248 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXII. 



down the back, the apices directed forwards, and the arms 

 ending low in the flanks. The intervals are about one-third to 

 one-fourth the width of the chevrons. Also in the flanks between 

 each chevron is a small black triangular spot. The hood bears 

 a light monocellus. The ventrals and subcaudals are 175 and 65, 

 the scales in midbody 21, and the lepidosis as in a normal cobra 

 except that the prasocular shield fails to touch the internasal. 

 If not already christened I suggest for this the name sagittifera. 

 Dimensions. — The cobra when adult measures usually from four 

 and a half to five and a half feet. Larger specimens are rare, 

 and six-footers extremely rare. Dr. Nicholson*, who for some time 

 distributed the rewards for poisonous snakes on behalf of the Mysore 

 Government, says that out of 1,200 specimens that passed through 

 his hands at Bangalore only 4 exceeded 5 feet 6 inches, and the 

 largest of these measured 5 feet 8 inches. I have probably 

 examined 500 cobras from various parts of Asia between Baluchis- 

 tan and Chitral to South China. 1 have only once seen a six footer 

 and this was sent to me by Mr. P. W. Mackinnon and was 

 killed in the Dun. It taped 6 feet 4 inches. Mr. H. Hampton 

 writing to me from Mogok, Ruby Mines, Burma, early last year, 

 told me he had obtained a specimen of a precisely similar length, 

 which he had sent to the British Museum. He further stated 

 that Mr. Boulenger in acknowledging the specimen told him 

 it was the largest received in that Institution where there 

 are upwards of 70 examples. Mr. Millard has told me of 

 two specimens he has seen, one 6 foot from Khandalla, and 

 another G feet oh inches, locality not specified. Mr. C. Batemaii 

 wrote to me in 1909 that he had killed one of the mono- 

 cellate variety in the Jalpaiguri District that measured 6 feet 

 5i inches unstretched. Writing to Mr. Millard in 190G, Mr. S. 

 H. Pearless said that the four largest examples he had killed at 

 Badulla, Ceylon, measured respectively 5'-ll", 6'-0V', 6'-6", and 

 6'-10^", and he believed specimens running to 7 feet were on 

 record. The Pioneer of the 12th February 1908 contained an 

 account of a 7 foot cobra, quoted from the Times of Ceylon. It- 

 appears that on the 31st January 1908, Mr. Webster whilst motor- 

 ing Sir Thomas Lipton in Colombo saw a crowd of natives collect- 

 ed on the road. These proved to be watching a hole in which a 

 snake was partly visible. Mr. Webster by means of a noose of 

 rope managed to extract the snake, and kill it, and it was found to 

 be a cobra of unusual length which when taped measured 7 feet. 

 The account further stated that a local taxidermist set up the 

 specimen. On writing to Sir Thomas Lipton he repeated this 

 story to me, and gave me permission to see the specimen in his 



* Indian Snakes, pp. 106 and 173. 



