A large rattlesnake with the head of fox, its tail coiled round an oak tree with rattle erect, rears itself towards a plump squirrel with the head of the duke of bedford, which is springing from the tree into fox's open mouth. Fox fixes his protruding eyeballs upon the squirrel, a fang issues from his mouth. There is a landscape background. Below the title: 'the rattle snake is a creature of the greatest subtilty; when it is desirous of preying upon any animal which is in a situation above itself, it fixes its eye upon the unsuspecting object, & by the noise of its rattle, fascinates & confounds the unfortunate victim, till loosing all sense & discernment, it falls a prey into the mouth of the horrid monster. Pliny's nat. Histy, vol 365 -' 16 november 1795
hand-coloured etching. Date: 1795. Dimensions: Height: 349 mm; Width: 246 mm. Medium: paper. Depicted People: Charles James Fox. Collection: British Museum. The Republican rattle-snake fascinating the Bedford-Squirrel. (BM 1868,0822.7139)
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