A COBRA'S DIET 



185 



performed a -wild dance on the spot, then rushed for 

 more chickens. That first voluntary meal in cap- 

 tivity consisted of eleven big fowl. Never afterward 

 did Fatima cause the slightest trouble in her feeding, 

 and thus the " python squad " was disbanded. 



In captivity the cannibal snakes frequently cause 

 embarrassment by exhibiting appetites which threaten 

 to cause a famine. This was illustrated in the case of 

 the big king cobra in the reptile house. Every week 

 this twelve-foot serpent received a five-foot black- 

 snake, but it showed signs of growing thin under the 



Fig. 80. — A blacksnake. 



fare. It was clearly seen that unless more snakes 

 were given to the reptile it could not thrive. The 

 outlook was decidedly embarrassing; the cobra was 

 making serious inroads among the exhibition sped- 



