PROPINQUITY TO SNAKES. 143 



legs," said Hawkes ; " but too near my hand to be 

 pleasant. I went into my bath-room one day, and 

 was on the point of dipping a mug into one of the 

 earthen chatty-pots for some water, when a snake's 

 head bobbed up from within it. I started back, and 

 the head disappeared. I then got hold of a towel 

 and threw it over the mouth of the chatty ; the 

 head again bobbed up against the towel as I hit the 

 pot with a short stick I seized. This happened two 

 or three times, like a Jack-in-the-box. At last I 

 managed to land a good whack on the side of the 

 head, and finished it." 



" Only the other day, in my bungalow at Jehan- 

 geerpore," said Mackenzie, " I went into the verandah 

 to get a bottle of soda-water, which was cooling 

 there under a wet cloth. I raised the cloth, and was 

 just about to seize the bottle, which was lying along 

 with some others, when I espied a carpet-snake 

 comfortably nestled under it, and evidently en- 

 joying its cool retreat. I withdrew my hand 

 sharp, without the snake moving ; and there it 

 remained till I got hold of a stick and polished 

 it off." 



" I have read somewhere," Hawkes said, " that 

 only a small proportion of snakes are venomous." 



" I don't know how they are classed ; but the 

 natives generally make out every species to be more 



