,184 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XVII 



for these people to rid the premises of these undesirable guests. The 

 Marsi of Italy are reputed to be immune to snake poison, and, I be- 

 lieve, practise somewhat similar arts ; but I can find no authentic de- 

 scription of these people to enlighten me on their habits. 



In the arts. — Many people question the use of snakes in the animal 

 world, and they may be surprised to learn that some at least are of use 

 for trade purposes other than the barter to which they are subjected 

 for show purposes. Wells* in relating an interesting experience of 

 his shows that the skin of the anaconda (Eunectes murium) is used in 

 Espirito Santo for making riding boots, and he speaks of going to a 

 bootmaker's shopt on one occasion and finding the skin of a snake 

 from which pieces had been cut at each end for the manufacture of 

 boots. The remnant measured 19 feet, and he was tuld the entire 

 skin measured 25 feet. Colonel Yule| also mentions this snake under 

 the names " Sucuriu," " Sucuriuba," and scientifically as Boa ana- 

 conda, and says its skin is used for boots, shoes, and other purposes. 

 "The Museum of Natural History" mentions the skin of the same 

 snake being used for shoes, portmanteaux, etc. (p. 58). 



Order. — Garnivora. — Family. — Felidje. — Instances of the Carnivora 

 feeding upon snakes are by no means uncommon. Even His Royal 

 Highness the Indian tiger is evidently not disdainful of such fare when 

 occasion offers, for Inverarity§ records a remarkable illustration of this 

 in the following words : — " On opening the stomach of an old tigress 

 I shot last month, I found in it the tail end of -a snake that the tigress 

 had bitten off and swallowed whole ; the portion swallowed measured 2 

 feet 3 inches in length * * * It appeared to me to be a rock snake." 



A specimen of the fishing cat (Felis viverrina) which Hodgson had 

 brought to him proved on investigation to have eaten a large snake. 



That cats in a domesticated state kill snakes is very well known, and 

 not long since some interest was aroused on this topic in the columns 

 of "The Field." || Besides the many examples quoted therein, I can 

 add others. A friend of mine, Mr. Sitwell, told me he once saw a 

 cobra at Bankipore dying after being mauled by a cat. The cat was 

 still pawing it when he came on the scene, and he was told by others 



* " Three Thousand Miles through Brazil," p. 1G7. 

 f Loc. Cit., p. 171. 



t 18th and 25th June, 9th July and 13th August 1904. 

 § " The G-reit Thirst Lind," p. 147. 

 || " Hobson Jobson," p. 16. 



