MacNaughton,

"Fury" is a mild word to describe a peacock killing a cobra or a krait. The sheer size of the bird and the violence with which they kill some of the more dangerous snakes is what probably endeared them to Hindus and made them worship the birds.

A mongoose fighting a cobra is fast and quiet except for a few low hisses by the snake. The sight of a peacock killing a snake is punctuated with the typical peacock call and is spectacular to watch. The encounters have been filmed by several wildlife photographers and one features in one of the more famous Raj novels which was made into a film. I can't remember which one it was just now, but it will come to me some time and I shall post the name here for whoever wants to rent the CD.

Best wishes,