176 SNAKES OF CEYLON. 



the skin beneath. On another occasion, when the same 

 observer was rendering assistance to a hatchling which was 

 trying to emerge from its egg, the vicious little creature 

 resenting interference bit him in the finger, and actually drew 

 blood. On one occasion I saw a small one, only 18 inches long, 

 turn when pursued by a terrier and strike most viciously. 

 Mr. Hampton tells me that once when attempting to capture 

 one he found in a drain it struck viciously at him and 

 inflicted a wound beneath one of his eyes. In Bangalore I saw 

 one belonging to a sampwallah strike most Vehemently at 

 and bite a mongoose, also one of the stock in trade. Mr. 

 Millard tells me it is a difficult snake to tame when fairly 

 grown, and will attack freely when cornered. Nicholson 

 remarks how it will fight for its freedom, and says it is always 

 a little uncertain to handle in captivity. Gunther says : "It 

 is of fierce habits, always ready to bite, and old examples 

 brought to Europe never become tame." 



In Rangoon I had one brought to me which, it was reported, 

 was attacking a full-grown fowl. The few specimens I have 

 had caged exhibited a very nasty temper, and struck out 

 most maliciously at me whenever I approached the glass of the 

 cage ; often two or three strokes were delivered in rapid 

 succession and with such force that the creature must have 

 hurt itself considerably. Mr. Millard further tells me that in 

 the Society's cages in Bombay large specimens are so restless 

 when captive, and strike so frequently at the wire netting, 

 that they do not live long. 



(c) Striking posture : The stroke is delivered upwards, as 

 though to wound the face, a peculiarity also noticed by Mr. 

 Millard. When infuriated, prior to delivering its stroke, it 

 retracts the head and forebody into an S, slightly erects 

 itself, and gives Vent to a peculiar sound, which I have heard 

 no other snake produce, and which reminds me of the sound 

 made by a cat at bay. Cantor likens it to the sound of a 

 vibrating tuning fork. During the production of this warning 

 note the snake compresses itself anteriorly (i.e., flattens itself 

 in a direction contrary to that manifested by the cobra), the 

 spine being arched about the neck and the throat markedly 

 pouched. 



