8772 



Reptiles. 



minutes, proving that at different times of the year the poison is more effective than at 

 others. — Julian Hobson; Poona, August 1, 1863. " We think the long-vexed question 

 whether the mongoose, on being bitten by the cobra, retires into the jungle and finds 

 some herb as an antidote for the poison, or whether the venom of the serpent produces 

 no effect on the animal, has been at last settled. On Saturday morning last, whilst 

 seated in the mess-house with several officers of the regiment, a servant came and 

 stated that a snake had been seen by one of the guard to enter a hole in the ground, 

 close to where the guard was. We immediately sent for a mongoose (a tame one, the 

 property of an officer), and put him to the hole. He soon began to scratch away the 

 earth, and in half an hour a fine cobra, about a yard long, came forward, with head 

 erect and hood distended, to attack the mongoose, who seemed to care nothing for the 

 reptile, but merely jumped out of the way to avoid the blow3 which the snake struck 

 at him. The mongoose unfortunately had just been fed, and consequently did not 

 show sufficient inclination to go in at him and kill him ; so we secured the snake, and 

 carried him over to one of the officer's quarters to have the contest carried out there, 

 after the mongoose should have had some little lime to get over his breakfast. After 

 a couple of hours' rest we placed the cobra in a room with closed doors, we having in 

 the meantime taken up a secure position in the room, from which we could observe all 

 the movements of the combatants. The mongoose was let in and the fight commenced. 

 The Fight. — The mongoose approached the cobra with caution, but devoid of any 

 appearance of fear ; the cobra, with head erect and body vibrating, watched his oppo- 

 nent with evident signs of being aware of how deadly an enemy he had to contend 

 with. The mongoose was soon within easy striking distance of the snake, who, sud- 

 denly throwing back his head, struck at the mongoose with tremendous force ; the 

 mongoose, quick as thought, sprung back out of reach, uttering at the same time 

 savage growls. Again the hooded reptile rose on the defensive, and the mongoose, 

 nothing daunted by the distended jaws and glaring eyes of his antagonist, approached 

 so near to the snake that he was forced, not relishing such close proximity, to draw his 

 head back considerably : this lessened his distance from the ground. The mongoose 

 at once, seizing the advantageous opportunity, sprung at the cobra's head, and 

 appeared to inflict, as well as to receive, a wound. Again the combatants put them- 

 selves in a position to renew the encounter, again the snake struck at^his wily oppo- 

 nent, and again the latter's agilitv saved him. It would be tedious to recount in fur- 

 ther detail the particulars of about a dozen successive rounds, at the end of which 

 time neither combatant seemed to suffer more than the other ; we will limit ourselves 

 to describe the final and most interesting encounter. The last Round. — The fight had 

 lasted some three-quarters of an hour, and both combatants seemed now to nerve 

 themselves for a final encounter. The cobra, changing his position of defence for that 

 of attack, advanced and seemed determined now to ' do or die.' Slowly on his watch- 

 ful enemy the cobra advanced ; with equal courage the mongoose awaited the advance 

 of his still unvanquished foe. The cobra had now approached so close that the mon- 

 goose (owing to want of space behind it was unable to spring out of reach by jumping 

 backwards, as it had done in the previous encounters) nimbly bounded straight up in 

 the air. The cobra missed his object and struck the ground under him. Immediately 

 on the mongoose alighting the cobra, quick as thought, struck again, and to all 

 appearance fixed his fangs in the head of the mongoose. The mongoose, as the cobra 

 was withdrawing his head after having inflicted the bite, instantly retaliated by fixing 

 bis teeth in the head of the cobra : this seemed to convince the cobra that he was no 



