In the immediate neighbourhood of Madras, at Trivetoor, Washermanpetta, and Penimbore, are several snake temples, but one at Vasarapadi is the most famed. There are many sculptured snake stones, either of single snakes or of the two snakes intertwining in the fonn of the Esculapian rod, called amongst th e Tamil people Naga-ga-Jendratn, also the Nao-naga, or nine-headed snakes; there likewise are many cobra serpents living in the numerous ant-hills ; and every Sunday morning, two or three hundred tnen, women, and children attend there to worship, to return thanks, to offer milk, raw rice, camphor, the red lead, and cradles. All classes of Hindus come, but Brahman and Vaisya women are the most numerous. There, also, is a local deity named Rangam, whose chief priest, styled Kuri-chuli-kiravin, is a Yenadi.
The temple at Subramaniya, one of the highest peaks of the Western Ghats, is celebrated in the Hindu world. It is a square in form, with open cloisters on the four sides, end the sanctuary con tztiniug the idol Subba Rao is in the centre. Like most of the pagodas in Canara, it falls short of those in the Carnatic in point of architecture, but is substantial and neat, being built of laterite, sandstone, and gmnite. Many reptiles have taken up their residence within it, in holes made for the purpose. People front all directions resort to this sacred place during the December festival, to perform their vows, and make purchases at the extensive cattle fair held at the sante thne. Such persons as have made vows roll around the quad tangle of the pagoda, while others roll up to the pagoda from a river about a mile distant. These fanatics on their return home bring with them some earth taken out of the sacred holes within the temple. This earth is said to possess the virtue of rendering a barren woman fruitful if she daily puts it into her mouth ; and the leper rubs 'with it the part of the skin affected.
Snakes,' remarks Viscountess Faulkland, are really sensible to the charms of music. Educated snakes, who have been for some time in the hands of a snake-charmer, are of course more suscept ible than wild ones. But all have a taste for music, and will pay attention to any rather monotonous tune played on a flute or flageolet. This taste, by the way, is shared by many of the lizard tribe, by some pigeons, and very generally by hedgeho,gs ; at least,' she says, 'I have known three or four instances of it on the part of a hedgehog, kept in the lower storey of a house as an exterminator of black beetles and cockroaches. If after nightfall, when the hedgehog generally awakes and runs about in search of prey, he heard the sound of a violin or piano, he would always endeavour to make his way to the place whence the sound came, and if admitted into the room where the instrument was, he would stand en tranced as loag as the music continued.'
In many parts of India, after killing a cobra, the non-Aryan races give it all the honours of a cremation, assuring it, with many protestations, that they are guiltless of its blood, that they slew it by order of their master, or that they had no other way to prevent its biting the children or the chickens. A snake visiting a house is always looked on as a sign of luck ; and when a snake discovers how to get at the eg,gs and milk in the larder, no native will on any account kill what he regards as the good genius of the house.
In Ceylon, the rat - snake's domestication is encouraged by servants, in consideration of its services in destroying vermin. One day Sir J. E. Tennent had an opportunity of surprising a snake that had just seized on a rat of this description, and of covering it suddenly with a glass shade before it had time to swallow its prey. The serpent appeared stunned by its own capture, and allowed the rat to escape from its jaws, which cowered at one side of the glass in the most pitiable state of tretnbling terror. 'The two were left alone for some moments, and on his return to them the snake was as before in the same attitude of sullen stupor. On setting them at liberty, the rat bounded towards the nearest fence, but quick as lightning it was followed by its pursuer, which seized it before it could gain the hedge, through which he saw the snake glide with its victitn in its jaws.
The land-snakes often enter the water of lakes and tanks, and quest round their borders for frogs and other prey. Hydricke or sea-snakes are venom ous. They appear to live on sea-weed. They lay their eggs on the shore, and coil themselve,s up on the sand. They are found at sea all along the coast, within soundings, and their appearance always marks the approach to land. They are often thrown ashore by the surf, and they are ocatsion ally carried up rivers by the tide, but they cannot live in fresh water. Fishermen greatly dread these snakes. But they aro unable to open the jaws widely, and they rarely inflict a wound. Dr. Cantor believes that they are blinded by the light when removed front their OW11 element, and ho adds that they become sluggish and speetlily Those found near the coasts of Ceylon are gener ally small, from one to three feet in length, and apparently immature, and it is certain that the largest specimens taken in the Pacific do not attain to a greater length than 8 feet.. In colour they are generally of a greenish.brown, in parts inclining to yellow, with occasionally cross bands of black.