1840.J 



Meteorology. 



393 



J. W. Grant, Esq. of the Honourable Company's Service, with an inter- 

 esting description of a gigantic hooded serpent he had observed in the 

 upper provinces, and which, he remarked, wass not a Naja. By inspec- 

 tion this gentleman denied the Hamadryas to be identical with the 

 above mentioned. 



'* The natives describe another hooded serpent, which is said to attain 

 a much larger size than the Hamadryas, and which, to conclude from 

 the vernacular name * Mony Choar,' is perhaps another nearly allied- 

 species. 



" The fresh poison of the Hamadryas is a pellucid, tasteless flaid, in 

 consistence like a thin solution of gum arabic in water; it reddens 

 slightly litmus paper, which is also the case with the fresh poison of 

 the Cophias viridis, Vipera elegans, Naja tripudians, B nigarus annu- 

 laris and Bung, eoeraleus; when kept for some time it acts much 

 stronger upon litmus, but after being kept it loses considerably if not 

 entirely its deleterious effects. 



" From a series of experiments upon living animals, the effects of this 

 poison come nearest to those produced by that of the Naja tripudians, 

 although it appears to act less quickly. The shortest period within 

 which this poison proved fatal to a fowl, was fourteen minutes ; whilst 

 a dog expired in two hours eighteen minutes after being bitten. It 

 should however be observed, that the experiments were made during 

 the cold season of the year." 



XVI. — Meteorology. 



Account of the progress of the Electric fluid which struck the house 

 lelovging to Colonel Monteith, situated on the Hill at Palaveram, on 

 the 1st November, i8S9.— By T. G. Tatlor, Esq. H. E. I. C. Astrotio- 

 mer. 



Having been invited to inspect the bungalow belonging to Colonel 

 Monteith upon the hill at Palaveram immediately after it was struck 

 by lightning (on the 1st November last), I have thought that an account 

 and sketch of the progress of the electric flaid, might prove as inter- 

 esting to others as the inspection did to myself. The hill in question 

 is the lowest of the two which immediately overlook the cantonment 

 of Palaveram, and from a single barometrical measurement, would 

 appear to be elevated 340 feet above the cantonment, and 395 feet 



