172 EAMBLES OP A NATUEALIST. [Ch. XI. 



that he had seen one of these reptiles ; but it was unfortunate 

 that it was never examined, and Mr. Low, who looked for it 

 on hearing of the circumstance, could not discover it. The 

 snake was five or six feet long, and, if a cobra, probably came 

 over from the mainland in wood, or some cargo. 



In Sarawak, however, the cobra is not uncommon, and 

 grows to a large size. The Bishop of Labuan informed me 

 that he had killed black cobras in his own house 9 ft. 6 in. 

 and 10 ft. 5 in. in length, respectively. The former of these 

 attacked a servant in one of the ground-floor rooms of the 

 house. The man was paralysed with terror, and unable to 

 defend himself ; but beiag alarmed by his inarticulate cries, 

 the bishop entered and found the reptile erect, his head 

 broad and depressed, as large as the pahn of the hand, and, 

 as he expressed it to me, " barking like a dog." He fortu- 

 nately succeeded in despatching it with a rattan. 



Large Pythons (Python reticulatus) exist in Labuan, 

 usually making their lair in a deep nullah, sometimes near a 

 house, whence they probably derive the advantage of stray 

 fowls or other domestic animals, which serve as their food. 

 Mr. Low assured me he had seen one killed measming 

 26 ft. ; and I heard, on good authority, of one of 29 ft. 

 having been killed there. In Borneo they were said to attain 

 40 ft., but for this I cannot vouch. 



But although there are numerous species of snakes in the 

 island, they are not often seen. I myself, during the space 

 of a month, only met with four or five species, the most 

 common of which were Dendrophis caudolineatus and Tro- 

 pidonotus stolatus. In one of my walks through the jungle 

 I was fortunate enough to seciu'e a specimen of the rare 

 (venomous) Elaps (Callophis) intestinaHs.* 



* A circumstance was told me by the Colonial Chaplain, Eev. J. Moreton, 



