APPENDIX. 
169 
These pounded and mixed together are then subjected to the 
bhdvand, with the following substances :— 
ffjTT Fish bile. 7 times. 
s5>T*T fTxT Goat’s bile. ,, 
TtffrT fp-ft Buffalo’s bile. „ 
ftjTt Peacock’s bile. „ 
fppT Rakta-chitra . „ 
fhrrt Boar’s bile .. „ 
Pratdpa-lankeshvara. 
Sulphuretted mercury. 
Burnt mica. 
Vermilion. 
Dre Aconite. 
Borax. 
7TTO iTPt Burnt copper. 
pTti W Burnt iron. 
ww w Burnt tin. 
Liquorice ,. 
PPfT Bala, root and stem of the Sida cordi- 
folia . 
PPT Muthd, the tubers of the Cyperus hex- 
astachyus . 
Renuka (an aromatic seed like pepper) 
7JTPPT Guggula, the resin of the Balsamo- 
dendron agalocha . 
Red arsenic. 
Snake-poison. 
PfPPiTT Flowers of the Mesua ferrea . 
These, reduced into fine powder and mixed, are then subjected to 
the bliavand, with the following substances :— 
Drz htp Decoction of the three pungents . . 7 times. 
Juice of Batura stramonium, .... „ 
Juice of the Cannabis Indica .... ,, 
Juice of the Rakta-chitra . „ 
Juice of the Jvdldmukhi .... „ 
pppp Juice of the Punarnava (Boerhaavia 
erecta) . „ 
We® fPTl Fish bile. 
Goat’s bile. „ 
Boar’s bile. „ 
Buffalo’s bile. „ 
Peacock’s bile. ,, 
2 parts. 
1 part. 
yy 
yy 
yy 
yy 
yy 
yy 
yy 
yy 
yy 
yy 
yy 
yy 
No. IV. 
NOTE ON THE SO-CALLED SNAKE-CHARMERS 
OF BENGAL. 
“ In Bengal we have four different classes of men who deal in 
snakes. The first, and by far the most expert among them, is the 
Mai-—a low caste Hindoo, who earns his livelihood by catching and ex¬ 
hibiting snakes and selling simples in the bazaar, but never professes 
witchcraft, jugglery, or the healing art. Men of this class are 
certainly very poor and have to lead a vagrant life ; but I have never 
heard that they are much given to thieving. In the North-western 
Provinces they are replaced by Modaris, a few of whom occasionally 
come to Calcutta to ply their vocation. I have never had an op¬ 
portunity of studying them carefully, and cannot therefore say 
anything about them. Apparently, however, they seem to have been 
confounded with the Bediyas or gipsies of Bengal. The latter are 
jugglers, bear and monkey dancers, sellers of simples, fortune-tellers, 
reputed adepts at curing rheumatism, gout, toothache, and other com¬ 
plaints ; professors of witchcraft, experts in cupping, applying moxas 
and actual cautery, as well as snake-charmers. In fact, they take to 
whatever comes in their way to protect themselves from being taken 
up by the police as thieves, for thieves they are of the most inveterate 
type. Some time ago I put a few notes together about them, and if 
you feel curious about the race, you will find them in the Transactions 
of the Anthropological Society of London. As snake-charmers these 
people are by no means successful or noted. They differ from the 
Mai in taking their women to join in their profession, which the Mals 
never do. I have never seen a Mai woman. 
“ The Sailyis are known in Bengal by the name of tubriwallahs. I 
am not aware of where their head-quarters are, but there is no doubt 
that they come to Bengal from the North-west. They are always 
dressed in yellow clothes and a large turban, and have a double pipe 
mounted on a gourd shell—the tubri —with the music of which they 
pretend to charm and draw out snakes from holes and cracks— 
not unoften from the bedding—in the houses of the persons who 
employ them. For this purpose they carry about several snakes on 
their person, hidden under the folds of their flowing garment; but 
openly they show only a few or none. As professed vagrants they 
may purloin whatever falls in their way, but they are by no means 
notorious as thieves. They may be seen everywhere in the North¬ 
west, and I believe (though I cannot speak from personal knowledge) 
also in Southern India. I have met with notices of them in old 
Sanskrit books, and it is probable that as a class they have existed in 
India from a very early age. Their pipe is peculiar to them; it is 
never used by the Mals, the Modaris, and the Bediyas for charming 
snakes, nor by any of the Indian races for musical entertainment. 
(Signed) “ Rajendralala Mitra.” 
I am indebted for the above note to Babu Rajendralala Mitra, 
Vice-President of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. 
The snake-charmers handle poisonous snakes freely and without fear, 
even when in possession of their fangs. The Cobras are their 
favourites, and occasionally the Ophiophagus, as these snakes present a 
very striking appearance when they crest their heads and dilate their 
hoods. Those they exhibit generally have the fangs removed. This 
is done by cutting out their teeth, and with them the mucous capsule 
with the reserve fangs. They are exceedingly dexterous and the sleight 
of hand with which they appear to catch a snake in any patch of 
grass, or even from the ground, is such as to deceive the closest 
observer. The snake is, of course, concealed about the person, but is 
with great rapidity and dexterity placed in the secluded spot and as 
quickly abstracted. They are well aware of the danger, and know 
perfectly well that no antidote has any effect, though they pretend to 
prevent or cure bites by roots and snake-stones. With the venomous 
they exhibit innocent snakes, such as the Chrysopelea, the Passerita 
mycterizans, Ptyas mucosus, and Erix johnii, and their exhibition is 
always accompanied by the music of a rude pipe made of a gourd. 
No. y. 
ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE INDIAN THANATOPHIDIA. 
I am indebted to my friends Mr. W. T. Blanford, and Dr. F. Sto- 
liczka of the Geological Survey of India, for the following memoranda 
on the distribution of the Indian Tlianatophidia:— 
“ Naja tripudians .—I have only seen the spectacled form in Central 
India. I cannot positively state that the ocellus form is not found, 
but if so it must be rare. 
“ Ophiophagus elaps .—This is common, or at any rate not rare in 
Pegu. I never heard of it in India Proper, and it is probably con¬ 
fined to the base of the Himalayas and the Hills near the western 
coast, with perhaps the northern part of the coast on the west side of 
the Bay of Bengal, that is to say, Orissa and the Northern Circars. 
This distribution— i.e., Malabar and Bengal with Orissa, is common to 
several animals with Malay affinities. 
“ Of the other Elapidce and of the Hydrophidce I know nothing with 
regard to their distribution. The Crotalidce are quite Malay, having 
American affinities, and, so far as I know, none occur in India else¬ 
where than in Malabar (including the Hills, Nilglierries, Anamalays, 
and the whole line of Western Ghats), Bengal, and Orissa, and in the 
Himalayas. They may also be found on some of the higher hill 
groups scattered over Southern India, such as the Shevaroys. 
“In the Punjab, North-western Provinces, Central Provinces, 
Deccan, and the Carnatic, I doubt their being met with. 
“ On the other hand, the Viperidoe, which are African in their affi¬ 
nities, and no one of which extends into the Malay countries, inhabit 
precisely those regions in which Trimeresurus and its allies are not 
found. Echis is, I believe, more confined in its range than Baboia 
russellii, the latter extending into Burmali. Here on the Godavery, I 
have found both, and rather to my surprise I have met with Echis in 
the forest. 
“ I should mention that I once saw a Trimeresurus in Orissa. 
(Signed) “ W. T. Blanford.” 
“ N. tripudians .—India generally, and Burmah. I have seen it as 
far west as the Sutlej valley, and up to elevations of 6000 feet, but I 
know nothing of its occurrence in the Punjab, never having been in 
that Province. It occurs on the Andamans, but is not known on the 
Nicobars. 
“ Ophiophagus elaps appears to be purely or chiefly characteristic of 
the Malayan fauna. Never heard of it in the North-west. 
X X 
