REPTILES AND SNAKE-STONES. 17 



serpents abound, that anyone swallowing the con- 

 tents of the poison apparatus of venomous snakes is 

 thereby preseserved from any ill effects accruing 

 from the bite of a serpent of that particular species. 

 The " cobra stone " is another romance which is 

 current in Ceylon and India. This curious story, 

 which is known throughout India, is to the effect 

 that some cobras, perhaps one in twenty, are in pos- 

 session of a precious stone which shines in the dark. 

 This stone, according to the natives, the snake is in 

 the habit of carrying about in its mouth, regarding 

 it as a treasure, and defending it with its life. At 

 night the cobra deposits the stone in- the grass and 

 watches it, as if fascinated, for hours, but woe to him 

 who then approaches, for the cobra is never more 

 dangerous than when occupied in this manner. 

 Finding that some of my Ceylon friends credited this 

 superstition, as I then regarded it (writes Professor 

 H. Hensoldt), I determined, if possible, to solve the 

 mystery. I offered five rupees to any coolie on the 

 estate who would bring me one of these cobra stones ; 

 and one evening a Tamil came in hastily, to say 

 that he would show me the snake and its stone if I 

 would follow him. Without delay I went with him 

 to a little waterfall, distant over a mile from the 

 house. Close to the water's edge stood an immense 

 tamarind tree, and within fifty yards of it the coolie 

 halted, and mysteriously pointed to the root of the 



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