310 BURMA, ITS PEOPLE AXD PRODUCTIONS. 



an expanded liood like the cobra, but has no markings on it. It bears the character 

 of being a very fierce snake, and of always pursuing when attacked. I met one, on 

 the Toungoo Hills, two or three years ago, when accompanied by a dozen Karens. We 

 all stopped, and the brute being some ten or twelve feet long, no one was disposed to 

 attack him. He glided close by us in a very deliberate manner, seeming to say, ' Let 

 me alone, and I will let you alone,' and we accepted the terms. Mr. Theobald writes: 

 ' I was once descending the Tenasserim River in company with Professor Oldham, and 

 saw one of these snakes on the bank. Thinking it was a Pti/as, I hastily sprang 

 ashore and caught it by the tail as it was disap[)earing in the brushwood. My boat- 

 men, however, quickly handed me up a " Dah " and with two blows I severed my 

 dangerous prize in half. That I was not bitten I attribute to the gentle manner in 

 which I held the snake, without pinching it ; but the risk was great, and such as it is 

 better to avoid, as the animal measured twelve feet, and its bite might have been fatal 

 in a few minutes. The excitement, however, generally gets the better of one's 

 prudence when a tine specimen is to be secured, as the following instance will show : 

 I was one evening attracted by a noise of men and dogs near my tent, and found a 

 large crowd round a bush, in which some creature was at bay. On coming up I 

 found it was a magnificent "Gnan" (Hamadryas) twelve feet long, which was making 

 furious charges at the dogs, but was protected by the bushes among which it kept 

 from the men, who moreover were very much disinclined to come very close. Taking 

 a stick from a boy, I directed all present to go the other side of the bush and keep 

 quiet, whilst I stationed myself a few yards in the open. As I anticipated, in a 

 minute or so, the "gnan," thinking the coast clear, came straight out on my side, 

 with the idea of escaping ; and when he was well clear of the bushes, I made one step 

 forward and delivered a smart blow on the neck, and before he could recover himself, 

 I was upon him and had him firmly by the na])e. He was quite unhui't, and I had 

 a hard job to hold him, but managed to drag him to my tent, where I severed the 

 spine at the nape with a penknife, to the admiration of the crowd, who were convinced 

 that I had some powerful charm, to enable me to overcome the dreaded " Gnan." ' 



Dr. Mason says, "One of these serpents, about seven feet long and one foot in 

 circumference, was caught in Shwagycn, and after being secured to a bamboo, was 

 brought to Major Bordmore. He sent for a famous Burmese serpent charmer, who 

 met the brute on the verandah in the confident expectation of subduing it, by a few 

 'brays,' a bold front, and a shake of the finger. At first the serpent appeared to 

 cower beneath his glance ; but when he approached and put forth his hand, it sprang 

 on his wrist and bit him. The man felt the poison up to his shoulder in an instant, 

 and ran off immediately to his house, which was near, for an antidote ; but he fell 

 exhausted on the threshold, and expired in less than half an hour after he was bitten. 

 " The Karens say they are sometimes three fathoms long, but from ten to twelve 

 feet is the most common length of adults. A Karen at my side says that on three 

 several instances he has seen a Hamadryad devouring other snakes, so one of its 

 specific names ' ophiophagus ' (.snake-eater) is most appropriate. An intelligent 

 Burman told me that a friend of his one day stumlded upon a nest of these 

 serpents, and immediately retreated, biit the old female gave chase. The man 

 fled with all speed over hill and dale, till reaching a small river he plunged in, 

 hoping ho had then escaped his fiery enemy, but lo ! on reaching the opposite bank, 

 lip reared the furious Hamadryad, its eyes glistening with rage, ready to bury its 

 fangs in his trembling body. In utter despair he bethought himself of his turban, 

 and in a moment dashed it upon the serpent, which darted upon it like lightning, 

 and for some moments wreaked its vengeance in furious bites, after which it returned 

 quietly to its former haunts. Yule wrote (Embassy to Ava, page 180): 'At about 

 a mile from the Coal we came upon a large Hamadryad snake. One of the men had 

 a double-barrelled gun, but when he attempted to fire at it, all the rest cried to him to 

 stop. I said, "Shoot him!" but the snake looked at us and glided away unhm-t. 

 I asked him why he did not shoot it. The reply was curious as bearing out a state- 

 ment in Jfason's " Tenasserim," which I confess 1 did not credit before. They said it 

 wouUl, if hurt, turn after and chase them ; so it got ott'. It was about 9 feet long.' 

 The Biu-mcse word 'gnan' is used geuerically to denote both the 'Hamadryad,' tlic 



