8 
THE THANATOPHTDIA OP INDIA. 
destructive power, by worshipping and propitiating the Deity 
in whom that power is vested, it is natural that the type of 
destruction and the incarnation of evil, as represented in this 
reptile, should be regarded with peculiar deference. 
Many Hindoos object, I am told, to destroy the Cobra, and if 
they find it in their houses, as sometimes is the case, when 
one has taken up its abode in a hole or crevice in the wall for 
years, it is propitiated and conciliated, fed and protected, as 
though to injure it were to invoke misfortune on the house and 
family. 
Should fear, and perhaps the death of some inmate bitten by 
accident, prove stronger than superstition, it may be caught, 
tenderly handled, and deported to some field, where it is released 
and allowed to depart in peace, not killed. This feeling happily 
is not universal, and the Cobra has many enemies to limit his 
increase. Besides the natural enemies, such as the Iierpestes 
(Ichneumon) and other creatures, numbers are destroyed by 
the low caste people, who follow the vocation of snake-catchers 
or charmers, and others also search out the snakes and kill 
them for the sake of reward. But still the loss of human life 
from their bites is very great, and seems to call loudly for some 
plan by which it may be mitigated. An idea of the loss of life 
caused throughout India yearly by the bite of the Cobra and 
other venomous snakes, but especially by the Cobra, as it is by 
far the most common, may be formed from the following infor¬ 
mation extracted from a recent report of the Commissioner of 
Burdwan to the Bengal Government. 
He says, “ The number of deaths from snake-bite during the 
last nine years is shown in the annual printed police returns to 
have been as follows:— 
1860 
1861 
1862 
878 
980 
1041 
1863 
1864 
1865 
1048 
1035 
1184 
I860 
1867 
1868 
929 
984 
1144 
Total 9232 persons killed in nine years out of a population of 
5,701,072. 
“ There may be a little inaccuracy in the above figures, but 
they have been compiled over a series of nine years, and 
it cannot be questioned that they show that there is a mor¬ 
tality of above 1000 persons every year, in a population of 
nearly 6,000,000 people.” 
In the district of Midnapore—which the Commissioner con¬ 
siders the worst—in the year 1S65 there were 530 deaths from 
snake-bite recorded, out of a population of 1,200,000 persons. 
In the district of Beerblroom, on the other hand, there were 
in one year sixty cases of death from snake-poisoning, out of a 
population of 743,685 persons. It appears from the report that 
women suffer more than men. 
In 1858 a reward of four annas was given by Government 
for each venomous snake destroyed in the division, and the 
Magistrate reported in December that Bs. 1961-8 had been 
paid for 1845 snakes destroyed during the year. The reward 
was reduced to two annas for every poisonous snake brought in, 
but this was not sufficient inducement, and the numbers rapidly 
diminished. 
Snakes. 
Rs. 
As. 
In 
1859 
.. 957 
124 
4 
}} 
1860 
217 
27 
0 
JJ 
1S61 
8 
1 
0 
The Magistrate remarked “that there are few persons who 
would risk their lives to bring in a live snake for two annas.” 
In Bancoorak, another district of the Burdwan division, 
the Magistrate proposed that the reward of two annas should 
be given for all poisonous snakes brought in dead or alive. 
This was sanctioned with a proviso that the Magistrate him¬ 
self should see the snake’s head cut off. The reward was 
raised to four annas for each snake in 1862. On the 14th July 
following, the Magistrate reported that the increased reward 
had produced its effect — 47 snakes had been brought in on one 
day, and 70 on another day; Bs. 89 had been spent in less than 
a month. 
On the 21st July of the same year, the Magistrate pro¬ 
posed to reduce the reward to two annas; he says, “ 97 snakes 
were brought in on Saturday, and 118 to-day. The duty of 
personally supervising the decapitation of the snakes became so 
irksome that the Magistrate applied to higher authority for 
permission to depute some one to see this done; but the request 
was refused. 
On the 20th October, the Commissioner reported that from 
the 29th May to 14th October, 1862, 18,423 snakes had been 
killed, giving an average of 110 snakes a day; and he applied 
for a grant of Bs. 10,000 to provide for the rewards, at the 
same time proposing to reduce the reward to two annas. 
On the 6th January, 1863, the Government of Bengal 
remarked that whereas from 29th May to 14th October, 18,423 
snakes had been killed, and from 15th October to 7tli December 
the number had increased to 26,029, giving an average of 463J 
per diem, the Lieutenant-Governor expressed his surprise that 
the average number of snakes killed daily should have 
increased during the cold weather, and the Magistrate was 
requested to submit an explanation on this point. The 
Magistrate explained it by ascribing it to the increased expert¬ 
ness of the snake-catchers, and the large number of persons 
who had abandoned their occupation and taken to this com¬ 
paratively lucrative mode of obtaining a livelihood. It was 
considered probable that many of these snakes might not have 
been poisonous, but the Magistrate rejoined that he had 
exercised great care in discriminating, and that 40,000 rupees 
would not have paid the rewards had they been given for all 
kinds of snakes. From this one would conclude that the 
advantages of Bancoorah as a residence must be doubtful. The 
returns I have quoted afford a sad proof of' the fatal character 
of the bites of the Indian Thanatophidia, and there is reason 
to believe that the greater share of the mortality is due to 
the Cobra. 
OPHIOPHAGUS. 
Ophiophagus elaps. 
There is only one species of the genus Ophiophagus —viz., 
Ophiophagus elaps; Hamadryad; Native name, “Sunkerchor;” 
“ Ai raj,” in Orissa. 
Naja bungarus, Schlegel. 
„ elaps, Schlegel. 
,, vittata, Elliott. 
Hamadryas ophiophagus, Cantor. 
Trimeresurus ophiophagus. Bum. and Bibr. 
Hamadryas elaps, Gunther. 
This is probably the largest and most formidable venomous 
snake known.* It grows to the length of twelve or fourteen 
feet, and is not only very powerful, but also active and aggressive. 
It is hooded like the Cobra, and resembles it in its general con¬ 
figuration and characters. 
Gunther’s definition of it is as follows:—“Body rather elon¬ 
gate ; tail of proportionate length; head rather short, depressed, 
scarcely distinct from neck, which is dilatable. Occipitals sur¬ 
rounded by three pairs of large shields, the two anterior of 
which are temporals. Nostril between two nasals. Boreal 
none; one or two prce-, three post-oculars. Scales smooth, much 
imbricate, in transverse rows, in fifteen series round the body, 
but in many more round the neck; those of the vertebral series 
are rather larger than the others. Ventrals more than 200; 
anal entire; anterior sub-caudals simple, posterior two rowed, 
* Waterton, in his “ Wanderings,” mentions a viperine snake ( Grotalidce) 
named Lachesis mutus, found in British Guiana, and called by the Dutch the Bush- 
master or Curucucu. It inhabits trees, is sometimes fourteen feet in length; is 
very poisonous, and is perhaps the largest poisonous snake yet discovered. Its 
coloration is said to be very beautiful. 
