.198 ZOOLOGY. [PART IT. 



polished, though of an extremely light substance. These 

 he applied one to each wound inflicted by the teeth 

 of the serpent, to which they attached themselves 

 closely, the blood that oozed from the bites being rapidly 

 imbibed by the porous texture of the article applied, 

 The stones adhered tenaciously for three or four minutes, 

 the wounded man's companion in the meanwhile rubbing 

 his arm downwards from the shoulder towards the 

 fingers. At length the snake-stones dropped off of their 

 own accord ; the suffering of the man appeared to have 

 subsided ; he twisted his fingers till the joints cracked, 

 and went on his way without concern. Whilst this had 

 been going on, another Indian of the party who had come 

 up took from his bag a small piece of white wood, which 

 resembled a root, and passed it gently near the head of 

 the cobra, which the latter immediately inclined close to 

 the ground ; he then lifted the snake without hesitation, 

 and coiled it into a circle at the bottom of his basket. 

 The root by which he professed to be enabled to perform 

 this operation with safety he called the Naya-thalee 

 Kalinga (the root of the snake-plant), protected by 

 which he professed his ability to approach any reptile 

 with impunity. 



In another instance, in 1853, Mr. Lavalliere, then Dis- 

 trict Judge of Kandy, informed me that he saw a snake- 

 charmer in the jungle, close by the town, search for 

 a cobra de capello, and, after disturbing it in its retreat, 

 the man tried to secure it, but, in the attempt, he was 

 bitten in the thigh till blood trickled from the wound. 

 He instantly applied the Pamboo-Kaloo, which adhered 

 closely for about ten minutes, during which time he 

 passed the root which he held in his hand backwards and 

 forwards above the stone, till the latter dropped to the 

 ground. He assured Mr. Lavalliere that all danger was 

 then past. That gentleman obtained from him the snake- 

 stone he had relied on, and saw him repeatedly afterwards 

 in perfect health. 



The substances used on both these occasions are now 



