90 BEASTS AND MEN 
early mornings by the natives, who are well acquainted with the 
haunts of the reptiles. Before dawn they are so benumbed 
with cold that they can easily be caught. This is done either 
by means of a net at the end of a long pole, or by a long forked 
stick, by which they can be fixed round the neck and pressed 
to the ground. In this position it is not difficult to make them 
secure. During the dry season another method is employed. 
WEA 
Argali (wild sheep). 
Nets are laid out round a selected spot, which is then set on 
fire. The snakes, in their hurry to escape, become entangled 
in the nets; but this method can only be used for the large 
reptiles, as the smaller kinds would easily pass through the 
mesh. In snakes supplied to me from Calcutta I have often 
noticed marks of burning. But on these animals wounds 
soon heal up. 
The great python of Borneo (Python reticulatus) is caught 
by the natives when it is torpid from the effects of a heavy 
