FOOD AND GROWTH 49 



shed its skin on 20th August, 15th October, 1902, and on 13th 

 January, 16th March, 1903. A king-cobra, length 8£ ft., ate 

 during the year forty-four rat-snakes, shedding its skin on 7th 

 October, 25th December, 1902, 19th February, 29th April, and 

 17th July, 1903. A cobra (Nam tripudians) , %\ ft. long, ate 

 fifty-five rats and fifty frogs. It shed its skin on 10th Novem- 

 ber, 1902, and 19th February, 8th April, and 28th July, 1903. 

 A Russell's viper consumed fifty rats in the year, shedding its 

 skin on 24th September, 26th December, 1902, and 17th April, 

 1903. Finally, a rock-snake ate during the year sixty-seven 

 frogs. It shed its skin on 13th February, 20th April, 13th 

 June, and 12th August, 1903. 



As already stated, the king-cobra of South-Eastern Asia, 

 which reaches a length of 1 5 ft., is in the habit of preying on 

 non-venomous serpents of other species. A specimen of this 

 snake measuring a little over 1 1 ft. has been seen in Burma 

 carrying another member of its own species in its jaws, while 

 on a second occasion a king-cobra was observed in the act of 

 eating an ordinary cobra, and in a third case a cobra had been 

 swallowed. Another king-cobra has been known to devour 

 a banded krait ; while from the stomach of yet another specimen 

 was taken the still more venomous Russell's viper. At first 

 sight these instances suggest that the devourer must be immune 

 to the venom of the devoured ; but such conclusions are not 

 justified by the present state of information with regard to the 

 action of serpent-poison. 



In captivity a python has been known to devour one of its 

 own kind, and likewise the blanket with which it was supplied 

 as a protection against cold ; although both these instances were 

 probably due to the depraved habits so often developed among 

 animals in captivity. But the snake-eating, or king, cobra, 

 takes its name from its habit of preying on other snakes, 

 especially the rat-snake, which also derives its name from the 

 nature of its diet. 



Many snakes apparently devour the eggs of birds and other 

 reptiles when opportunity occurs ; and when the snake is large 

 and the egg small, there need not necessarily be any special 

 difficulty in the feat. The difficulty comes when the snake is 

 small and the egg large. A special adaptation enables, 

 however, the egg-eating snake (Dasypeltis scabra) to accom- 



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