POISONOUS SNAKES. 247 



ever have anything to do with. I never lose an opportunity of fra- 

 ternizing with these gentlemen in the hope of obtaining specimens we 

 are in want of, but on no occasion have I ever seen any other poisonous 

 snake in their baskets except the cobra. The explanation of this 

 lies, I believe, in the fact that the cobra is the only poisonous snake 

 which can be easily aud safely handled. You have only to attract 

 its attention with one hand, while you seize it in the middle of the 

 body with the other, and the snake is yours. It strikes in every 

 direction, especially at any moving object, but it never seems to occur 

 to it to turn and bite the hand that is holding it, as almost all other 

 SDakes would do at once. The snake-charmers have from time 

 immemorial made great capital out of the knowledge of this simple 

 fact. Their performances with the cobra are known to you all. 

 The snake is taken from the basket, when a slight slap across the 

 back briDgs it at once into its striking posture. It is the constant 

 movement of the musical instrument in front of the snake that keeps 

 it erect, and not the noise produced. Snakes have no external ears, 

 and it is very doubtful whether the cobra hears the music at all. 

 The vipers, which are far less timid, cannot be frightened in this 

 manner, and consequently they are not used for these performances. 

 The snake-men will tell you that the Daboia, the largest viper, or 

 adder, of the East, is a dull snake with no ear for music, and it is 

 interesting to note that they have evidently been repeating this 

 nonsense ever since the time of David — vide Psalms LVItl. — "like 

 the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear ; which will not hearken to the 

 voice of charmers, charming never so wisely." 



The cobras in the Society's rooms feed freely on young rats, birds 

 and toads. 



3. We next come to the Krait (Bungams arcuatus), which is 

 also a very well-knowu snake. It is exceedingly poisonous, and is 

 common in nearly ail parts of India. We have a number of 

 specimens in our collection froin' the Bombay Presidency and from 

 Bombay itself. I have lately received two from Malabar Hill. The 

 one contained a "brown tree snake" (Dipsas gokool), and the other 

 a Dhaman (Ptyas mucosus), so that we have good evidence of its 

 snake-eating propensities. The dark variety of the common and 

 harmless Lycodon aidicus is, you will observe, vex-y like the Krait 

 in outward appearance, but you can readily distinguish the Krait 

 by the large hexagonal scales down the centre of the back. The 

 Burmese Krait (Bungarus fasciatus), of which we have several 



