SNAKES 99 



only the observation of their enemies, but also the 

 observation of the creatures that form their prey, and 

 has been termed "aggressive resemblance." We have 

 also seen that other poisonous snakes are conspicu- 

 ously marked with alternate bands of colour (Hydro- 

 phiince, the Banded Krait), or are brilliantly coloured 

 (Doliophis, Red- Headed Krait), or display characteristic 

 warning signals when annoyed (Cobra, Hamadryad). 

 It is another common phenomenon in the animal 

 world that creatures protected by poisonous, or naus- 

 eous, properties advertise these qualities by bright and 

 conspicuous colouring or by warning signals. It may 

 be asked why such deadly snakes as the Rattle-Snake 

 and the Cobra should trouble to advertise their dan- 

 gerous character, the one by springing its rattle, the 

 other by expanding its conspicuous hood; they are, it 

 is argued, sufficiently armed against all possible enemies 

 by their poison, and therefore they need neither fear 

 nor warn their enemies. But snakes, both harmless 

 and deadly, have numberless enemies. Captain Wall 

 has compiled a long list of them, drawn from records 

 in scientific literature, varying from man to ants. An 

 Elephant, a Deer, or Buffalo plunging through the jungle 

 might tread on a Cobra and crush its life out had the 

 snake no means of advertising its presence in a con- 

 spicuous manner ; the Cobra in its dying convulsions 

 might inject a deadly dose of poison into the animal 

 that had trodden on it, but how would the cobra be 

 benefited by that dying effort ? The whole conception 

 of a poisonous snake as a ferocious animal that stealth- 

 ily pounces on and kills every creature that disturbs 

 it, wittingly or unwittingly, is quite erroneous ; the 

 belief that the Hamadryad will chase a man, if he dis- 



