Najas.] 



MUSEUM OF ANIMATED NATURE. 



119 



laterally so as to exhibit an appearance as if tlie 

 neck was edged on each side with a thin semicircular 

 appendage. They feed upon small quadrupeds, 

 birds, and eggs, and in search of the latter they 

 ascend trees to rob nests." 



We have already alluded to a large hooded ser- 

 pent, the Hamadryas (Hamadryas ophiophagus), a 

 native of India, described by Dr. Cantor (' Zool. 

 Proceeds.' 1838, p. 73 et sq.). This snake, having a 

 few ma.Killary teeth behind the poison glands, ap- 

 pears to form a link between the genera Naja and 

 Bungarus, the latter of which it resembles in its 

 dentition. Its Hindostanee name is Sunkr Choar. 

 " According to the natives," says Dr. Cantor, " the 

 Hamadryas feeds chiefly upon other serpents ; in 

 one I dissected I found remains of a good-sized 

 Monitor (varanus) ; which fact may account for its 

 arboreal habits, as I have in Bengal, along the 

 banks of the rivers, observed numbers of these 

 large lizards among the branches of trees watching 

 for birds. 



" The potfer of abstaining from food, generally 

 speaking so characteristic of the serpents, is but 

 in comparatively small degree possessed by this 

 species ; the most protracted starvation amounts to 

 a period of about one month, while the Vipera 

 elegans, the Naja tripudians, and the Bungarus 

 annularis, have, without inconvenience, been con- 

 fined in cages without any food for more than ten 

 months. Two specimens of the Hamadryas in my 

 possession were regularly fed by giving them a 

 serpent, no matter whether venomous or not, every 

 fortnight. As soon as this food is brought near, the 

 serpent begins to hiss loudly, and, expanding the 

 hood, rises two or three feet, and retaining this atti- 

 tude as if to take a sure aim, watching the move- 

 ments of the prey, darts upon it in the same manner 

 as the Naja tripudians does. When the victim is 

 killed by poison, and by degrees swallowed, the act 

 is followed by a lethargic state, lasting for about 

 twelve hours. 



" The Hamadrjas, like the greater number of 

 Indian serpents, evinces a great partiality to water ; 

 with the exception of the tree-serpents (Leptophina, 

 Bell), they all not only drink, but also moisten the 

 tongue, which, as this organ is not situated imme- 

 diately in the cavity of the mouth, become in the 

 serpents two different acts. Specimens of this ser- 

 pent in my possession changed the skin every third 

 or fourth month, a process which takes place in all 

 the Indian serpents several times during the year. 

 The Hamadryas is very fierce, and is always ready 

 not only to attack, but to pursue when opposed ; 

 while the Cophias, the Vipera, the Naja, and the 

 Bungarus, merely defend themselves, which done, 

 they always retreat, provided no further provocation 

 is offered. The natives of India assert, that indi- 

 viduals are found upwards of twelve feet in length, 

 a statement probably not exaggerated, as 1 have 

 myself seen specimens from eight to ten feet in 

 length, and from six to eight inches in circumference. 

 I have often heard it asserted that ' Cobras ' (which 

 name is naturally enough given to every hooded 

 serpent) have been met with of an enormous size, 

 but I strongly doubt their belonging to the genus 

 Naja : among a considerable number which have 

 come under my observation, I never saw any ex- 

 ceeding five to six feet in length, while the common 

 size is about four feet. Some time before I dis- 

 covered the Hamadryas, I was favoured by J. W. 

 Grant, Esq., of the Hon. Company's Civil Service, 

 with an interesting description of a gigantic hooded 

 serpent he had observed in the upper provinces, 

 and which, he remarked, was not a Naja. By in- 

 spection this gentleman denied the Hamadryas to 

 be identical with the above-mentioned. 



" The natives describe another hooded serpent, 

 which is said to attain a much larger size than the 

 Hamadryas, and which, to conclude from the ver- 

 nacular name, ' Mony Choar,' is perhaps another 

 nearly allied species. 



" The fresh poison of the Hamadryas is a pellucid, 

 tasteless fluid, in consistence like a thin solution 

 of gum arable in water; it reddens slightly litmus- 

 paper, which is also the case with the fresh poison 

 of the Cophias viridis, Vipera elegans, Naja tri- 

 pudians, Bungarus annularis, and Bung, cceruleus : 

 when kept for some time, it acts much stronger upon 

 litmus, but after being kept it loses considerably, if 

 not entirely, its deleterious effects. 



" From a series of experiments upon living ani- 

 mals, the effects of this poison come nearest to those 

 produced by that of the Naja tripudians, although 

 It appears to act less quickly. The shortest period 

 within which this poison proved fatal to a fowl was 

 fourteen minutes ; whilst a dog expired in two hours 

 eighteen minutes alter being bitten. It should 

 however be observed, that the experiments were 

 made during the cold season of the year." 



From our digression on the Hamadiyas, we turn 

 to a singular circumstance connected with the 

 historj- both of the North African and Indian 

 Cobras, and which has much engaged the attention 



of European travellers ; we allude to their fascina- 

 tion by music, and the influence exerted upon them 

 by a race or caste of professed snake-charmers, who 

 appear from time immemorial in the East to have 

 exercised their art upon them, and exhibited various 

 performances. 



We find allusions to serpent-charming in the 

 Scriptures. Jeremiah writes: "For behold, I will 

 send serpents, cockatrices among you, which will 

 not be charmed," ch. viii. 17. Again in the Psalms : 

 "Their poison is like the poison of a serpent; they 

 are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear; which 

 will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming 

 never so wisely." Ps. Iviii. 4, 5. 



The charming or incantation of serpents is so 

 strange, that many have utterly denied the fact, 

 while others have asserted it to be a deception. 

 Our own conviction is that serpents are extremely 

 susceptible of impressions from musical notes, or 

 modulations, under the influence of which they 

 wreathe their bodies, from feelings of pleasure, while 

 to these graceful contortions and undulating move- 

 ments, the charmer, who plays on a pipe, or some 

 simple instrument, skilfully adapts the time. That 

 snakes are influenced by musical sounds we might 

 quote various authorities to prove ; it was in fact 

 known to the ancients. "Cerberus Orpheo lenivit si- 

 bila cantu." Pliny and Seneca both affirm that ser- 

 pents can be allured from their retreats by music ; 

 and among the moderns, who contend for the same, 

 maybenientionedChardin,Greaves, Dr. Shaw, Bruce, 

 Sir W. Jones, Chateaubriand, &c. The last indeed, 

 in his ' Beauties of Christianity,' gives an interesting 

 account of the eftects upon a rattlesnake of modula- 

 tions played on the flute by a Canadian, who at last, 

 like Orpheus, led the fascinated reptile out of the 

 camp, following him as he moved onwards ; to the 

 astonishment both of the Europeans and natives, 

 who unanimously agreed that the creature's life 

 should be spared ; though in evident anger it had 

 intruded into their encampment. "A learned 

 native of this country [India]," says Sir W. Jones, 

 "told me that he had frequently seen the most 

 venomous and malignant snakes leave their holes, 

 upon hearing notes from a flute, which, as he sup- 

 posed, gave them peculiar delight :" ' Asiat. Res.' 

 vol. iii. p. 315. Mr. Gogerly, a missionary, con- 

 firms this statement. He observes that some 

 persons who were incredulous on the subject, alter 

 taking the most careful precautions against any 

 trick or artifice being played, sent a charmer 

 into the garden to prove his powers : " The man 

 began to play upon his pipe, and proceeding from 

 one part of the garden to another, for some 

 minutes slopped at a part of the wall much injured 

 by age, and intimated that a serpent was within. 

 He then played quicker, and his notes were louder, 

 when almost immediately a large Cobra de Capello 

 put forth its hooded head, and the man ran fear- 

 lessly to the spot, seized it by the throat and drew 

 it forth. He then showed the poison fangs, and 

 beat them out ; afterwards it was taken to the room 

 where his baskets were left, and deposited amongst 

 the rest." Abundance of similar instances are on 

 record ; and we may here add that M. Schomberg, 

 speaking of a pretty little lizard in the West Indies 

 (Anolius bullaris), states, that "they are often 

 caught by boys, who take advantage of their fond- 

 ness for musical sounds, arresting their attention, 

 and then throwing a little noose over their head," 

 as they perch in a listening attitude on the branches 

 of trees : ' Linn. Trans.' vol. xvii. p. 060. W^e have 

 then here the key to the v.'hole mystery. The ex- 

 hibition of serpents is itself attended with deception, 

 for the poison fangs are always carefully extracted ; 

 and hence are the wounds which the charmers sub- 

 ject themselves to, of comparatively little conse- 

 quence. It should be observed, however, that long 

 practice has given these men an intimate knowledge 

 of the habits of these reptiles ; hence it need not 

 surprise us that they easily discover where they lurk, 

 a point which has been often put to the rigid test. 

 Mr. Lane imagines that it is by the smell that they 

 discover the presence of these reptiles ; but we are 

 inclined to suppose that it is by the ear. As the 

 man plays his pipe he regards attentively the most 

 likely spots, and intently hstens ; his practised ear 

 catches the slightest rustle of the serpent, as excited 

 it turns or moves in its hole, its subdued hiss, or its 

 quickened breathing ; but the spectators, engaged 

 in attending to the man, hear and see nothing but 

 him, and are too much interested to endeavour to 

 find the snake by the exercise of their own faculties. 

 No doubt these men, in order to magnify them- 

 selves, arrogate more power than they are really 

 entitled to, and throw an air of professional mystery 

 over their operations, and hence many believe that 

 all is assumed, and the whole a trick. Mr. Johnson, 

 in his ' Indian Field-Sports,' leans to this opinion; 

 he says, "The professed snake-catchers in India are 

 a low caste of Hindoos, wonderfully clever in catch- 

 ing snakes, and in practicing the art of legerdemain : 

 they pretend to draw them firom their holes by a 



song, and by an instrument somewhat like the Irish 

 bagpipe, on which they play a plaintive tune. The 

 truth is, all this is done to deceive. If ever a snake 

 comes out of a hole at the sound of their music, you 

 may be certain that it is a tame one, trained to it, 

 deprived of its venomous teeth, and put there for 

 the purpose ; and this you may prove, as I have 

 often done, by killing the snake and examining it, 

 by which you will exasperate the man exceedingly." 

 No doubt they often act thus ; but this does not 

 prove that they cannot draw wild snakes from their 

 retreats ; indeed the contrary is notorious ; Mr. 

 Johnson is perhaps not aware of the effects of mu- 

 sical sounds, not only upon snakes, but upon other 

 animals : — 



" Kudo Ilcislfar's aeaU tlirougli surpes dark 

 Will long pursue the minalrel's Ijark." 



But besides seals, rats and mice are attracted by 

 music, as we can testify, and deer and sheep. Music 

 affects also dogs and cats, sometimes, as it would 

 seem, distressingly ; and if our memory serve us, we 

 have somewhere read a detailed account of the 

 influence of certain notes or modulations upon the 

 ferocious animals of the menagerie. The subject 

 requires a series of detailed observations, when per- 

 haps some singular facts would be elicited. Of the 

 modern snake-charmers, the Psylli were the ancient 

 prototypes. They were a people of Cyrenaica, a 

 country in Africa abounding in reptiles ; supposed 

 to be endowed with the natural power of charming 

 serpents, from whose bite they were exempt : Pliny 

 supposed that some odour of their persons, which 

 the serpents abhorred, protected them, and Lucan 

 says the same. 



The latter, in his poem of ' Pharsalia,' describes 

 the method they adopted to drive away these reptiles 

 from the environs of the Roman camp, marching 

 around it, chanting mystic songs; and, what was 

 more eff'ectual, keeping up fires of diflerent kinds 

 of wood around the encampment during the whole 

 of the night. If a soldier happened to be bitten, 

 they raised " the magic lay," and rubbed the parts 

 around with saliva, to prevent, as they said, the 

 poison from spreading, while they used their arts to 

 extract it ; and when suspicious symptoms arose, 

 they sucked the venom trom the wound. We have 

 already alluded to the opinions of Celsus respecting 

 the Psylli. 



Figs. 2207, 2298, and 2299 represent the modem 

 Snake-charmers of Egypt and India exercising their 

 art, and allowing the snakes to entwine around 

 them. They carry about with them these reptiles 

 in covered baskets, and, taking out eight or ten, cast 

 them on the ground. The animals immediately 

 begin to make oft' in different directions. " The 

 snake-charmer," says Mr. Gogerly, " applies his pipe 

 to his mouth, and sends forth a few of his peculiar 

 notes, and all the serpents stop as though enchanted ; 

 they then turn towards the musician, and, approach- 

 ing him within two feet, raise their heads I'roni the 

 ground, and bending backwards and forwards, keep 

 time with the tune. When he ceases playing they 

 drop their heads and remain quiet on the ground." 

 He adds that there is another and inferior class of 

 serpent-charmers, who are Bengalese, of the lowest 

 caste. They do not use the pipe, but merely beat 

 with their fingers a small drum held in one hand. 

 Sometimes these men tease and irritate the snakes 

 until they become infuriated and fasten on their 

 naked arms, which they occasionally suffer to be 

 bitten till covered with blood. Other serpent- 

 charmers, again, merely allow large serpents to 

 twine about their bodies, as if to show their perfect 

 subjection, and the power with which they ai'e 

 gifted — 



" To dally with the crested worm, 

 To stroke his azure neck, or to receive 

 The lambent homage of liis arrowy tongue." 



Others, again, while in the serpent's coils, will allow 

 themselves to be dreadfully bitten, till, from re- 

 peated wounds, and the torture they endure, they 

 become swollen and in a really dangerous condition, 

 notwithstanding the poison fangs have been re- 

 moved. Such exhibitions are revolting, and, be- 

 sides, by no means destitute of danger, as is proved 

 by the statement of Mr. Johnson, who informs us 

 that on one occasion, when a man was exhibiting 

 a tame dancing cobra before a large party, a boy, 

 the son of the exhibitor, and about sixteen years of 

 age, teased the animal to make it bite him ; this, 

 indeed, it did, and to some purpose, for in an hour 

 afterwards he died of the bite. The father of the 

 boy was astonished, and protested his death could 

 not be the result of the bite — that the snake had no 

 venomous teeth — and that he and the boy had often 

 been bitten by it before without any bad effects. 

 On examining the snake it was found that the 

 former fangs were replaced by new ones, then not 

 far out of the jaw, but sufiiciently so to produce the 

 fatal effects that ensued. The old man said he had 

 never heard of such a circumstance before. We 

 should, however, be inclined to suspect that such 



