movements of the birds while
around the snake seemed to be voluntary, and without the least
constraint; nor did they utter any distressing cries, or appear enraged,
as I have often seen them when squirrels, hawks, and mischievous boys
attempted to rob their nests, or catch their young ones; but they seemed