192 
THE SAVAGE WORLD. 
Cobra de Capello, or Hooded Snake (Naja tripudians\ This dreaded snake 
has a large range over the East Indies, where it is everywhere regarded with 
the horror of a pestilence, a feeling most natural when we consider that not less 
than 5000 persons annually perish from its bite in the Indian peninsula alone. 
Notwithstanding this dangerous foe, which lurks in jungle, brake, roadway and 
even houses, and the spread of knowledge that has driven out the bats of 
superstition in nearly all parts of the earth, the Buddhists hold the venomous 
creature in reverential respect, and resent any attempt made at its destruction. 
In coloring this reptile differs very materially, according to season and 
locality. More frequently it is of a deep olive on the back, white below, with 
hooded neck on which appear markings somewhat resembling eye-glasses, except 
that the bow is longer. But again it may be brown with black eye-glasses; or 
the body may be a deep brown with no eye-glass mark, or only two white spots 
on the neck; again the reptile appears with black body with a single white spot 
on the neck. Numerous and variable as these markings are they all belong to 
a single species. 
The most peculiar thing at once observable about the cobra is the curious 
dilatable neck, which it 
spreads upon the slight¬ 
est irritation. This 
power is afforded by 
means of elongated 
ribs which may be 
thrown out or depressed 
at pleasure. When ex¬ 
panded the neck is 
several times the width 
of the head, by which 
a curved hood is formed, 
on the back of which 
is a most singular deco¬ 
ration already referred 
to as resembling eye-glasses, from which fact it is sometimes called the spec¬ 
tacled snake. 
A STRANGE SUPERSTITION. 
The superstitious Buddhists regard this marking as the imprint of Buddha, 
and explain it in this wise. They declare that when Buddha became weary with 
the work of creation, he sought repose under the shade of a tree, but the sun 
moving while he thus slept soon poured its rays into his face. A cobra , per¬ 
ceiving the exposure of the god, spread its hood and remained bent over him, 
thus shading his face, until his sleep was finished. Upon waking, Buddha per¬ 
ceived what kind office the serpent had rendered him and thereupon promised 
to repay the cobra with a like kindness. This promise, however, he soon forgot, 
but was reminded of it under curious circumstances. Years afterwards a great 
bird hovered over the world and began devouring the cobras , until the species 
became well-nigh extinct. Thereupon, in a spirit of despair, the cobra that had 
shielded Buddha besought him, and referring to his promise, petitioned the god 
to give protection to his species, which Buddha did by placing the markings upon 
the cobra's hood, thereby frightening the great bird and preventing its further 
