Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1890-06-19
The Cobra Stone.

I have often for hours watched cobras in
the grass catching the fire flies darting about
here and there, process wbich requires
considerable exer;ion on the part of the SER
pent Now, every entop1ologist knows that
the flying lampyrid;e consist entirely of
males The females, which are not very
numerous, are much larger and cannot fly,
as they have only rudimentary wings.
They sit quietly in the grass, emitting
greenish light, which is much stronger than
that OF the males, and fades and becomes
brilliant atregulsr intervals. liza aglow-worm
be watched for time 8 steady current OF
male insects will be observed flying toward
ie aud alghtng in close proximity.
Now it so happens that the nsja-Aaiiu,
this little pebble of ofchlorophans or fuorapar,
emiss in the dark greenish light, which
ia so much like that Of the female lampyris
that it is an easy matter to deceive the male
FREELY with it by setting it up as decoy.
The cobras have gradually come TO take ad-
vantage OF or experience made by them ac-
cidentaily. dare ssy, thousands of years
ago. 1t may frequently happen, for instance,
that cobra finds one OF thsse shining stones
In the gravel of the dry river beds. where
they are By DO means uncommon, baing at
tracted to it by its glow at night, and taking
it for g glowworm.
1t would then, at any rate, notice that the
frefies could be caught much more easily
and quickly in the neighborhood of that
shining object than anywhere else. and
would habitus,ly return 10 it. Several
cobras might thus c9me together, and there
would be competition, and from this mo-
ment to the finding cut that succsss in cap
turing frsflss depends upon The possession
of this phosphorescent pebble. and to the
seizing of it 10 order to prevent another
snake from monopolizing it, is, in my opin-
ion. go great step, and involves 40 excen-
tionsl powers of reasoning. Tho cobra car
ries it about, and soon learns to treasure it,
for it affords it sn easy means Of getting its
living All it has 80 do Is to deposit the
stone in tie grass at night, and the obliging
insects literally fly down its throat.
There ere even reasons for believing that
10 individual! experience is now necessary
to cause any cobra 10 act in this manner,
bnt that even young cobra, oD finding such
stone. will nstinctiyely take 1t up and use
it in the maoner 1 have described. For it
must be borne in mind that there is an In
herited race memory among the lower ami
mails which is often far more strong than the
memory gathered during the short time OF
the Individual. What causes blind kitten
to spit and put up ils back if dog is brought
near it II never saw dog-pever saw
anytbipg-yet it knows that there is some
danger ahead Thus the accumulated ez-
perience of the cobra's ancestors during
countless generations now causes it 10 acs
10 manner which we refer 10 instinct.
Such are the remarkable !uc's connected
with the nsja-ks.u, tho cobra's shining
stone Who can tell whether the old tradi-
ton of snakes carrying precious soues, of
which we stll 6ud traces in our fairy talee,
may not have their source in some such fact
as this ? Harper'S Magazine