SNAKES OF CEYLON. 477 



(6 feet) from Khandalla, and another 1,970 mm. (6 feet 5 J 

 inches), locality not specified. Mr. C. Bateman wrote to me 

 in 1909 that he had killed one of the monocellate variety in 

 the Jalpaiguri District that measured 1,970 mm. (6 feet 5 J 

 inches) unstretched. Writing to Mr. Millard in 1906, Mr. S. M. 

 Pearless said that the four largest examples he had killed at 

 Badulla, Ceylon, measured respectively 1,805, 1,842, 1,980, and 

 2,095 mm. (5 feet 11 inches, 6 feet J inch, 6 feet 6 inches, and 

 6 feet 10 A inches), and he believed specimens running to 2,135 

 mm. (7 feet) were on record. The Pioneer of February 12, 

 1908, contained an account of a large cobra, quoted from the 

 Times of Ceylon. It appears that on January 31, 1908, Mr. 

 Webster, whilst motoring Sir Thomas Lipton in Colombo, saw 

 a crowd of natives collected on the road. These proved to be 

 watching a hole in which a snake was partly visible. Mr. 

 Webster, by means of a noose of rope, managed to extract the 

 snake and kill it, and it was found to be a cobra of unusual 

 length, which, when taped, measured 2,135 mm. (7 feet). 

 The account further stated that a local taxidermist set up the 

 specimen. On writing to Sir Thomas Lipton, he repeated 

 this story to me and gave me permission to see the specimen 

 in his residence at Ossidge. It is set up in the erect posture 

 with open mouth, showing the fangs, I measured it and 

 found it taped 2,020 mm. (6 feet 7 J inches). The Bombay 

 Natural History Society has recently acquired a specimen 

 from Shamshirnagar 2,008 mm. (6 feet 7 inches) unskinned. 

 Lyddeker* says one has been recorded 2,210 mm. (7 feet 3 

 inches) in length, but gives no details of the locality where it 

 was found nor the authority who measured it. 



Foes. — In the Bombay Natural History Journalf I 

 published a list of the enemies of snakes in their natural 

 haunts, any of which I take it may include the cobra in their 

 dietary. Among mammals, the mongoose has been conceded 

 a special place as a destroyer of cobras. Personally, I always 

 had the greatest difficulty to get my captive mongooses, and 



* Royal Nat. Hist., Reptilia and Fishes, p. 223. 

 f Vol. XVI., p. 375. 



