256 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



walking round them several times, or they may pay someone to 

 make a snake-stone, which they then take to the temple and 

 present to the god as a votive offering. We have seen a cart- 

 load of discarded snake-stones lying about in the courtyard of 

 Belur Temple. It is significant that Subrahmanyam is, perhaps, 

 the commonest name in South India. 



Still another way of appeasing the snake-god is to take some 

 milk or ghee as an offering, and pour it down the holes in ant- 

 hills in 'which Cobras are known to dwell. The Cobra is then 

 expected to acknowledge the gift by coming up and licking it. 

 On the same principle as the ancient Greeks called the terrible 

 Furies the Eumenides, so the Tamil Hindus speak of the Cobra 

 as the " good Snake " (nulla pambu). 



In Travancore and Cochin every house has in its garden a 

 snake-stone or group of snake-stones, round which worship 

 takes place every week. In Madras city Friday is the day 

 for snake-worship, but there is also one special day in the whole 

 year, nagasowthi, the fourth day after the new moon in October. 

 Shiva alone of the trinity of great gods wears Snakes as orna- 

 ments round his arms and neck. Brahma and Vishnu possess 

 golden jewels, but Shiva, for various reasons, would not have 

 gold. It is recorded that he considered all goldsmiths thieves, 

 .and would not trust them with his treasure. 



As is well known, the Snake has two tongues, or more 

 correctly, a single bifid tongue. How snakes got this peculiar 

 organ forms a special tale in itself. In the golden age Prajapati 

 had two fair daughters named Kadru and Vinata, the wives of 

 Kashyapa, who, before retiring to the forest, gave each a boon. 

 Kadru wished to have a thousand Snakes as her sons, all of 

 equal splendour, while Vinata asked for but two sons, equal to 

 all the sons of Kadru in strength, energy, size, and prowess. To 

 his wives the husband said, " Be it so." 



After a long time Kadru laid a thousand eggs, and Vinata a 

 pair only. Five hundred years later the sons of Kadru hatched 

 out, but Vinata's two eggs produced nothing, whereupon Vinata, 

 feeling ashamed, impatiently broke open one of them, and saw 

 her offspring as an embryo, with only the upper part of the body 

 developed. On seeing his mother, the child cursed her, saying, 

 " Mother, as you have prematurely opened this egg and did not 



