NCERT Book Class 6 English (Honeysuckle) Chapter 8 The Banyan Tree

THE BANYAN TREE 91

Before you read
8
l Have you seen a mongoose? A mongoose can
fight with and kill a snake. Look at the pictures
and read the lines given along with them.

The Banyan Tree

The fight of the cobra and the
mongoose is a classic drama often
seen in India, and the outcome is
largely the same. The mongoose is
not immune to the venomous bite,
but is faster and quicker in motion
than the snake. The cobra assumes
a posture of defence and attempts to
reach the animal by a sweeping
strike, but the quick-moving
mongoose jumps out of reach and
comes at the snake from another

direction, before the snake can
get into striking position again.
This constant movement tires and
discourages the snake, and the
mongoose is finally able to leap in
close and bury its teeth in the
snake’s neck, usually severing the
joints of its vertebrae.