The danger which accompanies the bite of this reptile, its activity when
excited, the singularity of its form, and the gracefulness of its
action, combine to render it one of the most remarkable animals of the
class to which it belongs. When in its ordinary state of repose the neck
is of the same diameter as the head; but when surprised or irritated,
the skin expands laterally in a hood-like form, which is well known to
the inhabitants of India as the symptom of approaching danger.
Notwithstanding the fatal effects of the bite of these serpents, the
Indian jugglers are not deterred from capturing and taming them for
exhibition, which they do with singular adroitness, and with fearful
interest to the unpractised observer. They carry the reptiles from house
to house in a small round basket, from which they issue at the sound of
a sort of flute, and execute certain movements in cadence with the
music.
The animal from which our Engraving was taken is now in the menagerie of
the Zoological Society in the Regent's Park, and is probably one of the
finest which has ever reached England alive.
The Indian mangouste is described to be the most deadly enemy of the
cobra di capello, and the battles between them have been frequently
described.
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