New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-03-28
TIE DEADLY HAMADRYAD.
A MILITARY CAMPAIGN AGAINST SNAKES IN
INDIA.
From The Philadelphia Times.

FROM ~. NO., interesting sights 10 the tourist
in India is the snakehouse in Madras erres nat
49, ~ every native reptile The vcnomous Grass
are kept separate. and the terrible hamadrya aoS
u aDan,iate all the other cages OF all the pois-
onous species he Is the most ssgressve ana deaug.
WI WI az dncSes loog
1t is January, the heat damp ana st n,a n run
r,ng along the glass fronts OF the houses pressing
their heads against the glass and LEAVING neson With
s.cen 70 Yanrs are overcharged The keeper VAL
show YOU PIT inok IN ,, x sJ %ied mucage
he j.; T rock python in the snakehouse thirty
four feet long one e., crush e e as cannon
MI WI ~ he hangs inert from tree branch and
the naive atse n So inert Is the hamadryad. AS
n,r ehadow falls on tae glass he makes
darr nnu Nothing but the quarter inch OF
SgSass saves one from death. Captain Kew, OF the
Madras nIan'ry saw MAN o" dropped his turban The
the sn,,nced on IT, coled and Bit and then re-
sumed its pursuit oi he na,,v boat Tao snake
nne t his heels, and was killed by strokes OF an
oar: ,od hos ahou, the same range as the
otns hnt rs bestknown habitat is the country OF
the Conds IN Cene,a h g. covered bv dense ,hckets
tains; Eeie @ and on these the snakes lie coiled.
The people were a invade their coverts until
no Names am"s Outram took things in hand He cap
tured some vi .' rnrns Of Conds who brought the
ana OIGhHI"1N akes remained.
district into supJtcuoi.' Sor,s ,,.ssinq through
and in 1870 reglheno " inIdf rom snake-bie
the district had nVe men n.,ier ., Cnndas n eeiment
In 1894 captain Ses, vi ,nod 20 have a snake bat
stationed at Inour, ue nd Two C;horkas-these
tie. With ihree coihPaitE,' ~ Tenaul are utterly
from the mountains ~ MI tho Uindoos
fearless OF VIII -, th.v s.arted A coil
stick to their officers TIL death-tey s. . nos
of wire netting five feet high and 2o feet long Tss
loaded on a camel and the parry s'aIteI t tao
Ghorkas armed with horbasnes, or stn '''
whips made OF buftalo moe aiu ,t So enor,nousv
The wild fig tree grows io" pu. , 20 ~ All -,
broad the limbs are as thck as a MAJ III si,a vas
cavities. and In these me snahes roI'' 81, IN
found on bare HILLSIDE, the hetuHs "a' - h'ah
circle. ard was saked last ID iIo 49, ~ 20 tb,cIet
road and nfty yaIdS away n,iiah az ra vine Allied
Through the wooo ran a. =, q, VS. nronosed 10 Are
with high reens, anu .I.,o :, ", t,,ga trunk near
one Of the men threw slo, 80 hiack and yellow
the road, ana IN an ihsa re a. 80 ..nnJ arm hold
band slid 10 the ground. nc iiidiI 800 ~
ing his Jacket In front In an instant tno ilaae ,.
dryad struck IT, dashng his head agihsr the mn
body and nearly Knocking MN 9oWii ch NE i,e5
fangs caught IN tne cioth anu "a" III ho strota ~
his whip and Iashne 'he s'o ras nieven foet long
q fall, the snake ueu ~. "a %. 70 Ia reckless
The men were no" cau,lon ,,IIah wss fred Under
and the dried grass IN tne iu -, ~ orase In the
the hot sun II quchiy sp!ea 1870 ~ enattnu and
forest ana every oie ~. hnoan m move sinu-
walled. soon Inc ioI,h tr. 81 rho e,noke Law
ously. and loud hlssNs va ~ sernents made for
dense uTder the uc."' ,nb,on ,beir long nointed
the open IN lelsui'Iy - "a crossinq oh
heads up, waving rom si'e ~ '' '
other in involved ioiIs, ,.h,,a q, ,ba un was