SERPENT WORSHIP, ' CHARMING^ ETC. 517 



primary impulse would be to escape. It strikes only under 

 provocation or hunger. Therefore if a venomous snake in 

 captivity become so familiar with your presence as to cease 

 to fear you, it would also abstain from biting you. Not 

 that one would recommend Jararacas or cobras for pets, not- 

 withstanding the assurance of some residents in India that 

 the latter are capital guards to a dwelling, and in some are 

 even encouraged instead of dogs, as the less liable to bite 

 of the two ! Miss Frere, in her interesting reminiscences 

 of India, Old Deccan Days, gives instances of children 

 playing with the cobra without injury. She mentions a 

 Brahman boy who could without any other music than his 

 own voice attract and handle with impunity any venomous 

 serpents that might be within hearing. They would come 

 out of a thicket or a dry stone wall — their favourite refuge. 

 Such instances are sufficiently rare to be regarded as 

 miraculous, adds the authoress, still they do occur. * How 

 much is due to gentleness of touch and fearlessness, hovv^ 

 much to any personal peculiarity which pleases the senses of 

 the snake, it is difficult to say.* The boy above alluded to 

 was believed to be the incarnation of some divinity, and the 

 magistrate took note of his proceedings. 



But at last, through some inadvertency, he got bitten ; 

 when he died, notwithstanding the divinity he was supposed 

 to enshrine, notwithstanding the spells and viiintras which 

 might be pronounced over him. 



The cobra is supposed to have originally had sev^n heads, 

 as we see represented on Hindoo temples. The 'hood* is 

 believed to be the remains of these seven heads ; and the 

 Gokurrah, whose pattern of the double ocellus had gained it 



