ANECDOTES. 219 



at a little distance shaking his wings and 

 trembling : we could not imagine the reason 

 of it. 



In a few minutes we observed it fall from 

 the tree, and ran to pick it up ; to our great 

 surprise we saw a large snake running off 

 with it in his mouth: He got into his hole 

 before we could procure any thing with which 

 to destroy him. 



At the time I was trying experiments with 

 snakes at the Calcutta general hospital,, a 

 name-sake of mine an Assistant Surgeon Mr. 

 Johnston^ played me a very foolish though 

 laughable trick. A large cobra de capello 

 that was killed in the evening Johnstone 

 coiled up in my bed; I slept with it by my 

 side the whole night without perceiving it. 

 In the morning when I threw off the clothes 

 I perceived the snake,, and supposing it to be 

 alive, I tumbled out of bed head foremost, 

 and ran to Johnstone, and Mr. Ewart an 

 Assistant Surgeon to inform them of the cir- 



