Fascination

Fascination, the paralysing influence said to be exerted by some serpents over their prey. The evidence in support of this infasces. fluence is very slight; if it does exist, it probably arises from inherited fear on the part of the victims. The behaviour of snakes in captivity towards their prey lends no support to the theory of fascination. Dr. Martin Duncan says, "The affection of birds for their young which causes them to flit about the nest and be destroyed with their little ones is usually but erroneously taken for fascination on the part of the snake. In fact, an analysis of any given instance of fascination shows it to be supposititious."