NOTE-BOOK OF A NATURALIST. 207 



The malignant perseverance of these serpents, when 

 their anger is once fairly roused, is most remarkable. 

 Dr. Smith, while walking in the vicinity of Graham's 

 Town, happened to excite the attention of a naia, which 

 immediately raised its head and warned him of his 

 danger by the strength of its expiration. The serpent 

 then commenced an advance, and the Doctor observes 

 that had he not retired he would, in all probability, have 

 suffered, if he had not been fortunate enough to disable 

 it ; which, possibly, would not have'^iappened, consider- 

 ing, as he says, that these cobras are very active. An 

 officer of the Cape Corps, for whose accuracy the Doctor 

 vouches, informed that distinguished zoologist that he 

 was chased twice round his waggon by one of them, and 

 that the pursuit might have been prolonged if a Hotten- 

 tot had not disabled the enraged reptile by a blow from 

 a long stick. 



The Asiatic form of this genus of serpents is even more 

 highly developed than that of the African species. The 

 general length attained by the cobra de capello in Ceylon 

 ranges between two and four feet. Their colour varies, 

 and the light-coloured individuals were called, in Dr. 

 Davy's time, and perhaps are so called still, high-caste 

 snakes, whilst those of a darker colour are designated as 

 low-caste snakes. The largest seen by the Doctor was 

 nearly six feet long ; but Captain Percival, in his account 

 of the island (1805), states that this hooded snake is 

 found there of a length varying from six to fifteen feet. 

 When enraged and preparing for an attack, the head and 

 body are raised to a height of three or four feet, and at 

 the same time the rest of the body is coiled to accelerate 

 the spring, and add force to it. At this moment the 

 membrane, which lies along part of the head and the 

 sides of the neck, and is hardly perceptible till the animal 

 is irritated, is distended somewhat in the form of a hood, 

 just as it is in the Egjq^tian cobras; but in the Asiatic 



