Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1911-03-17
COBRA NOT A DEhnl i
Defeated by Crow In At+a,
Birds Nest-Feat of tn. :,
Charmer,

According to correspondent
Ceylon paper, the SpoiIa 7ou
the cobra Is not as dangerous =
as his popular reputation won,s
him. In at least two instan u
stead OF fascinating birds 49,
said that he saw cobras chs
birds. On another occasion ba ~ ~
ed the catching of cobra, ana
ed native make it dance, IN
instance did the snake seem
any surprising kind of pow0"
first case happened near Horon.
A group Of people wera 90
the top of a large breadfruit !
asked them what they wera =
at, and they told me that cro
fighting an intruder into its nol
uated at the very top of the trea
crow was circling at close cud
and pecking hard at the nest
loudly all the time. The nast
some 40 feet above ground
Presently snake came o,t
nest and started climbing down
tree, with q crow in hot pursuil
hind 1t, pecking at It all the tiD,|
snake kissing hard at every hlo,
took refuge about ten feet down
clump of dead ferns, from wbl1
was chased out by the crow II
from branch to branch until # ~
a large horizontal limb
stretched out about twenty feet
Here the snake was at great 4
vantage, as it could not turn rnol
crow. The latter seemed to knd
and It's tactics were excelIer
would peck hard near the snjna M
to the tail, and then peck mean
neck. At each peck pieces Of
snakes skin were torn out, and
snake would stop; but as soon Il
started moving, the crow wonld Il
at it again with extraordinary q,
of aim. After fully fifteen minute
the branch two large patches i
been torn out of the snake, which
evidently becoming exhausted
On another occasion two III
snake charmers came to my n
bungalow at Hanwella. They had N
snakes with them, and proceeded
make them dance, as usual. I stotI
them, and told them that had Il
all that before, and asked them vii
er they could compel wild 81
to dance, and if so whether they a
catch one for the purpose, OnS
them expressed his willingness ID
SO.
Ten days previously l had chase
cobra Of the species called by tha
tives "tom-tom beaten" that is,
black cobra with the red specta
mark on its hood. The Cingalesa
believe, think that they are reincaf
tons Of low caste natives. They
certainly fierce and more active 4
the common brown cobras.
I had noticed at the time that It Il
taken refuge in an ant hill near
edge of the paddy field which forN
one boundary of the new cleaN
upon which my bungalow stood, /
situated about two hundred feet II
it. l led the charmer to this ant
When I had assured him that snA
almost certainly occupied the hole
squatted down opposite to 1t
started blowing into reed pipe, VI 1
gave a sound similar to that Of 4
pipe.
After a long time, and when |
almost given up the idea OF the snR
being there still, the cobra protrqA
it's head about an inch out OF the
in order, presumably, to see what
going on. The charmer bounced
1t, and selling the head Of the sna
between his thumb and two fingers
that 1t could not open its mouth
pulled it out of the white ants
and brought it to the bungalow.
He then tried to make 1t dance
holding small piece of white
above it's head. The snake tried %
cape several times, but was oroq
back again, and ultimately was
duced to dance with its hood eXO
ed. So far as I could Judge, 1t was
same snake that / had noticed Dsl