416 JOURNAL, BOMB A Y NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XIV, 



seen a Hamadryad with a snake. On the first occasion when out with 

 Mr. G. who killed the snake in the act of swallowing a monocellate cobra 

 {Naia tripudians) ; 18" had been swallowed. On the other occasion I was' 

 with Mr. Todd-Naylor, Commissioner of the Minbu Division. About 

 10-30 A.M. on the 2yth August ]901, we were crossing the Sun Choung 

 (stream), in the Magwe District and were half-way across, when a 

 Burman with us called out "iSabagyi " (python), another '^No-Gnan, " 

 on hearing which we promptly loaded our rifles, and then saw in the pool 

 below us a very fine snake which I recognized to be a Hamadryad. The 

 fore-part of the body was raised, and he was carrying something in his jaws 

 in the manner a dog does a stick. One Burman said it was a "put" 

 ( Varanus), another a snake. The Burman s ran off and cut long bamboos 

 from a clump hard by. We then proceeded towards the pool, where the 

 snake was still swimming about ; but on our approach he at once swam to 

 a rock in the water, depositing on it what we then saw to be a large 

 snake, and forthwith swam for, and took refuge under, an undermined 

 portion of the opposite bank, where he promptly began to drag his 

 body up through a hole in the bank, and was rapidly disappearing from 

 our gaze, when he stupidly showed his head at another hole in the face 

 of the bank. The Burmans taking advantage of his position stepped 

 into the water and thrust bamboos at the hole, which manoeuvre caused 

 him to lower his body again into the water. He next made a bid for 

 a landing on the opposite bank, but the splashing of the water with the 

 bamboos used in vain efforts to kill him, evidently scared him, as he 

 immediately retreated under cover of the bank. It was only after 

 much provocation that he was again induced to leave cover, when 

 he once more tried to effect a landing. The bamboos were plied with 

 much vigour, and, I think he was probably touched. At any rate, he 

 whipped round and with body raised quite 18", neck dilated, a 

 most malicious look in his eyes which made us wish ourselves 

 elsewhere, came straight at us. The Burmans waited till he came 

 well within reach, and then aimed blows at him. Whether he was 

 injured or not I cannot say, but he was knocked clean under water, 

 only to re-appear with expanded hood quite close to us. We were about 

 to fire, when a Burman fortunately struck him behind the head and killed 

 him. We dragged him on to a sand bank, and ran the tape over him. 

 Length — ll'-4" — Girth — 7^". We next proceeded to fish out the snake 

 which had slipped off the rock into the water, and to our astonishment 



