1374 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



dead leaves. Eager as I was to begin opera- 

 tions before darkness closed down, it was a full 

 three minutes before I could honestl}' say — 

 "This is leaf; that is snake." 



The pattern and pigment of the cunningly 

 arranged coils were that of the jungle floor, 

 anywhere ; a design of dead leaves, reddish- 

 yellow, pinkish, dark brown, etched with mold, 

 fungus and decay, and with all the shadows 

 and high lights which the heaped-up tissues 

 throw upon one another. In the center of this 

 dread j^laque, this rej)tilian mirage, silent and 

 motionless rested the head. I knew it was tri- 

 angular and flattened, because I had dissected 

 such heads in times past, but now my senses 

 revealed to me only an irregularity in the con- 

 tour, a central focus in this jungle mat, the 

 unravelling of which spelt death. 



It was a big snake, seven or eight feet long 

 and heavy bodied — by no means a one-man job. 

 Again we carefulh^ examined the screw-ej^es on 

 the pole, and each looked behind for a possible 

 line of escape. 



I quickly formed my method of attack. 

 Jeremiah was sent to cut forked sticks, but his 

 enthusiasm at having work to do away from 

 the scene of immediate conflict was so sincere 

 that he vanished altogether and returned with 

 the sticks only when our shouts announced the 

 end of the struggle. An Indian will undergo 

 any physical hardship smiling, and he will face 

 any creature in the jungle, except the bush- 

 master. 



We approached from three sides, bringing 

 snake-pole, free noose and gun to bear. Slowly 

 the noose on the pole pushed nearer and nearer. 

 I had no idea how he would react to the attack, 

 whether he would receive it quietly, or, as I 

 have seen the king cobra in Burma, become 

 enraged and attack in turn. 



The cord touched his nose, and he drew back 

 close to some bushy stems. Again it dangled 

 against his head, and his tongue played like 

 lightning. And now he sent forth the warn- 

 ing of his mastership — a sharp xvMrrrrr! and 

 the tip of his tail became a blur, the rough 

 scales rasping and vibrating against the dead 

 leaves, and giving out a sound not less sharp 

 and sinister than the instrumental rattling of 

 his near relatives. 



For a moment the head hung motionless, 

 then the noose-man made a lunge and pulled 

 his cord. The great serpent drew back like a 

 flash, and turning, undulated slowly away to- 

 ward the darker depths of the forest. There 

 was no panic, no fear of pursuit in his move- 



ments. He had encountered something quite 

 new to his experience, and the knowledge of 

 his own jDower made it easy for him to gauge 

 that of an opponent. He feared neither deer 

 nor tajoir, yet at their approach he would sound 

 his warning as a reciprocal precaution, poison 

 against hoofs. And now, when his warning 

 liad no effect on this new disturbing thing, he 

 chose dignifiedly to withdraw. 



I crejot quickly along on one side and with 

 the gun barrel slightly deflected his course so 

 that he was headed toward an open space, free 

 from brush and bush-ropes. Here the pole- 

 man awaited him, the noose spread and sway- 

 ing a few inches from the leaves. Steadily the 

 snake held to his course, and without sensing 

 any danger pushed his head cleanly into the 

 circle of cord. A sudden snap of the taut line 

 and pandemonium began. The snake lashed and 

 curled and whipped up a whirlpool of debris, 

 while one of us held grimly on to the noose 

 and the rest tried to disentangle the whirling 

 coils and make certain of a tight grip close 

 behind the head, praying for the screw-eyes 

 to hold fast. Even with a scant inch of neck 

 ahead of the noose, the head had such play that 

 I had to pin it down with the gun barrel before 

 we dared seize it. When our fingers gained 

 their safe liold and pressed, the great mouth 

 opened wide, a gaping expanse of snowy white 

 tissue, and the inch-long fangs appeared erect, 

 each draped under the folds of its sheath like 

 a rapier outlined beneath a courtier's cloak. 



When once the serpent felt himself con- 

 quered, he ceased to struggle ; and this was 

 fortunate, for in the dim light we stumbled 

 more than once as we sidled and backed 

 through the maze of lianas and over fallen 

 logs. 



Jeremiah now appeared, unashamed and 

 wide-eyed with excitement. He followed and 

 picked up the wreck of battle — gun, hats and 

 bags which had been thrown aside or knocked 

 off in the struggle. With locked step, so as not 

 to wrench the long body, we marched back to 

 Kalacoon. Now and then a great shudder would 

 pass through the hanging loops and a spasm of 

 muscular stress that tested our strength. It 

 was no easy matter to hold the snake, for the 

 scales on its back were as rough and hard as 

 a file, and a sudden twist fairly took the skin 

 off one's hand. 



I cleaned his mouth of all dirt and debris, 

 and then we laid him upon the ground and, 

 without stretching, found that he measured a 

 good eight feet and a half. With no relaxing 

 of care we slid him into the wired box which 



