Morning journal and courier., 1880-08-12

out My friends hand remained in a bad state for long while, but eventually healed
 so have adopted the belief that python bites
 are not fatal. Gunpowder is sometimes em-
 ployed as a curative agent; a little being sprinkled in the wound and exploded. It is supposed that this acts as does charcoal in burning out poison, only much more expedi-
 tiously. But the idea of exploding Sgunpow- der in a wounded limb is not pleasant and is apt to make one wonder how one's head would feel at the shock.
 TheTfearful venom of snake bite is fully
 seen in the deaths which occasionally occur
 amongst elephants. It is the general practice
 to letter elephants fore-feet at night and let
 them loose in the jungle. When lying down
 asleep they are sometimes bitten, and little poison from a small snake soon circulates
 through the massive beast, and results in death.
 As I was passing through the jungle on one
 occasion fearful odor assailed me- and I
 told the natives with me to make search for
 it. After awhile they came across 8 python
 in a state of coma. The stench was caused
 by the decomposing head of small deer which was in the snake's mouth. I should
 here mention that when large things of this kind have to be swallowed, the jawbones in snakes head dislocate, and so make room for far larger substance than the size of the reptile would lead it to be inferred could be taken in the mouth. This deer had small horns and had evidently been swallowed from behind, otherwise the horns would have somewhat impeded the passage The natives
 hold of the deer as it was feeding, wound it. self round the body, crushing bones and causing death, then strengthened out the fore and hind legs, and swallowed it. It was marvellous to think of this being done, and the python gaining the victory over 8 fleet
 and active deer. The snake scarcely gave any sign of life, and one of the people with me killed it with an axe. Then we cut the body open, and found the deer, which was rapidly decomposing.
 Narrating the occurrence afterward to a mahout (elephant driver), I was told that that was nothing in comparison with what snakes were able to do. I might remark here that if European in India expresses surprise at anything to a native, he is invariably given to understand that he has had but @ glimpse of the remarkable occurrences which take place in the country. The mahout I mention said it was nothing for snake to swallow a deer, and then entertained me with the following veracious narrative: "A herd of wild ele- plants was roaming through the country once, and after staying some while at salt spring began to pass on. One, however, very large animal, stayed little behind, be- ing in fact, the last to leave the spring. As he was hastening to join the others, a snake (who had been watching in an adjacent tree) threw it's body out as the elephant passed by, and keeping hold of the trunk of the tree with it's extremity, caught hold of the ele- phant's hind leg The monster stopped and turned around to see what was the matter; and by this the snake got better hold, and wound itself around the elephants body. Then commenced the tug of war The elephant saw what was the matter and began
 to pull But it could not disconnect the snake from the tree. Neither gave way, and the pulling continued with fearful vigor, un- til a cracking was heard. Suddenly the great tree around which the snake had fixed it's hold was seen to sway, and gradually it's la- ternal roots began to appear above the earth, the trunk to totter, and finally the topmost 1 branches crashed to the ground But the I most marvellous part was that the trunk, hay ing wide-spreading branches which rested on the ground, was raised great distance from the earth. The snake, which still maintained | it's hold on it and the elephant, was hoisted up with the trunk and took the elephant with | it. Next day party of villagers out for fire l wood, when a short distance from the tree, saw the novel sight of an elephant suspended (apparentlY) in mid-air. Upon closer ln- spection they found snake was the connect \ ion with the tree, and one man got through | the branches on to the trunk, cut through the snake, which immediately fell to the ground with the elephant and was crushed in the ! fa1l.'' This Hindoo legend needs no con- 1 ment.
 ] Snakes do not get on at all where pigs are kept; in fact the former are almost strangers l in the presence of the latter. Pigs are some 1 times bitten, but do not seem to die; they bite at, and eat snakes without ado, upon coming across them. Whether the sluggish circulation of swine's blood prevents the poison from taking visible effect, or whether I the thick coating of fat which generally finds place upon the frame of 8 pig prevents the snake poison from reaching the blood ves- | sels, I do not know; at all events pigs attack l snakes with impunity.
 l An old fashioned weather indicator in Eng 1 land was bunch of sea-weed hung upon the | walls of house to tell whether fair wet weather would be the order of the day. I
 have seen snake skins answer the same pur- pose, being stiff and dry when the sun was | out, and gradually becoming limp upon 8 [ storm approaching.
 Snakes lay their eggs in clusters of seven 1 or eight. Those have seen have been rath-
 CT smaller than pigeons eggs, and stuck to- l gether as though they had run one into the l other. I have heard of Sonthalis eating l them, but cannot say whether this is so. I ! should think it highly probable.