THE COMMON INDIAN SNAKES. 255 



to dissolve under the influence of the gastric pieces, and he found 

 that it required about 48 hours. Inspection of the subsequent 

 excrements showed in one case that a few pieces of egg shell were 

 discharged 16 days after the experiment. 



In captivity many specimens feed eagerly, and thrive well. Mr. 

 Phipson wrote that those in the Society's rooms " fed freely on rats, 

 birds, and toads." Similarly Ferguson said those at Trivandrum 

 took large frogs " with avidity." The Rev. C. Leigh wrote to me that 

 one of his captive specimens ate " rats with relish," and two others 

 " took frogs with avidity." On the other hand Dr. Nicholson speak- 

 ing of cobras in captivity says " I have never seen a cobra feed 

 and I think that unless fed by force he will starve himself to 

 death." This statement coming from such an authority is remark- 

 able, but it would appear from the methods of some professional 

 snake-men that they too find some of their specimens difficult 

 to tempt with food, for many cany with them a small natural fun- 

 nel which appears to be part of the shaft of the tibia of a goat, 

 which they insert into some cobras' throats, and into which they 

 break a fowl's egg, or pour milk. 



Habits. — The most notable habit in the cobra is the very re- 

 markable pose it adopts when alarmed and which has gained for 

 it world-wide renown. Not only does it erect the forebody to a 

 remarkable degree, but it flattens its neck in a very remarkable, 

 and characteristic way to form the so called " hood." The height 

 to which a cobra can erect itself is usually very much overestimat- 

 ed by the casual observer. I have taken careful measurements 

 on several occasions, marking off the height on a stick when the 

 snake's attention was engaged by a juggler. The measurement of 

 the whole snake in life is not easy, and the lengths given must 

 not be taken as very exact. I found the degree of erection com- 

 mensurate with the degree of excitement or provocation. One 

 snake measuring 5 feet 2^ inches poised vertically to a height of 

 13 inches, another 5 feet 4 inches long sat up 15^ inches, a third 

 6 feet and ^ an inch raised itself 14 inches, and a fourth 5 feet 

 1 inch, only 7^ inches. On the 20th August 1904 in Bangalore 

 I found a 5 footer just sat up 15 inches, but on the next day in 

 the presence of a mongoose that was causing him much agitation 

 the same snake erected itself 21 inches. Another cobra 1^ inches 

 less in length raised itself just 21 inches under similar provocation. 

 It may be taken then that the maximum limit of erection is about 

 one-third the length of the snake. 



The so called " hood" is formed by the action of muscles opera- 

 ting upon the ribs in the region behind the neck. I have examin- 

 ed a skeleton in the museum of the Royal College of Surgeons, 

 London, which is well set up in the erect position, and with the 

 ribs fixed as they would be in the expanded hood in life. The 



