Layard,§  saw  a  cobra  thrust  its  head  through  a  narrow  hole
and  swallow  a  toad.  "^With  this  incumbrance  he  could
not  withdraw  himself;  finding  this,  he  reluctantly  dis-
gorged the  precious  morsel,  which  began  to  move  off;  this

*Dr.  A.  Gunther,  "  Reptiles  of  British  India,"  Ray  Soc,  1864,  pp.
304,  308.
f  Dr.  Stoliczka,  "Journal  of  Asiatic  Soc.  of  Bengal,"  vol.  xxxix,
1870,  pp.  205,  211.
J  Owen,  "  Anatomy  of  Vertebrates,"  vol.  i,  1866,  p.  615.
§  "  Rambles  in  Cevlon,"  in  '•  Annals  and  Ma^.  of  Nat.  Hist.,"  2d
series,  vol.  ix,  1852,'  p.  333.
400  THE  DESCENT  OF  MAN.
was  too  much  for  snake  philosophy  to  bear,  and  the  toad
was  again  seized,  and  again  was -the  snake,  after  violent
efforts  to  escape,  compelled  to  part  with  its  prey.  This
time,  however,  a  lesson  had  been  learned,  and  the  toad  was
seized  by  one  leg,  withdrawn,  and  then  swallowed  in
triumph."

The  keeper  in  the  Zoological  Gardens  is  positive  that
certain  snakes,  for  .instance  Orotalus  and  Python,  distin-
guish him  from  all  other  persons.  Cobras  kept  together  in
the  same  cage  apparently  feel  some  attachment  toward  each
other.  *

It  does  not,  however,  follow  because  snakes  have  some
reasoning  power,  strong  passions  and  mutual  affection,
that  they  should  likewise  be  endowed  with  sufficient  taste
to  admire  brilliant  colors  in  their  partners,  so  as  to  lead  to
the  adornment  of  the  species  through  sexual  selection.
