186 NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
HEAD OF THE KING COBRA: 
The fangs are proportionately much smaller than those of the Viperine serpent (rattlesnake) shown 
by another illustration. : 
was approaching, to assume the graceful attitude of its kind— 
head and neck upraised to the level of the small plate-glass win- 
dow in the door of its cage—and follow intently, with turning 
head, the movements of the keepers in the passage behind the 
cages. 
In serpents, such actions are unusual. They appeal more to 
the mental faculties exhibited by mammals. In numerous other 
instances the writer and his keepers have noted the unusual intelli- 
gence of the Cobras. Their apparent sagacity, together with the 
possession of fangs, and probably the most virulent poison of 
all snakes, demands the greatest caution on the part of those 
who maintain a collection of living specimens. 
Disposition of Cobras——Compared with other serpents, both 
