87 



swallows oxen alive and entire." The *' Paubera " 

 was apparently a disciple of Isaac Walton. As a 

 matter of fact, the snake referred to was probably 

 a Python, and natives of the East still believe that 

 it uses its tail as an aggressive organ. 



Mention is made also of a thirty-foot snake in 

 Brazil, presumably the Giant Anaconda. 



There is a common belief among the Sinhalese 

 and Tamils that the Rat-snake (Zamenis Mucosus) 

 is a very low caste snake, and when once a man 

 has been bitten by it no other snake will bite him. 

 They also believe that the Russell's viper is the 

 young of the python. 



An interesting account of the poisonous snakes An account 

 of Ceylon is to be found in Ribeiro's '^ Ceilao," ^^^i^^ero?'" 

 written in the year 1685, which interesting history " ceiiao.' 

 has recently been translated into English by 

 Mr. P. E. Pieris. Ribiero's account is as follows : 



" There are also four kinds of venomous snakes ; 

 one is always found m warni^ marshy places^ and is 

 about two palms in length, of a brown colour, with a 

 wide belly " (probably Russell's viper ?). " When they 

 bite anyone the patient cannot shake off a fearful and 

 deep slumber, in which he dies in the course of six hours 

 unless relieved by remedies. There is another kind, the 

 bite of which renders the patient mad, but it is possible 

 to save him if assistance is given withtn twenty-fotir 

 hours. There is a third kind, wliich is still more 

 terrible; whenever they bite a man the poor patient's 

 blood pours out from all the openings in his body, and 

 when he reaches this condition he is beyond remedy. 

 There are others, again, which are called the Cobra de 

 Capello; although these are very poisonous, no Chingala 

 will kill them, or consent to their being killed if he can 

 help it. They assert that these are the queens of the 

 others, and that they do not bite anyone unless they are 

 offended ; and also that if any man kill one its mother, 

 father or sister would take vengeance for the death, and 



