BOAS. 177 



sliding door being opened, one of the goats was 

 thrust in, and the door of the cage shut. The 

 poor goat, as if instantly aware of all the horrors 

 of its perilous situation, immediately began to 

 utter the most piercing and distressing cries, 

 butting instinctively, at the same time, with its 

 head towards the serpent, in self-defence. The 

 Snake, which at first appeared scarcely to notice 

 the goat, soon began to stir a little, and turning 

 his head in the direction of the goat, he at length 

 fixed a deadly and malignant eye on the trem- 

 bling victim, whose agony and terror seemed to 

 increase ; for, previous to the Snake seizing its 

 prey, it shook in every limb, but still conti- 

 nued its unavailing show of attack by butting 

 at the Serpent, which now became sufficiently 

 animated to prepare for the banquet. The first 

 operation was that of darting out his forked 

 tongue, and at the same time rearing a little his 

 head ; then suddenly seizing the goat by the fore 

 leg with his mouth, and throwing it down, it was 

 encircled in an instant in its horrid folds. So 

 quick, indeed, and so instantaneous was the act, 

 that it was impossible for the eye to follow the 

 rapid convolution of his elongated body. It was 

 not a regular screw-like turn that was formed, but 

 resembling rather a knot, one part of the body 

 overlaying the other, as if to add weight to the 

 muscular pressure, the more effectually to crush 

 his object. During this time, he continued to 

 grasp with his fangs (though it appeared an un- 

 necessary precaution) that part of the animal 

 which he had first seized. The poor goat, in the 

 meantime, continued his feeble and half stifled 

 cries for some minutes, but they soon became 



N 



