bring it food were then its subjects. A Malay told me that he once saw this
operation, and that the birds fed it with insects. It is reputed to be a perfectly
harmless snake, and it is considered extremely lucky to keep one of the species
in one’s house, or even to see it. It is described as of a bright and glittering
blue^304 colour (biru bĕrkilat-kilat), and is frequently referred to in charms,
especially those connected with the Rice-soul ceremony, and is sometimes said
to spring from the egg of the chandrawasih or bird of paradise.
The cobra (ular tĕdong) is said to have a bright stone (kĕmala or gĕmala)^305 in
its head, the radiance of which causes its head to be visible on the darkest night.
A “snake bezoar” (guliga ular) is also said to be occasionally found in the back
of a snake’s head (?), whilst the snake-stone (batu ular) is carried in its mouth.
This batu ular is a prize for the possession of which snakes are not unfrequently
believed to fight, and appears to correspond to the pearl for which in Chinese
legendary lore the dragons of that country were believed to engage in mortal
combat. A Malay remarked to me that it was always worth while if one came
upon two snakes thus engaged to kill them both, as one of them was sure to
possess this much-coveted stone, which is said to confer an almost certain
victory upon its possessor.
Another species of “snake-stone,” which is said to be manufactured by Pawangs
from gold, silver, amalgam (of silver and gold), tin, iron, and quicksilver, is
called Buntat Raksa, and is said to be invaluable in case of snake-bite. It is
believed that this stone will adhere to the wound, and will not fall off until it has
sucked out all the poison. One of these stones, which was sold to me in Selangor
for a dollar, was about an inch long and oval in shape; it was evidently made of
some mixture of metals, and was perforated so as to enable it to be carried on a
string.
The ular gantang is said to be a snake, though from the description given it
would seem more likely to be some species of slow-worm or blind-worm. It is
only a “few inches” long, and is “black,” and there is said to be little if any
difference between its head and its tail. It is considered to be extremely lucky,
and when a Malay meets it, he spreads out his head-cloth or turban on the
ground, and allows it to enter, when he carries it home and keeps it.
To dream of being bitten by a snake is thought to portend success in a love