Year: 1872

n Cobra-The Snake Defeated and


Killed by the Lemur.


From Nature. January III WeW NW
| The suake was a large cobra, four feet
ten and half inches in length, the most
formidable cobra have seen. He was
turned into an inclosed room, or verun


dah, about twenty by twelve feet, and al
once coiled himself up, head erect, bout
ten or twelve inches from the ground


and began to hiss loudly. The mon


goose wasa small one Of its kind, very
tame and kind, but exceedingly active


When the mongoose was put into the
rectangle it seemed scarcely to not ice
the cobra; but the latter, on the con
trary, appeared at once to recognize its
enemy. It became excited and no long er
seemed to pay any attention to the
bystanders, but kept constantly
looking at the mongoose. Th e
mongoose began to go roun d
and round the inclosure, occasionally
venturing up to, the cobra, apparently
quite unconcerned. Some eggs being
laid upon the ground, it rolled them near
the cobra and began to suck them. Oc-
casionallyit left the eggs aud went up
to the cobra, within an inch of its neck,
as the latter reared up; but when the
cobra struck out, the mongoose was
away with extraordinary activity. At
length the mongoose began to bite the
cobra's tail, and it looked as if the fight
would commence in earnest. Neither,
however, seemed anxious for close quar-
ters, so the inclosure was narrowed.
The mongoose then began to give the
cobra some very severe bites, but the
cobra, after some fencing, forced the
mongoose into q corner, and struck it
with full strength ON the upper part Of
the hind leg. We were sorry for the
mongoose, as but for the inclosure it
would have escaped It was clear that on
open ground the cobra could not have
bitten it at all, while it was the
policy of the mongoose to exhaust the
cobra before making close attack. The
bite Of the cobra evidently caused the
mongoose great pain, for it repeatedly
stretched out its leg and shook it, as If
painful, for some minutes. The cobra
seemed exhausted by its efforts, and put
ting down its head, tried hard to escape,
and kept itself in corner. The mon
goose then went up to it and drew it out,
byspappipg at its tail, and when it was
out began to bite at its body, while the
cobra 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 strik-
ing, or rather ready to strike out, the
mongoose, to the surprise of all, made a
sudden spring at the cobra and bit it
in the inside of the upper jaw about
the fang, and instantly jumped back
again. Blood flowed in large drops
from the mouth of the cobra,
and it seemed much weakened. 1t
was easy now to see. how the fight would
end, as the mongoose became eager for
the struggle It continued to bite the
body of the cobra, going around it as
before, and soon came again in front and
bit ii a second time in the upper jaw,
when more. blood flowed. This con-
timed for some time, until at last the
cobra being very weak the mongoose
caught its upper Jaw firmly, and holding
down its head, began to crunch it. The
cobra, however, being a very, strong one,