80 THE COBRA AND FLOWER-SNAKE. 



when the tide has receded. The ' ular ledong ' (Trigo- 

 nocephalus Waglerii), or, as it is called by Europeans, 

 the hammer-headed viper, from the great proportionate 

 breadth of its head, is also very venomous ; its body is 

 short and thick, and it is of very sluggish habits. 



There are many other kinds which have poisonous 

 fangs ; but, notwithstanding their number, accidents 

 rarely occur from them. Those which are poisonous 

 rarely are large, the cobra never exceeding six feet 

 in length, while the green hammer-headed viper 

 does not attain that length. The largest of the 

 snake tribe are the different kinds of the ' ular sawah ' 

 (Python), found in damp and marshy places : they are 

 called boa by Europeans. I never met with them 

 larger than fourteen feet in length; but while I was 

 in the country a native killed one, which had an 

 undigested deer with horns in its stomach, and must 

 have been considerably larger. None of these large 

 snakes are venomous, being provided with strength 

 sufficient to ensure the capture of their prey : those 

 not venomous are more numerous than the others. 



Amongst them is a small one, called ' ular bunga ' 

 (Dryophis prassina), or the flower- snake ; it is of 

 the most rich and beautiful green colour above, re- 

 sembling velvet, and yellow beneath, with a slender 

 and graceful form ; it is very pretty, and a favourite 

 animal with the Malays. A very venomous one 

 resembles it; and, during my stay, a fatal acci- 

 dent had nearly occurred to an European gentleman, 

 who, having one of them brought to him, thought it 

 had been a flower-snake, and was putting his hand 



