A COBRA AND MONGOOSE FIGHT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 17 September 1891, Page 4

A COBRA AND MONGOOSE FIGHT.

The Ceylon papers described a fight between a cobra and two mongooses which was witnessed by a number of residents of Colombo. It took place as an exhibition at i private house for some visitors. For a little time the mongooses were averse to attacking the cobra, though they ran round and round it inquiringly. The snake, which .vas a splendid specimen of the deadly cobra md beautifully marked, e.\hibited much llarm as soon as it saw them, and curled 'tself up ready to strike. After some time •he mongooses warmed to their work, and the fight began in earnest. Again and again i hey dashed in and seized the snake by the tail or lower coils of its body, jumping out of striking distance before the cobra could touch chem. Their agility in this respect was amazing. Tired out* with watching them run first one way round and then the other, making an occasional dart in and jumping as rapidly back again, a time came when the cobra failing to turn with sufiicient speed to face the mongoose, the laUersprang in, seized the snake by the back of the head, and killed it at once. On this occasion a number of , instantaneous photographs of the fight were '.aken while it was in progress.