376 , CLASS REPTILIA. 



and love of truth which distinguish this much abused 

 writer. 



The usual symptoms following the bite of the cerastes 

 are a tumefaction more or less considerable of the part, a 

 general icterus, a discharge of blackish sanies from the wound, 

 swelling of the face, priapism, delirium, violent convulsions, 

 and, in most instances, death : respecting the therapeutic treat- 

 ment we know next to nothing. 



Laurenti was the first who established the genus Naja, 

 comprising two very celebrated species of serpents, the 

 Cobra di Capello Naja of the Indians (^Spectacled Snake, 

 Shaw), and the Haje of the Egyptians, which is without 

 doubt.the true aspic of the ancients. 



The naja or cobra di capello is equally remarkable for the 

 elegance of its forms, the strength of its body, and the dan- 

 ger which accompanies its bite. It has received the name of 

 spectacled snake, in consequence of a black mark which more 

 or less exactly represents spectacles on the extensible portion 

 of its neck. When the animal is in a state of repose, the 

 neck has no greater a diameter than the head, but under the 

 influence of passion, the skin of this part extends in the form 

 of a coif or hood. 



This serpent inhabits Coromandel, and is not found in 

 Peru or Mexico, as many modern naturalists have erroneously 

 stated, after Seba. It is very formidable from its envenomed 

 bite, which is as dangerous as that of any other species of 

 reptiles. When surprised by some imprudent traveller, it 

 slowly raises its head, swells its neck, and advances against 

 its aggressor in undulating movements executed solely by 

 the tail. 



The male does not appear to differ from the female. When 

 Seba advanced that the latter had not the spectacled mark, 

 he committed an evident mistake, confounding a difference 

 of variety in the species with a difference of sex. The vari- 



