ON THE OCCURRENCE OF 



OPHIOPHAGUS EL APS, THE SNAKE-EATING 

 HAMADRYAD, IN SINGAPOE. 



Shortly after my arrival in Singapore in May last I bad 

 the good fortune to make the acquaintance of Mr. Wm. 

 Davidson. Curator of the " A. O. Hume" Museum at Simla and 

 a naturalist of extensive information, who was here on a 

 visit. He was greatly interested in the prospects of our 

 infant Museum and in the course of several conversa- 

 tions with him, I mentioned my intention, when time per- 

 mitted, of studying the Ophiology of the island and penin- 

 sula. — offering as it does a tempting field to naturalists, 

 inasmuch as as it appears to be ?s yet almost un worked. 

 Amongst the encouraging remarks which he made was a careful 

 injunction to keep a good look-out for any specimens of GiiutherV 

 celebrated Hamadryad, the Ophiophagus Maps, which had the re- 

 putation, not only of eating the formidable Cobra dl Capello, but 

 of being the fiercest Asiatic reptile known to exist; inasmuch as 

 cases are on record of its having chased men for a distance of 

 a mile or more, moderate-sized rivers even forming no impedi- 

 ment to its revengeful pursuit. I was therefore naturally led 

 to make extensive enquiries both amongst the natives and those 

 friends whom a similar interest in Natural History had led to 

 study the occurrence and habits of our little known Ophiclia r 

 and these enquiries have been rewarded by a gratifying success. 

 That I am not " telling a twice-told tale" in bring- 

 ing this reptile to your notice may be shewn by a quo- 

 tation from Dr. Oxley who compiled the best existing sketch 

 of the Zoology of the island, and who says " Snakes are not nu- 

 " merous in Singapore, the most common is a dark cobra. I 

 " believe this, with a trigonocephalus, are the only well authen- 

 " ticated venomous species in the Island." Meanwhile a slight 

 sketch of all that can be learned on the spot concerning the for- 

 midable reptile under notice may be of interest. 



The Raffles Library, though fairly provided with popular 

 works on Natural History does not of course pretend to furnish 

 specialists with works bearing on the particular study in which 

 they may be engaged; and I was fortunate in finding on its 

 shelves even three works which gave me some information on 

 the subject I had chosen for enquiry. Two of these — FiguierV 

 " Reptiles and Birds" and Woods' " Reptiles" contain only 



