Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-02-29
from Nature, January Ill
Geological Pugilisln.
A FIGHT BETWEEN A MoNGoosE AND A
COBRA.

The snake was large cobra four feet
ten inches In length, the most formid-
able cobra have seen. He was turned
into an enclosed room, or veranda, about
twenty by twelve feet, and at once
coiled himself up, head erect, about
twenty by twelve inches from the
ground, and began to hiss loudly The
mongoose was small one Of hfs kind,
very tame and kind, but exceedingly ac-
tive. When the mongoose was put into
the rectangle it seemed scarcely to no.
tice the cobra; but the latter, on the
contrary, appeared at once to recognize
its enemy. 1t became excited and no
the bystanders, but kept constantly
looking at the mongoose. The mon
goose began to go round and round the
enclosure, occasionally venturing up TO
the cobra, apparently quite unconcerned
Some eggs being laid upon the ground,
IL rolled them near the cobra and be-
gan to suck them. Occasionally it left
the eggs and went up, to- the cobra,
within an inch of its neck, as the latter
reared up; but when the corba struck
out, the mongoose was away with extra
ordinary activity. At length the mon
goose began to bite the cOrbas tail, and
1t looked as if the fight would commence
in earnest. Neither, however, seemed
anxious for close quartz rs, so the en-
closure was narrowed. The mongoose
then began to give the corba some Sc
we're bites, but the corba after some
fencing forced the mongoOse into cor
ner and struck it with full strength on
the upper part of the hind leg. We
were sorry for the mOngoosc, as but for
the enclosure it would have escaped. 1t
was clear that on open ground the cOrba
Gould not have bitten it at all while. 1t
was the policy of the mOngoose TO eX
haust the corba before making close
attack. The bite of the oorba evidently
caused the mOngoose great pain, for It
repeatedly stretched out its leg and shook
1t, as if painful, for some minutes. The
corba seemed exhausted by its efforts,
and putting down its head tried hard to
escape and keep itself in a corner. The
mongoose then went up to it and drew
1t out by swapping at its tail, and when
it was out began to bite its body, while
the corba kept turning round and round
} striking desperately at the mongoose
but In vain.
When this had continued for some
time the mongoose came at length right
out IN front of the cobra, and after some
lodging and fencing, when the cobra
was in the act of striking, or rather
oready to strike out, the mOngoose, to
the surprise Of all, madea sudden spring
at the cobra and bit it in the inside of
the upper jaw about the fang, and in
STATELY jumped back again. Blood flow
ed in large drops from the mouth of the
cobra, and it seemed much weakened
1t Was easy now to see how the fight
would esd, as the mOngoOse became
more eager for the struggle, 1t contin-
ued to bite the body of the cobra, going
round it as before, and soon came again
in front and bit it a second time in the
upper Jaw, when more blood flowed.
This continued for some time, until at
last tne cobra being very weak the mon
goose caught its upper jaw and holding
its head down began to crunch it.
The cobra however, being Il strong
one, often got up again and tried teebly
TO strike the mOngOOse, but the latter
now bit his head and body as it pleased,
and when the cobra became motionless
and dead, the mongOose left it and ran
TO the Jungle The natives said that the
mongoose went to the jungle to eat some
leaves to cure Itself We did not wish
to prevent it and we expected it would
die, as. it was severly bitten. In the
evening, some hours after the fight, it
returned apparently quite well, and is
now as well as ever, 1t follows that
either the bite of the cobra is not fatal
to the mongoose, or that the mongoose
manages to cure itself. l am not dis
posed to put aside altogether what so
many intelligent natives positively assert
This fight shows, at any rate, how these
active little animals manage to kill pois-
onous snakes. On open ground snake
cannot strike them, whereas they can
bite the tail and body of the snake, and
wear it out before coming to close quar-
tiers. This mongoose did not seem to
fear the cobra at all, whereas the cobra
was evidently in great fear from the mo-
ment it saw the mOngOose. X. REID.