ANECDOTES RELATING TO SNAKES. 187 



length of the animal, they consider it to be of the 

 venomous kind ; but a more certain mark is their 

 teeth ; none but the venomous having hollow 

 teeth. I believe all the snake species that bring 

 forth their young alive, are venomous, and all 

 that are oviparous are innocent; I only mean 

 that they do not contain poison : some of the 

 enormously large snakes kill by their mechanical 

 powers. Some people think a particular kind 

 kill by a blow with their tail ; such effect I have 

 never seen, and think it is fabulous and imaginary. 



I was once on a shooting excursion with Cap- 

 tains T. Williamson and Hamilton : we left our 

 budgerows in an afternoon after dinner, in conse- 

 quence of hearing a number of partridges calling 

 near us ; it was on a spot which had been lately 

 over-flowed by the Ganges ; we remained out 

 until near dark, and in returning to our boat, the 

 dogs were constantly pointing ; each time we ex- 

 pected to see partridges spring, but, to our great 

 surprise, it was always at cobra de capelloes; at 

 last we became so much alarmed, that we hastened 

 to pick our way back, as well and as fast as we 

 could, in fear at every step of meeting with a 

 snake. 



