THE LIVING WORLD. 
191 
island of Java, where, we are assured that one of them will destroy and de¬ 
vour a buffalo. In a letter, printed in a German Ephemerides, we have an 
account of a combat between an enormous serpent and a buffalo, by a person 
who assures ns that he was himself a spectator. The serpent had, for some 
time, been waiting near the brink of a pool, in expectation of its prey, when a 
buffalo was the first that offered. Having darted upon the affrighted animal, 
it instantly began to wrap it round with its voluminous twistings; and at every 
twist, the bones of the buffalo were heard to crack almost as loud as the report 
of a cannon. It was in vain that the poor animal struggled and bellowed; its 
enormous enemy entwined it too closely to get free; till, at length, all its bones 
being mashed to pieces, like those of a malefactor on the wheel, and the whole 
body reduced to one uniform mass, the serpent untwined its folds to swallow 
its prey at leisure. To prepare for this, and in order to make the body slip 
down the throat more glibly, it'was seen to lick the whole body over, and 
thus cover it with its mucus. 
It then began to swallow it at 
that end that offered least resist¬ 
ance, while its length of body 
was dilated to receive its prey, 
and thus took in at once a 
morsel that was three times 
its own thickness. We are as¬ 
sured by travellers, that these 
animals are often found with 
the body of a sta,g in their 
gullet, while the horns, which 
they are unable to swallow, 
keep sticking out of their 
mouths. 
“ Other creatures have a 
choice in their provision; but 
the serpent indiscriminately 
preys upon all; the buffalo, the 
tiger, and the gazelle. One would BOA and rattlesnake ; comparative size. 
think that the porcupine’s quills , - 
might be sufficient to protect it, but whatever has life serves to appease the 
hunger of these devouring creatures; porcupines with all their quills have fre¬ 
quently been found in their stomachs, when killed and opened; nay, they most 
frequently are seen to devour each other.” 
POISONOUS REPTILES. 
The largest species of snakes just described, while formidable and inspiring 
very great dread, are really much less dangerous than many comparatively 
small yet for this reason more insidious reptiles. Having therefore given the 
characteristics of the former we may now very properly turn to a consideration 
of the latter, which will be found distributed over an extensive area in both the 
old and new worlds, and consequently all the more important to be understood. 
Most dangerous of all ophidians, though not the most considerable in size, 
is an India reptile known by different names, but commonly by that of cobra. 
