74 JOURNAL, liOMBA V NA TURAL lUSTORY SOCJ ETY, Vol. X. 



I do not think that this is so uncommon an event as people imagine 

 juuoiig snakes kept together in ca[)tivity. Two snakes will often seize 

 the same frog, and when neither gives way one is pretty sure to be 

 swallowed. We have haxi several instances among the snakes in the 

 Public Gardens and have had to extricate them from their perilous 

 position. On one occasion more than half the length of one of these 

 snakes had disappeared down the throat of one of his com[)anions, 

 but it was pulled back by the head keeper none the worse for its 

 engulfmenti 



Chrysopelea ornaia. — A few specimens of this snake have been sent 

 to me from the hills, and 1 have taken it about Trevandrum. 



Cerberus rhyncops, — A single specimen was brought in by a lisher- 

 man. It was peculiar in having fhc! scales in 27 rows, two more than 

 usual. 



SERIblS ('. — PkOTEROGLYPHA. 



CaMopkU nigrescent!. — This is not a common snake and is only found 

 at considerable elevations^ I have received it only I'roiu the hills of 

 JMortli Travancore. All tlie specimens ;ire under two feet long and 

 ;ire constant in coloration, namely, pale reddish-brown with five l)lack 

 longitudinal bands, I have never heard of any one being bittten by 

 this snake. 



Bungarus ccerulens. — I have taken several specimens in Trevandrum 

 and have had several sent from the hills. The natives dread this snake 

 very much. It will feed on other snakes readily, and on one occasion 

 before I knew of this propensity, I put one in with it and in the 

 morning it had disappeared. One was killed in the Public Gardens 

 with the tail of a rat-snake, of almost its own size, hanging out of 

 its mouth. 



Naia tripxidians. — Common in the hills and plains. Mr. Ingieby 

 writes : '' The cobra may be kept with lair success when once it adapts 

 itself to feeding. The longest period which a cobra has been kept 

 here is ten months, and the snake is still alive, and eats large ball frogs 

 with avidity. They are naturally very fierce, and when put together 

 often strike each otlier but without showing the slightest effect. Cobras, 

 iis also rat-snakes, commence to swallow their prey as soon as seized." 



On one occasion two snake-charmers created a good deal of excite- 

 ment in Trevandrum by producing cobras out of the mud walls oi 



