1338 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXI. 



of moist earth, which four-fifths filled an ordinary garden flower pot. The 

 eggs were then carefully covered with dry sifted earth to a depth of one 

 inch, and the earth also slightly moistened. The pot was kept in a cool 

 dark room. Next day we carefully removed the covering earth and found 

 to our joy that the eggs were plump and fresh, looking though, of course, 

 stained by the damp covering. The earth was replaced, and carefully 

 sprinkled with water by old Benjamin, the snake man, who took quite a 

 naturalist's interest in the proceedings. We had no idea of the incubation 

 period of snakes' eggs, so sent Benjamin to enquire of some Bombay snake- 

 charmers. He brought back news that 21 days was the recognised time. So 

 on the 2nd of June, 22 days afterwards, we dug out one egg and opened 

 it to see what progress had been made. The egg was quite plump and 

 fresh looking, and contained a quantity of clear albumen, with a well formed 

 embryo in one end of the shell. The small embryo snake was coiled up 

 beside the yellow yolk, and with a small cord connecting it to a placenta 

 attached to the shell. The embryo was white in colour, almost four inches 

 long, and the heart could be seen distinctly'pulsating. No scales could be 

 made out on the skin, but the head, was large with two prominent eyes. 



On the 28rd of June, i.e., on the 43rd day, we opened another egg, and 

 found another living embryo in a further stage of development. It was 

 some seven inches long, with well developed scales on the skin, and the 

 heart could be seen beating vigorously. 



The pot was watered daily as before, and was covered with wire netting 

 as a precaution against the escape of the young should they happen to 

 hatch out during the night. At length on the 18th of July, 67th day, a 

 cobra head was noticed protruding, as far as the neck, from the egg shell. 

 This specimen was removed from the flower pot and carefully washed in a 

 basin. On enlarging the opening a little the embryo emerged with the 

 placenta still attached. 



On the following day others were found in a similar condition. They 

 were left alone all night to see if they had strength to deliver themselves. 

 Two had succeeded in this endeavour, but one of them being dead, it 

 was thought advisable to render artificial aid to the others, and several 

 of the little cobras lived for several weeks after. It was noted as a 

 curious fact that aU the young cobras had well developed spectacle marks 

 on their hoods, although the mother was a black " cseca " from the Central 

 Provinces, with no trace of a spectacle, mark on the hood ! 



The new born cobras had a cutting chisel on the snout of the same 

 shape and appearance as that described by Major Wall in the Society's 

 Journal, Vol. XXI, page 693. Major Wall saw the specimens, but unfor- 

 tunately the notes on the subject which he kindly jotted down have been 

 mislaid owing to the transfer of one of us (Col.^W. B. Bannerman, I.M.S.) 

 to Madras. 



