538 Notice of a fossil Batrachian. [July, 



on the tail of the Boa to prevent the death-knot being thrown around 

 its body. Were these animals to reverse their mode of attack, both 

 would infallibly be destroyed ; for were the Mongoose to seize a 

 Cobra by the tail, the reptile would turn and bite, — were the cat 

 to seize the Boa by the throat the tail would twine round and suffo- 

 cate her. 



Thus, throughout nature, has the all-wise and merciful creator be- 

 stowed on his most inoffensive creatures, the knowledge necessary to 

 preserve them from their deadliest enemies. 



Note. When I first procured these snakes they appeared to be half stupified, 

 and the Jugglers from whom I purchased them, threw the largest one, (8£ feet) 

 round my neck. For a fortnight or three weeks after this I continued to handle 

 them with impunity ; but one morning while in the act of stooping with a pan of 

 water in my hand, the large snake sprung at me, striking the pan with such 

 force as to dash it out of my hand. By striking his nose against the pan, it 

 turned his head away from me and he darted past ; — had he missed the pan, he 

 would have seized me by the arm and thrown himself round my neck. — A friend 

 who was with me, thinking that the snake had seized me, ran into the house for 

 a knife to cut the muscles of the back — but fortunately this was unnecessary or 

 I fear I should have been strangled before the folds could have been loosed. 



I found afterwards that they had been drugged with opium in their water, in 

 order to render them quiet and harmless, but as I did not pursue this system, 

 the effect wore off, and 1 was obliged to be cautious in approaching them after- 

 wards, as they frequently sprung against the bars of their cage at any person 

 passing them. 



Simla, 4th April, 1837. 



III. — Notice of a skull (fragment) of a gigantic fossil Batrachian. By 



Dr. T. Cantor. 



[From the Asiatic Researches, Vol. XIX.*] 



This interesting fossil remain was discovered by Col. Colvin in 



the Nahun field from whence the chief part of the Dddupur fossils 



were extracted. Through the care of Mr. J. Prinsep, with whom it 



was deposited, the sandstone in which it was imbedded, has been 



removed as much as possible, and the fragment appears now in the 



state in which it is represented in the accompanying sketches. It is to 



be regretted that a transversal fracture, pointing to a remote period, 



has left the fragment offering very few data for conclusions ; to which 



may be added the altered position of several parts, evidences of the 



* [This is so very extraordinary a fossil that we make no apology for outstep- 

 ping strict rules (as we did in the case of the Sivatherium), and publishing it 

 from the text of the quarto Researches, before the latter have appeared. — Ed.] 



