Fig. 40 in A History Of Herpetology At The American Museum Of Natural History

Fig. 40. Lure of the serpent: ''We be of one blood, thou and I'' (Rudyard Kipling). For some 40 years in the old Reptile Hall, this king cobra stared down a mongoose that was crouched behind a stone ''apparently realizing his inability to cope with this enormous serpent'' (Noble, 1927j). Relieved of the pesky mongoose, this venerable snake has spent recent decades in silent communication with admiring visitors in the newest Reptile Hall. Photographs are from 1977. AMNH Photographic Archives 67094, 67095.