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SPITTING COBRA 
perceive signs of animal existence. Rat, mouse and birds’ 
nests are also looked for. They often yield a good supply of 
fleas which are saved in tubes of vinegar for Mr. Rothschild. 
I also hunt around for haunts of bats and lemurs and look out 
for runs and droppings, foot-marks and bitten leaves and 
grass. A supply of animals soon turns up and I get to work 
on them. 
With birds it is not so easy to use traps. The *410 shot 
gun is a more useful instrument, though birdlime and snares 
will get many a specimen for which the gun is of little use. 
The mammal skin must in each case be accompanied by its 
skull. The label on the skin must record the following data : — 
Collector’s number. 
Date. 
Sex. 
The dimensions in millimetres of 
Tail. 
Head and body. 
Locality. 
Altitude. 
Collector’s name. 
Hindfoot. 
Ear. 
And in the case of bats the length of forearm. 
In conclusion I must say that I have experienced the 
greatest help and kindness from the Protectorate officials 
and would particularly mention those at Mumias. 
River Camp, Yoi, 24 April 1910. 
SPITTING COBRA 
By C. W. Hoblby. 
It has been well known for some years that one of the 
colubrine snakes of East Africa when disturbed possesses the 
unpleasant habit of spitting a venomous saliva into the face of 
its assailant, in fact cases have been recorded in Nairobi itself. 
In Portuguese East Africa the name given to these snakes 
with reference to this habit is Cobras cusyideiras. 
In the Soudan the spitting cobra has been definitely identi- 
