If you wish to hypnotise animals….

Quite a lot is known about hypnotising human beings. But here are some gems picked up about hypnotising animals:

1. That animals are particularly easy to hypnotise was a fact recorded by Daniel Shwenter in 1636 [yes, 1636, no typo here] .
2. He noted that if a small piece of bent wood is fastened on a hen’s beak then it goes into a trance.
3. If a hen’s beak is held against the ground and a chalk line is drawn away from the beak it lies immobilised.
4. Tuck the hen’s head under its wing and give it a few gentle swings through the air; it will then lie still. [French peasants reportedly still use this method while buying live hens].
5. Frogs can be hypnotised by turning them on their backs and lightly tapping the stomach with the finger.
6. Crabs can be hypnotised by gently stroking the shell from head to tail, and unhypnotised by reversing the motion.
7. Africans hypnotise wild elephants. It is chained to a tree where it thrashes about savagely. Natives wave leafy boughs to and fro in front of it and chant monotonously. Eventually its eyes blink, close and it becomes docile.
8. A snake’s gaze transfixes its victims like toads, frogs, rabbits.
9. Take a look at this link
10. And how will you hypnotise a lobster! [Clue: make it stand on its head!]

How do you hypnotise others and your victims? And how do you get hypnotised?

Vivek