THE SNAKES 299 



trying to escape in an erratic, uncertain fashion, never 

 succeeding in finding the hiding place, though often 

 passing in close proximity to it. 



Following are the measurements of an adult Egyptian 

 Cobra : — 



Total length 5 feet. 



Length of tail 9 inches. 



Greatest diameter iy s inches. 



Width of head 1 % inches. 



Length of head 1% inches. 



* 



The present species is common in countries bordering 

 the Sahara Desert and in Arabia. 



Apparently the most deadly of the Old World poison- 

 ous serpents is the King Cobra or Hamadryas, N. bun- 

 garus, attaining the great length, for a poisonous snake, 

 of twelve feet. It is a slender, graceful serpent with a 

 narrow head that looks anything but poisonous. An ex- 

 ample of large size, when coiled, shows so little bulk it 

 might be mistaken for a serpent of but seven or eight 

 feet long. The coloration is pale olive, crossed by 

 darker olive bands. Toward the latter part of the body 

 there is considerable black, the scales of the tail usually 

 showing little of the pale hue except a spot in the center 

 of each. Looked at from directly above, the King 

 Cobra appears to be ringed. When angered, there is 

 a marked flattening of the neck and the serpent rears 

 the head and neck from the ground — but only to a slight 

 extent, as compared with the position assumed by the 

 former species. When the hood is spread, and not to 

 the width of a man's hand even with a large specimen, 

 the pattern evinces vivid transverse bands, while the skin 

 bordering the scales is white, thus intensifying the mark- 

 ings. 



Of all species of snakes observed by the writer, the 



