136 



TYPES OF ANIMAL LIFE 



much behind its usual place. We have as yet no inform- 

 ation as to what may be the special utility to the animal 

 of such an extraordinary supply of venom. 



No snakes, not even the rattlesnakes, are more 



FIG. 35. 



THE INDIAN COBRA. 



dreaded, and with reason, than are the cobras, also 

 called " hooded " or " spectacled " snakes. As the 

 rattlesnake warns the ear by its significant rattle, so the 

 cobra warns the eye by the mode in which it expands 

 the hood when irritated. The " hood " is a lateral 



