THE SNAKES OF

SOUTH AFRICA
TH E I R V E NO M
A ND TH E

TR E A T M E NT

OF SNA K E B I TE

F . W . F I T Z S I M O NS ,
E TC .

T O R P OR T E L I Z A B E T H M U S E U M
D I R EC ,

M AS K E W M ILLER
“

T .

C A PE TO W N

[ Copyrzg/z t]
O TH E R B O OK S BY TH E S AME A U TH OR

TH E N A TU RA L H I S TO R Y OF SO UT H A F R I C A
( In Fo ur V o lu me s)

TH E M O N K E Y -F OL K OF S O UTH A FR I CA

THE H O U S E F L Y ,
A SLA YE R OF ME N
B IRDS T H E I R VAL U E TO MAN ( I n th e P ss )
re

Tlz ese books a re a ll p rof usel

y illu stra ted

P UBL I S E
H D BY

L O NG MA NS , G R E E N, A N D CO .

39, PAT E N OS T E R
R R OW, L ON DO N , E C
. .

W it r e to MR . T . MAS K EW M I LL E R Add l y S t , er e ree t ,

C ap e T o wn ( th e S o u th A f i ge t ) f p t i ul
r c an a n or ar c ars

NOV 1 5 196 5

1 0 2 2 0 99
PR IN E IN
T D GR E AT B R TA I IN BY W I LLI AM CLOW ES A ND S NSO , LI I E
M T D

N N
LO DO A ND B E CC L ES
 P R E F A CE

O UTS I D E the realm o f scie n ce li ttle i s k n ow n about s n akes a n d ,

still less o f their ve n om The most i nn oce n t s n akes are co n

.

fou n de d wi th the most ve n omous .

Beyo n d a few isolated co n t ributio n s to various j our n als ,

there i s n o curre n t li t erature o n the s n akes O f South Africa ,

their ve n om a n d the treatme n t of s n ake bite The K afi r a n d

, .

Hotte n tot tradi tio n s a n d beliefs have bee n h a n ded dow n a n d are
accepted as facts by Colo n ists he n ce erro n eous ideas a n d beliefs
,

prevail i n regard to s n akes thei r ve n om a n d the treatme n t of

, ,

s n ake bi te a n d i n co n seque n ce large n umbers O f useful lives are

,

cut Off a nn ually lives which i n the m aj ori ty of cases might

—
, ,

have bee n saved I have met ma n y people who have lost t heir
.

li v es or bee n more or less i n vali ded for li fe through the ig n ora n t

treatme n t applied for s n ake bit e A ma n of my acquai n t a n ce
. ,

i n Rhodesi a was bi tt e n o n the h a n d by a ve n omous serpe n t

,
.

His frie n ds immedi ately ligatured his arm i n several places ,

poured a q uart bottle O f whi sky n eat dow n his throat a n d the n ,

belaboured him u n mercifully wi th S j amboks wi th the view O f

keepi n g him awake the i dea bei n g that i f he were allowed t o
, ,

si n k i n to a st ate Of coma he would die ,

The ma n was six .

mo n ths i n hospi tal His arm owi n g to the lo n g -co n ti n ued appli
.
,

catio n O f t he ligature became ga n gre n ous a n d had to be

,

amputated The li n i n g membra n e of hi s stomach was severely

.

bur n ed a n d much of i t i rretrievably destroyed by the stro n g

,

spiri t a n d to -day t hi s m a n i s mi n us his right arm a n d is

, , ,

moreover a n i n curable dyspepti c

, .

Agai n the scie n tist Fo n t a n a n early a hu n dred years ago

, , ,

co n clusively proved that the outward a n d i n ward use o f

ammo n i a as well as i n j ecti n g i t direct i n to the vei n s w as
, ,

utterly useless as a curative age n t for s n ake bi te Y et from . ,

that time t o the prese n t day t he belief i n i ts a n tidot al power

,

i n cases of s n ake bite has bee n a n d is well -n igh u n i versal

, ,
.
vi TH E SN A K ES OF S O UTH A FRI CA .

Here i n Sout h A frica t he n ative populatio n for ge n eratio n s

past has had u n questio ni n g faith i n the a n tidot al effects o f
a subst a n ce k n ow n as isibib a Thi s belief is also commo n ly
.

accepted amo n g colo n i als Y et this subst a n ce whe n subj ected

.
,

t o a careful seri es O f experime n ts was proved t o be v alueless ,

as a n a n ti dote I n fact i t i n n o way ret arded a fatal issue

.
,
.

I f the results of these a n d ot her experime n ts had bee n co n

t ributed to a scie n ti fic publi catio n o n ly t hi s baseless belief would ,
‘
,

percha n ce n ot have bee n kn own b y th e public as such for a

,

ge n erat i o n or more .

The same argume n t holds good i n regard to the B oomsla n g ,

whi ch is a s n ake commo n all over South Africa a n d whi ch has ,

bee n u n iversally regarded as n o n —ve n omous or o n ly t o so slight ,

a degree as n ot i n a n y way to be feared by m an I f the results .

of the experime n ts whi ch di sproved thi s belief had bee n co n fi n ed

to a scie n tific j our n al or tech n ical book this popular belief would ,

n ot have bee n dispelled .

I have n ot e n larged upo n t he experime n ts whi ch I have co n

ducted from time to time duri n g m a n y years past except whe n ,

calcul ated to serve a useful e n d M a n y experime n ts were u n der

.

t ake n with a vi ew O f testi n g the accuracy or otherwise of asser

tio n s made i n lit erat u re bot h scie n t i fic a n d ot herwise i n regard
, ,

to the ve n om O f s n akes i ts n ature a n d e ffects

, .

The pio n eers of i n vestigatio n i n to the n ature of s n ake

ve n om were D octors F ayrer B ru n to n a n d Rogers i n I n di a ;
, , ,

a n d Dr Weir-Mi tchell i n America On t he fou n datio n lai d

.
, .

do wn b y t hese me n a n umber of scie n tists have bee n busily

,

buil di n g
.

I am f ully co n scious th at t he eru dite reader may co n sider I

have i n dulged i n unn ecessary repet it io n i n pl aces i n t his volume
t hat I have i n t roduced irrelevan t m att er a n d possibly b ee n ,

guilty of som e b an alit y However I woul d ask him if he

.
, ,

co n cei v es such a n Opi n io n t o b ear in m in d t hat a rel at ively

,

small perce n t age of t h e gen eral public receive a higher college

educatio n for st at ist ics S how t hat up t o t he p rese n t t im e ( 1 9 1 9)
,

8 0 p er ce n t O f t he E uropea n childre n i n Sout h Afri ca leave

.

s chool af ter passi n g St a n dard V an d t hat eve n in the more

.
,

adva n ced st a n dards n o n e O f t he subj ects writt e n ab ou t i n t his

book are t aught .

This work i s the outcome of ma n y years o f practical study

 PRE FACE .

of the s n akes of South Africa i n thei r hau n ts i n captivi ty a n d

, , ,

a lo n g series of experime n ts wi th their ve n om .

The maj ori ty o f the illustratio n s are from direct photograph s

O f livi n g s n akes a n d speci ally prepared a n atomical preparatio n s
, .

I f I should succeed i n arousi n g a n i n creased i n teres t i n thi s

bra n ch of N ature Study a n d i n stimulati n g others to e n large
the k n owledge collect ed my Obj ect i n wri ti n g this book will be
,

fully att ai n ed .

TH E A UT H O R .

P o rt E liz ab eth M u s eu m ,

1 919 .
 P R E F AT O R Y NOTE

ONE of the gre at O bstacles to a popul ar study of N atural History

i n a comparatively n ew cou n try i s t he abse n ce Of books speci ally
devoted to the forms O f life o n e e n cou n ters The n aturali st i n .

the older cou n tri es of Europe a n d i n the U n i ted States whether ,

i n terested i n birds reptiles fishes shells or i n sects has ready at

, , , ,

ha n d popular works beautifully illustrated describi n g all the

, ,

forms he i s likely to collect From these he readily attai n s the

.

satisfactio n of i de n ti fyi n g his speci me n a n d the n lear n s some

,

thi n g O i their habi ts a n d stru cture a n d thereby becomes stimu

,

lated to further e n deavour I n n ewer cou n tries s u ch k n owledge

.
,

eve n i f available i s i n such a form as t o be O f assi sta n ce o n ly to

,

the speci ali st n ot to the ordi n ary Observer wi th bu t a ge n eral

,

i n terest i n the forms o f li fe arou n d him .

The reaso n for thi s i s n ot far t o seek I n the n ewer cou n try
.

n ature stude n ts are few pio n eeri n g work h as to be do n e by them

,

i n the tech n ical descri ptio n o f t he ma n y n ew forms e n cou n tered ,

or t he trai n ed i n vestigator i s obliged by force of circumst a n ces

or from a se n se of duty to devote his abili ties to the ma n y pressi n g
questio n s of practical a n d eco n omi c importa n ce The more .

huma n cultural si de Of n atural hi story comes wi th the maturi ty

,

of a cou n try a n d flouri shes o n ly where some of i ts followers reach

,

t he st age of leisured rea di n g .

The di ffere n ce i s stro n gly e n forced whe n o n e e n deavours to

i n troduce the study of n ature i n to schools I n the Older cou n t ri es .

a crowd Of w riters have adapted the fact s of n ature to t he in

telligen c e Of the you n g a n d provi ded the teacher wi th material
arra n ged i n sui t able form A school literature of n atural
.

history becomes available I n the n ewer cou n tries the teacher

.

is at o n ce faced wi th the di fficulty of a n abse n ce O f facts a n d ,

u n less capable Of supplyi n g thi s from his own t rai n i n g a n d

experie n ce ca n make n o progress Before much advan ce c an
, .

b e made t he st ude n t of N at ure must have co n t ributed his share .

ix
x TH E SNA K ES O F SOUTH A FR I CA .

I t i s co n sideratio n s like the above which lead o n e to vi ew with

satisfactio n the productio n Of such a work as the prese n t devoted ,

to the populari zatio n of a group of a n imals famili ar u n fortu n ately ,

at times too famili ar to all i n South Afri ca For years the wri ter
, .

has made a speci al study of s n akes their habi ts a n d i n sti n cts ; a n d

,

has do n e much to popularize a ratio n al i n terest i n them a n d other

groups Of a n imals i n deed i t may t ruly be sai d that n o o n e i n
,

South Af rica has w i thi n rece n t years more successfully laboured

t o bri n g the facts O f N ature i n a n at tracti ve form before a people
n aturall y respo n sive t o t hem I t i s to be hoped that the book
.

will succeed i n stimulati n g a still wi der i n tellige n t i n terest i n thi s

speci al group of a n imals a n d also give e n courageme n t to t he
,

productio n of further works devoted to ot her groups These will

t he n serve as mea n s for i n t roduci n g N ature k n owledge t o the
ri si n g ge n eratio n i n a n attractive form as well as for supple
,

men tin g the experie n ce already gai n ed by t h ose o f more mature

age .

JE
. . D U E RDE N
.

R h o d e C ll eg e G h a msto w
s o ,
ra n,

Ca p C l n y
e o o .
 NOTE .

S O UTH A F R I CA i n a zoolo gi cal se n se i s that portio n Of Africa

, ,

south of the Z ambesi a n d Cu n e n e ri vers I t i s true the .

bou n dary i s a very artifici al o n e bu t i t i s co n ve n ie n t a n d serves

, ,

a good a n d useful purpose G reat n umbers of the species of

.

li vi n g creatures whi ch i n h abit various parts of South Afri ca also

occur further n orth .

The di stributio n O f each speci es of s n ake me n tio n ed i n thi s

volume i s give n so far as i t i s at prese n t k n ow n We are co n .

s tan tl
y ad di n g fresh localities t o S pecies o f s n akes Because a .

s n ake i s n ot recorded as occurri n g i n a n y give n place i t must ,

n ot be assumed that i t does n ot occur there There are .

ma n y portio n s of South Afri ca whi ch remai n well -nigh u n ex

plo red from a zoologi cal poi n t of view Si n ce the publi catio n
.

of the first edi tio n of thi s volume m an y n ew localities for s n akes

, ,

a n d several n ew species have bee n di scovered People who are

, .

reside n t i n the wilder parts O f South Afri ca ca n do much to further

our k n owledge O f the distributio n of South A frica n s n akes
by placi n g collectio n s O f them i n spi ri t a n d forwar di n g them t o
o n e of the publi c museums of the cou n try The G over n me n t .

permits all S pecime n s for the museums i n South Africa to be

carried free by rail or post .

The n ome n clature i n thi s volume is accordi n g to the cata

logue of s n akes i n the B ri tish Museum compiled by that well ,

k n ow n authori t y G A B o ulen ger

. . .

I t i s also from thi s source I obt ai n ed the scie n tific descrip

tio n s of the G e n era a n d Species w h i ch are i n the maj ori ty o f ,

cases copied verbatim

, .

I n gi vi n g the le n gths of the various species of s n akes a ge n eral ,

average of those measured has bee n t ake n I t i s n ot cl ai med .

that t he measureme n t s give n are t he maxi mum le n gths att ai n

abl e by a n y o i the South Afri ca n s n akes S n akes of the same .

X1
 TH E SN A K ES O F S O UT H AF RI CA .

s pecies di ffer materi ally i n coloratio n a n d le n gth i n the di ffere n t

parts o f South Afri ca especi ally so where climati c an d other
,

co n di tio n s are l argely dissimilar .

The Author a n d Publisher both wish to ack n owledge gratefully

their obligatio n s to the followi n g The British Museum ( N atural
H istory ) Authorities for the use o f a few illust ratio n s from t he
British Museum Cat alogue O f S n akes also for Dr B o ulen ger s
’
.
,

classificatio n list o f S n akes from the same source Messrs Blackie .

for the use of certai n illustratio n s from their Physiology ; Sir R ay

L a n kester a n d Messrs Co n st able a n d Compa n y L t d L o n do n ;
. .
,

Messrs F W War n e
. . . Co
.
,
for ki n dly allo w mg the use o f
illustrat io n s from their Royal N atural H istory Messrs .

Fu n k Wagn all for diagrams ; Messrs H arm sworth ; Prof

. .

”
Seeley for his pictures D rago n s o f the Air also Messrs .

”
H armsworth for illustrat io n s from t heir
,
N atural History ,

a n d C h ildre n s E n cyclop aedia

’
.
 C O NTE NTS .

CH AP TE R I .

Cl assi fi c ati o n an d E v l ti o
o u n of S na k es

CH A P TE R I I .

H i sto ry , D i t i bu ti o
s r n, a n d G en era l H a bi ts o f Sna k es 1 2 - 9
4

CH A P TE R III .

Th e B l in d B u rro w i n g S n a k es ( Typh lops m ) Li t Of th e an d Gla u co a . s

S o u t h A f i an s p c i h bi t o l o u ati o n a v e a g e l e g th a d
r c e es , a s, c r , r n , n
di st ib u tir Th S o u th A f i c
on . P y t h o n s t h ei r l if e h i st o y
e r an , r ,

d c ip ti o n a d v i o u s a ec d o tes
es r ,
n ar n 5 0 -9
7

C H A P TE R I V .

Th e A gl y p h a o r S o l id -t o o th ed n o -v en o mo u s sn k es
, L i s t o f th e n a .

S o u t h A f ri c n s p ec i es t h ei r h a b i ts c o l o u ra t i o n a v e a g l e g t h
a , , ,
r e n

a n d di s t i b u t i o n r 8 o— I I
4

C H A P TE R V .

O pi sth o glyp h a o r B a c k -f a n g d s n a k es a ll o f w h i c h a v en o mo u s
e , re .

T h ese s a k es a e in th e tran i t i o sta g o f f a g n d p o i so gl a d

n r s n e n a n n

d ev l o pm en t L i st o f th e S u t h A fri a sp ec i h bi t c o lo u
e . o c n es , a s, ra

ti o n a v era g e l en g t h a n d di st ib u t i o n
,
I I5 r —1
55

CH AP T E R V I .

Th e P o tero glyp h a o F ro n t-f an g d t ypi c a l ly v en o m o u s s a k es o f th

r r e n e
H yd ro p hin d E l a pi n ae S u b -f mi lies v iz t h
ae an Se S k s a , . e a na e ,

Co b s M am b as Co l S a k s G art e S a k es etc L i st Of t h
ra , ,
ra n e ,
r n , . e
S o u t h A f ri c a n s p ec i es h a bi t s o l o u at io av a g e l e g t h an d
, ,
c r n, er n

di stri bu tio n I 5 6 —2 I 2

CH A P TE R VII .

Th e S o l en o gl y p h a sec ti o n o f th e P ro tero glyp h a o r F ro n t-f a n g ed

ven o m o u s s n a kes v iz th e A dd ers a n d V ip ers — F a mily Vipemdw
, .
’

List f th S o e out h Af i sp c i es
r c an e , t hei r h a bi ts ,
l
c o o u ra t o n , i
av g l gth
era e en an d di st ib u t i
r on 2 1 3
-2
45
 T HE SN AK ES O F S O U TH A FR I CA .

PA GE
CH A P T E R V I I I .

S n a k e Ch a m e s r A P o t E li z ab et h S n a k e Catc h Can sn a kes

r . r er.

f asc in a t e t h eir p e y Wh at eal l y ha pp s H ero i sm o f b ird s

r r en . .

Wro n g c o n c l usi o n s C a p ti v e sn a k es a n d bird s P ara lysed

. .

w i t h f ea H yp n o ti s m
r . A d vi c e to Ca mp e s Ou t H o se h air
. r . r

ro p es S n a k es a n d t h eir ma t es
. Catc hin g li v e sn a k es H o w
. .

to c o l l ec t an d p reserv e sn a k es K afi r su p e sti tio s An . r n .

ex c i tin g in c i d en t F eedin g sn a k es o n li v e a nim a l s

. 2 4 6 —2 82

C H AP TE R I X .

H U MA N P H YS I OLOGY .

Th e b a i a d n ervo u s s y s t em
r n n Th e blo o d a d h o w it is m a d e
. Th e n .

c i n c e o f h ea l t h
s e A self-ac t i n g p um p E li xir O f li fe H o w w e
. . .

p o i o n o u r b l o o d Whi te c o rp u sc l es t h t eat u p di seas e

s . a

m i c o b es r Th e L y m p h an d L y m p h a ti c s
. H o w v en o m g ets in t o .

th e bl o o d 2 8 3 —3 0 8

CH A P TE R X .

AL L E G E D S N A K E B I TE CU R E s .

R esu l ts o f ex p eri m en ts w i th a l a g e n u m b o f so -c a l l ed
r er an t id o t es 30 9-3 4 1

CH AP TE R X I .

Po i so n a pp a ra tu s o f s n a k es . S n a k e v en o m its n atu re a n d ef fec ts

, 3 42
- 81
3

C H AP TE R X I I .

Th e S c i e tifi c trea tm en t o f sn a k e b i te
n P erm a n g an a te . of P o t as h .

R es u l t s o f E x pe ri m en ts S eru m T ea tm n t. r e
3 8 2 — 0
44

CH AP TE R X I I I .

L a t est S y st em ati c L i st o f S o u t h Afri c an S n a k es fo r th e u se of

M u seu m Cu rato s an d S c i en tifi c S tu d en ts B y
r . Dr . G . A .

B o ulen g er o f t h e B ri ti sh M u seu m 1 — 6 2
, 44 4

C H A P TE R X I V .

I te m s of S n a k e K n o w l dg e M i sc ell an eo u s I n fo rma t i o n
e . 6 — 80
4 3 4

I n d ex
I n d ex to I llu strati o n s
 A D D E ND A .

PAC E
A P R I M N T AT TH E G
. EX E NM N T V T I N A R Y R S A H
E S OV E R E E ER E E RC

L A O R ATO I S P E TO I A B R E , R R

B VE N O M
. TH S C H AA P S T K R
OF E E E

C MO E A O U T R I N G HA LS
. R B

D A B OOM LA N G B I T
. S E

TH E I S O L AT I O N O M A A G A CA R A N A U S T R A L I A F D S D

F P O T N C Y OF M A M A V N O M
. E B E

G AN A PH Y L A X I S
.

H I N TR A V N O U S V E R S U S S U C U TA N
. E U S I NJ TI N S UM B EO EC O OF ER

I TH . SALI N S LU T I N
E AN E M G N C Y M A S U
E O O . ER E E RE

J I N JE CT I N G AMM N I A F OR S N A K E B I T
. O E

K WH Y O S NA KE S F A N G D I FF R I N LE N G T H E X P E I M N TS
’
. D S E R E

L I T M S O S N A K E K N O WL G E
. E F ED

I LL U S T R ATI ONS I N A D D E ND A .

F IG .

A . Py tho n
B . B o o msl a g s in n ca g e at P o t E li z ab eth M u seu m
r

C . S c h a ap stek er s
’
h ea d a d f a gsn n

D . A h df l an u of S c h a ap st ek ers
E . k d y
H o m alo so m a g sn a e an o un

F Ri g h l C b sh m mi g d th
. n a s o ra a n ea

G R i gh l s C b
. w i th h
n d xp d d d
a o t t dra oo e an e an c o n ra c e

H Ri g h ls C o b a e i g
. n h w i g sid e d b a k v i w
a r r ar n , s o n an c e

I. B m l a g i n fl ti g it t h
oo s t n a n s ro a

J . w i t h b dy i fl at d o n e

K . d its gg an e s

L . h w in g l os v i w o f i fl t d s k d b dy
o c e e n a e n ec an o

M E gg -e ti g
. k d gg a n sn a e an e s
 T HE SNA K E S OF S O U TH A FR I CA .

F IG .

N H era ld
. lipp ed or ke aft sw all win g a l a g t a d
R ed- sn a er o r e o

O R i g h l C b a wi t h gg s
. n a s o r e

P F di g
. ee P fi A dd
n w i th m e t
a u er a

Q A m k b l C p Co b
. re ar a e a e ra

R A C p Co b
. a i th e
e t f h dd i g it
ra n ki ac o s e n s s n

S Cl w s a d b
. a s o f th
n u di m
one ta y h i d l g s f py t h o s
e r en r n e o n

T ( I ) O li v bl H o u s k
. e ac r
'

se na e

T ( ) D i tto
. 2

U . P ff A dd u act f stri k i g
er I n o n

V B li d B o wi g s
n k u rr n na e

W S ippi g 0 3 th e f g f P u ff A dd
n n an s o a er

X S k u ll s f ak s O sn e

Y ( 1 ) C l l ti g v o m f o m P fi A d d
.

. o ec n en r a u er

Y (2 ). D i t to
Y ( 3). D i tt o

Y ( 4) F di g a P fi A dd
. ee n u er

Y ( 5 ) A c a n i b l P fi A dd e
. n a u r

Z C t hi g a c k es o th
n ld
sn a n e ve
 TH E

S N A K E S O F S O U TH A F R I C A .

CH A P TE R L

CL A S S I F I C AT I ON .

S N A K E S belo n g to the great class Of livi n g creatures k n ow n as

reptiles which i n clude all the li v i n g orders o f croco diles turtles
, , ,

tortoises a n d liz ards The frog a n d salama n der orders are

, .
,

ge n erally speaki n g also reptiles but owi n g to cert ai n importa n t

, ,

differe n ces i n their a n atomy a n d breedi n g h abi ts they are

separated i n to a class called Amp hibia from the G reek word ,

”
Amph ibios which mea n s ,
leadi n g a double life because these ,

creatures live both o n la n d a n d i n water They c o n sti tut e th e .

li n k be twee n R ept il es a n d Fish es .

All li vi n g creatures are classified i n to classes orders sub -orders , , ,

ge n era a n d species accordin g to t hei r a n atomy All creatures

, , .

of the same species are practically i de n tical n ot o n ly i n their ,

a n atomy but also i n their habits I f a S pecies owi n g to various

, .
,

circumsta n ces such as a di ffere n ce i n food climate the prese n ce

, , ,

or abse n ce of e n emies etc should become slightly modified i n

, .
,

colouratio n or structure we term i t a variety or sub -species

, , .

For i n st a n ce our well-k n ow n Bushbuck ( Tragelap h us) has bee n

,

di vi ded i n to several sub -S pecies because i t i s fou n d to di ffer,

slightly i n colour a n d S hape i n the vari ous di st rict s of South Afri ca .

The B oomsla n gs or Tree S n akes ,

are i n every
case a n atomically similar but di ffer co n si derably i n the i r c o lo u ra
,

tio n eve n i n t he same distri cts They are separated i n to si x

,
.

varieties so i n describi n g them we refer to them as variety A

, ,

variety B a n d S O o n ,
.
2 THE SNA K ES OF S O U TH A FR I CA .

W HAT CLAS S I F I CAT I O N M E AN S .

To give a clearer i dea of what we mea n by classificatio n we ,

w i ll t ake the Boomsl a n g or Tree S n ake as a n example We will .

assume i t i s the first time I have see n or heard o f a B oomsla n g .

I kn ow at a gla n ce i t belo n gs to the Oph z dz a or s n ake order I

’ ’

exami n e it s de n t it io n a n d discover i t possesses a set of grooved

teeth lo n ger t h an the rest set a good way back i n the upper j aw
, ,

t herefore I know i t belo n gs t o the divi sio n of s n akes k n ow n as the

Op isth og lyp h a whi ch mea n s s n akes wi th hi n d fa n gs
, The n I .

cou n t t he n umber of t he upper a n d lower teet h a n d n ote t he

shape a n d n umber Of the shields o n the head a n d recko n the ,

n umber o f rows of scales rou n d the body After exami n in g .

the shape o f the head a n d body i ts colourat i on etc I i de n ti fy , ,

.
,

a n d classi fy i t as follows
O RD E R : 0 pkz dia
'

D I V I S I ON : Op isth og lyp h a .

FAM I LY : Colu brz dae

’

S U B -FAM I LY : D ipsa domorpkin az .

G E N U S D isph olz dus

'

S P E C I E S D isp h olidu s typ us .

C O MM O N N AM E Boomsla n g or Tree S n ake .

D I S TR I B UT I O N Tropical a n d South Afri ca .

Whe n a n y n ew t hi n g whether a microbe or a l arge creature

, ,

i s di scovered i t is carefully exami n ed a n d classified immedi ately

,
.

Wit hout thi s system of cl assificatio n i t would be impossible t o

make a n y progress i n scie n ce I n every departme n t of h uma n .

acti vi ty classificatio n i s n ecessary I f you we n t i n to a museum

, .

a n d wa n ted t o fi n d a cert ai n flesh -eati n g a n im al- a L eopard or

a Mu n goose for i n st a n ce — you would n o t look for i t amo n g the
,

hoofed a n imals or t he fishes Y o u would expect t o fi n d i t amo n g

.

the group o f creatures classified as Ca rn ivom .

A sy n o n ym i n n atural history mea n s a scie n tific n ame as of ,

a ge n us or a species superseded or discarded as by the law o f

, ,

priori ty .

Whe n a n y n ew creature i s d iscovered i t is gi ve n a scie n tific ,

n ame a n d recorded
, .

The recog n i zed scie n ti fic n ame for the Boomsla n g i s Dis

pho lz dus typ us but i t h as bee n n amed by various au t h ors
'

D isp h olidus la la n diz ; D en dropln s co lubrz n a ; B ucepkalus c apen sz s ;

’ ' ’ '
4 TH E S NA K ES OF SOUTH A FR I CA .

fi n d more highly -evolved creatures such as fish w i thout bo n y ,

backbo n es or b ackbo n es composed of cartilagi n ous matter

, .

These are kn ow n as the Si lu ri a n fishes O f which our prese n t -day ,

Shark Family is a n example .

As we slowly asce n d we fi n d t he fishes gradually becomi n g

more highly developed or speci alized a n d whe n we reach what
is k n ow n as t he D evo n i a n System or i n other words the ti me , , ,

i n the earth s history ma n y millio n s of years ago whe n the Old

’ '

F IG Th s
r — F ly i g R ptil s
e e a re g d D g o s T h y l i v d m ll i o s o f y s g
n e e or In e ra n e e i n ear a o
T h i f l m i s h v b f o d p s v d th oo liti o k s S o m o f t h m m s d
. . . .

e r o s s x re a n a e e en un re e r e In e c r c e e ea u re
8 f t oss h xp d d W i g s T h s Wi g d D go s d t h pt i l sto s of
.

1 ee ac r t e e an e n e e n e ra n an e re e anc e r
bi d s d o btl ss s p g f o m h s m o mm o s t o k vi z so m f o m o f F lyi g R ptil
.

r u e ra n r t e a e c n c e r n e e

( F o m E xti t A i m l s by S R y L k s t )
. .
,

a an er
’
r nc n a ll e .

Red Sa n dsto n e was deposited as sedime n t a n d formed i n t o h ard

rock we discover th e higher order of scaled fishes with re al t rue
,

backbo n es of hard bo n y matter These were t he first t o evolve .

real bo n y skeleto n s i e fo rms O f life wi th t rue backb o n es ,

. . .

Thei r a n cestors h ad soft S kelet o n s but were S lowly evo lvi n g ,

a bo n y st ru cture We fin d t oo i n the Siluri a n pe ri od .

, ,

al ready referred t o that the creatures w e call Siluri a n fish

abou n ded a n d that these fish were t he li n k betwee n the t rue
,
 E V O L UTI ON O F RE PTI L ES .

m ailed or scaled fishes wi t h backbo n es a n d their more remote

a n cestors of the Ordovici a n Epoch .

L ater we fi n d some of the de n i ze n s of the ocea n begi nn i n g to

t ake t o la n d a n d developi n g reptile characte ristics a n d through ,

out that vast stret ch O f time k n own as the Carbo n i ferous Period,
,

whe n what is n o w c o al was

li v i n g vegetatio n upo n t he
surface of the Earth the ,

reptiles were slowly but

surely evolvi n g from Am
phi bia n s t o t rue reptiles
O f a higher order Whe n .

we arri ve at the Mesozoi c

Pe riod we fi n d fossil re
mai n s i n more or less pro
fusio n o f great drago n -like
re tiles so me of whi ch were
p ,

n early a h u n dred feet lo n g .

These fossil remai n s have

bee n pu t toget h er a n d ,

are n ow to be see n i n
some O f the great mu F IG Th f oss il m i s of l
2 — bi d k o w e re a n a re a r n n as
L i z d -t i l d bi d t
. .

seu ms i n Europe a n d th A h
f o d i th S l h f li m s t o o f B v i
un
pt y
e I w ar
n e
a e
o en
r
o en
or rc
e
e o
ne
er x .

a ar a
as

T h i s s t t o f o k d t s b k t o th J ss i
.

Ame ri ca .

P i o d t h f o th b i d liv d th s fer
ra a
e re
r c
re e
a e
r
ac
e on
e
e
u ra
u r ac e
c

I n the Tertiary Period o f th t h m illio s o f y s g T h i s i ,

e e ar n ea r a o. s a
mo t t t h th F lyi g R pt i l s
re re c e n c re a u re an e n e e

the reig n of mammals b t s t i ll t i i g ptil i h t is ti s ,

u re a n n re an c a ra c e r c

f t h d Th b k
.

Th A h w pt y w e rc o er x as ea ere e ac
proper begi n s a n d t he large b o ho w v d o s t t mi t t th oo t
.

n e, e er, e no er na e a e r
,
o f th t il lik th bi d s o f t o d y b t xt d s e a e e r a u e en
reptiles were superseded by th ti l gt h th f t h s j tti g t t th
e en re en e ea er u
,

n ou a e
S i d s F o m s p i m i B li M s m e r
,

ec en n er n u eu
large m ammals such as the
. .

Arsi n oi therium Din o c ero s Tetrabelodo n Three toed Horse a n d

, , ,
-
,

o thers Asce n di n g higher i n to the most rece n t strat a k n ow n as

.

t he Plioce n e we fi n d the fossil remai n s of such a n imals as the

,

Mastodo n Woolly R hi n oceros I ri sh D eer G i a n t Sloth a n d Mam

, , , ,

moth t he i mmedi ate desce n da n ts O f which are n ow li vi n g upo n

,

t he surface Of our E arth As the ages roll o n ma n y of the species

.

of a n imals n ow li vi n g will i n tur n be come exti n ct some of thei r

remai n s will be covered up a n d serve as evide n ce to future races
of me n These creatures wi ll however n ot be replaced by higher
.
, ,

forms of their ki n d for ma n will eve n tually overru n the whole

,

of the habi table earth a n d all the l arge fau n a w ill either become
,

exti n ct or be domesti cat ed for m a n s use or pleasure ’

.
6 THE SNA KES OF S O UTH AFRI CA .

R E P TI L E S L I V IN G AN D E XT IN CT .

As far as we k n ow there have bee n n i n e great orders of

‘

reptiles fi v e O f whi ch are exti n ct leavi n g o n ly four orders still

, ,

e x isti n g.

( 1 ) Crocodiles
.

( 2 ) D i n osaurs ( exti n ct )
.

( 3 ) Flyi n g D rago n s ( exti n ct )

.

( 4) Tortoises a n d Turtles .
E V O L U TI ON OF REPTI L ES .
THE SNA K ES OF SOU TH A FRI CA .
 E V O L UTI ON OF REPTI L ES .
9

R E L ATI v E L N G TH S E OF E POCH S .

T E RT I A RY 6 ft P LAT E I I T h i s di g m giv s o g h a ra e a r u
1 0 0
id of h st of h t h Th s t i o
.
.
.

ea t e c ru t e ea r e ec n

m d P C mb i i s p tly o m p os d o f
.

na e ro - a r an ar c e
t h e i g o s fi fo m d o k s T h i s h
ne u re - r e r c is t e
b s b o tt o m s t t B l o t h i s i w h it
.

a e or ra a . e w s e

U A ft ho t li q id l v u a a .

J R S S IC 50 0 0 .

Th C m b i i s s t ti fi d o k I t w
.

e a r an ra e r c as
f o m d ft h t h w oo l o g h f
.

r e a er t e ea r as c en u or
th e gssi h a e t o o d s d f ll
n t e ai r c n en e an a as
T RI A S S I C 30 0 0 ft w t a er o n h t h T h i s w t fo m d h
t e ear a er r e t e
o s S t t ifi d o t h wo d s S d i
.
. .

c ea n ra e or in er r e
m t y Ro ks m d by S d S i lt O o z
.
,

P E RM I A N ft en a r c are a e an e,
. 1 5 0 0 .

e ct f lli g t o th b o tt o m s o f o s l k s
a n
,

e
,

c e an
,

a e
d iv s t h i s C mb i fo m t i o w , ,

an r I er n a r an r a n e
fi s t f o ms o f o g i l i f s h
.

fi d h
n t e r r r an c e, uc as

A RB ON I F E ROU S t h e v y l o w s t typ s o f q t i
er e t s e a ua c c rea ure
Th i s t o f v g t ti o fi sh ptil
.

C .
e re no rac e e e a n, re e,

ft .
bi dr , im l li f
o r an a e .
,

E ar li s t ptil s L g mp h ib i s an A s w t th O d o vi i w fi d foss il
e en er e r c an , e n
m i s of M i S o pi o s C b s d oth
e re e . ar e a .

t o 3 milli o y s g
2 0 0 n ear a o .
re
C stru
a n
s b
a c ea n fi sh l d lif ,
ar n e
ut no
c r
o r an
n ,
ra

e.
,
an er

P o di g t o h S il i w o m oss
r cee n t e u r an , e c e ac r

VON I A N 4 ft t s o f h i g h f o ms o f o
race lif s h
er r c ea n e, uc as
S il i F i sh s A s w m g i t o h
DE . 0 0 0 .

t h e ur a n e e e er e n t e
D vo i di s o v f oss il m i s i
.

E arli s t mp h ibi s L g fi sh s G o i d
e a an , un e , an
e
b d
w
n an
o f th h ig h s l d fi sh s wit h
e c er re a n n

fi sh s e .
a un
ru e
an c e
t b kb o s d h d s k l t o s S t i ll
ac ne
e
an
er
ar
ca e
e e n
e ,

t o 4 mill i o y s g p o di g p w d w t th g t C
.

3 0 0 n ea r a o. r c ee n u ar e e n er e rea ar
b on if P i od I t w d i g t hi s E po h
ero us er
,

as ur n c
t h t th s f o f th l -d w o v d Wi t h
.

a e u r ac e e an as c ere
a v s t -g o w t h o f pidl y g o wi g v g t ti o
a r ra r n e e a n
o f f l i k d moss y t
ern e an n a u re .

P i mi tiv fi sh s
r e e All v g t ti o g w w it h f g s -l i k
e e a n re un u e
pid i ty w it ho t y p i o d s o f s t f
.

40 t o 5 mi lli o y s
0 n ea r ag o .
ra
th w ere lt t ho t d o ld s so s
,

e re n o a
u
ern a e
an er
an c
re
ea
, or
n
th en Th t h it s l f d h w t s w
e ea r e an t e a er e re
d st m i g ; th h gd
.

w m ar an i w ea n e a r as c ar e
w it h w m w t v po
O RD O VI CI A N .
ar a er a ur .

ft T h i s v g t -ti o liv d di d fo m d t h i k
e e a n e e r e c
l y s d t o d y w d i g i t p o l -d
. , ,

a er an a e U as c a an
E li s t v t b t s
ar e er e ra e b i t I t p s t s so m h s t o d p
urn
,

re re e n uc re u
h t gy d s sh i T h i s h w th
. .

5 0 t o 6 5 milli o y s n ear ag o .
a
ea
ll w i s C
-
,
e n er
t o p o vid d f
e rea
,
an
ds r r
un
e
n e.

o r o ur n ee
is o
.
e

D i g th C b o if o s P i o d th fi s t
ur n e ar n er u er e r
l d i m l s b g t o v o lv i h sh p o f
an an a e an e e n t e
,

a e
A mp h ibi s w h i h d v l o p d l t i t o t
an c e e e a er n rue
re ptil s e .
,

A s w p ss p w d t h o g h h o t h
e a u ar r u t e er
l y s t o h E t h s s f w fi d pt i l s
a er t e ar
’
u r ac e , e n re e
In v tb ts
er e ra e
‘
g d lly
ra ua l mg i t o w m bl oo d d
ev o v n ar e

to 8 m i lli o y s i m l s s h b i d s d m mm l s
.

65 0 n ea r ag o . an a , uc as r an a a .

Th mos t e t h f po w o ld
rec en e u n o ur r is

M an , h M s t pi
t e H i ah l t st p er ec e e s t e a e ro
d t io d h h ig h s t T o -d y h i s v y
.

uc n , an t e e a e er
l o w ly i o mp i so t o wh t h w ill b i g s
.

n c ar n a e e n a e
t o om c e .

A RC H/B A N O R I t m st b l ly d s t oo d th v i o s
u e c ea r un er e ar u
P RE - A
C M B RI N A s t ti fi d o k s d o
ra e w li
r c v ly o v no t no e e en er o n e

Ext t k ow
.

an o t h ll o v h
er a t h Th y mo
er t e e ar e a re re
en un n n.
l ss b o k t l t d k d d ph v d
.

or e r en , i e c ra c e an u ea e

N o g i lif by h i t s i o d p ss o f mo lt o k
, ,

t e n ru n an re u re en r c
o r an c e.
f o m b l o w d h t l sh i k g d t o
r e an t e n a u ra r n a e ue
h p o g ss i v h g of h E th s st
,
'
t e r re e co o n t e ar c ru .
1 0 THE SN A K ES O F SOU TH AFR I CA .

(5 )Pleiso saurian s ( exti n .ct )

L i z ards a n d S n akes.

-li zards exti n ct

( 7) Fish ( )
Beaked L i zards or Tuat eras .

-hke Reptiles exti n ct )

( 9) M amm al ( .
 CH A P TE R II .

H I S TO R Y AND D I S T R IB UT I O N OF SN A KE S .

IT is from the history of t he st ratified rocks of the Earth ,

a n d t he cou n tless n umber of fossil remai n s o f a n imal a n d v eg e

t able li fe which are treasured up wi thi n their subst a n ce t hat we ,

k n ow t hat li vi n g creatures exi sted upo n this e arth millio n s o f

years ago .

Fossil remai n s of s n akes have bee n fou n d i n t he later Cre

tac eo u s a n d early Terti ary pe riods i n the world s history
’
.

The fossil remai n s of a s n ake twelve feet lo n g of the Pytho n ,

family was u n earthed at Step n ey [L o n do n ] Remai n s of exti n ct

,
.

S pecime n s of Boa Co n stri ctors twe n ty feet i n le n gth were fou n d

at B rac klesh am The backbo n es are perfect They belo n g to

. .

the fossil ge n us P a lwophis I n later deposi ts duri n g the Tertiarv

.

Epoch fossil remai n s o f a ve n omous s n ake were di scovered

,
.

I n t he lower Terti ary deposits of North Ame ri ca the fossil ,

remai n s of great n umbers o f s n akes have bee n fou n d .

I n t he Wester n St ates o f America t he remai n s of di ffere n t

species of Boa Co n strictors a n d other ki n ds of s n akes have bee n
brough t to light i n t he freshwater Eoce n e deposits .

Fossil s n akes have also bee n disco vered i n the Terti ary deposi ts
o f I n di a Portio n s of t he backbo n e a n d head o f a n exti n ct
.

species of Pytho n ( Gig an toph is g arstim ) h ave bee n dug up From

’

t he size o f t he fossil remai n s i t is estimated this species of Pytho n

at tai n ed a le n gth of fifty to sixty feet a n d i s the largest serpe n t
,

so far k n ow n .

The Cretaceous strat a o f rocks whe n n ot pushed up by volca n ic

,

eruptio n s earth moveme n ts or disclosed by weat heri n g etc are

, , , .
,

a t a dist a n ce o f abou t 2 6 0 0 feet below the Earth s surface The ’

.

time i t took for their format io n ca n be roughly estimated at about

two a n d a hal f millio n s of years I t is estimat ed to be over 8
.

millio n s o f years ago si n ce these rocks were deposi ted as mud a n d

1 2
 H I STOR Y AND D I STRI BUTI ON . 1 3

ooze at the bottoms of rivers lakes a n d ocea n s I n the rock

, , , .

strat a below t he Cret aceous we fi n d n o traces of fossil s n akes ,

so we n aturally co n clude t hat s n akes were evolved from reptiles

th legs about this period or Epoch i n the history of the Earth
, , .

From Cretaceous times up to the prese n t s n akes have evi ,

den tly bee n o n the i n crease n ot o n ly i n n umbers but species , , ,

j udgi n g by the comparatively few fossil s n akes fou n d There .

are at prese n t about 2 0 0 0 species or ki n ds of s n akes scattered

over the cou n tries of the world with the exceptio n of New ,

Z eala n d where they have n ever bee n k n ow n t o exist

, S n akes .

are most abu n da n t i n the t ropical a n d semi -tropical portio n s of the

globe i n distri cts where forests a n d ra n k veget atio n abou n d for
, ,

i t is there they fi n d a n abu n da n ce of food a n d suitable shelter as ,

well as the n ecessary warmt h to quicke n their sluggish vital i t y .

Exti n ct S pecies o f s n akes of the Cobra family have bee n fou n d

i n the L ower Mioce n e ro cks i n G erma n y Others of n o n -ve n omous .

species have also bee n di scovered i n the same formatio n I n .

Turkey a n d Ameri ca fossil remai n s of s n akes of the Crotali n e

sub -family have bee n u n earthed .

S N AK E S AND L IZ A RDS .

I n outward appe ara n ce t he limbless lizards resemble s n akes

i n possessi n g t aperin g s n ake -like bo di es a n d bei n g destitute of ,

legs Nobody would mist ake a lizard with legs for a s n ake ;
.

but to those people who have n ot made a study of the a n atomy

of s n akes a n d lizards those lizards whi ch are desti tute of legs are
,

i n vari ably mist ake n for s n akes .

The ge n eral appeara n ce of a n y ordi n ary s n ake is such that

a perso n of average i n tellige n ce wi ll immedi ately recog n ize i t
correctly There are however families of s n akes k n ow n as the
.
, ,

Typ p id a n d G m which are very worm -like in

' '

kl o i ce la u co z dw ,

appeara n ce a n d might easily be mist ake n for legless lizards or

,

worms I n fact t he older n aturalists classified them as lizards

.
,
.

S n akes di ffer from lizards i n t he followi n g ways

( 1 ) The two parts of t he lower j aw are at tached i n fro n t by
el asti c ligame n ts permi tti n g t he separatio n of the tw o halves of
,

the lower j aw for the purpose of permitti n g large prey to be

,

swallowed I n the lizards these bo n es are solidly u n i ted i n

.

fro n t .
1 4 TH E SNA K ES O F S O U TH A FR I CA .

( 2 ) The upper j aw a n d p alat e i n the vast maj ori ty of s n akes

are more or less movable w h i ch wi t h the di ste n sible lower j aw
, , ,

all ows t he s n ake to swallow comp aratively l arge pre y .

( 3 ) The to n gue ca n be completely wi thdrawn i n to a sheat h

i n the mouth .

( 4) The prese n ce of additio n al articul atio n s to t he vertebr ae .

( 5 ) No s n akes possess movable eyeli ds There is a fixed tra n s .

pare n t S c ale over the eyeba ll .

( 6 ) S n akes have n o exter n al ope ni n g to the ear .

( 7 ) L arge t ra n sverse shields are o n t he u n derpart of the body

o n the grea t m aj ority of s n akes These are n ever pres e n t o n .

legless lizards .

EY E S E A R S , ,
AND TON G U E S OF S N AK E S .

S n akes h ave n o eye lids The eye i s protected i n fro n t by a .

tra n spare n t scale — in appeara n ce like a wat ch-gl ass— whi ch i s

firmly att ached t o t he surrou n di n g s ki n The eye is t hus .

shielded from all exter n al i n j u ry u n less o f course this wi n dow , , ,

pa n e gets broke n The eyes t hemselves are movable to a

.

limited ext e n t L ittle gl a n ds secrete tears w h i ch are for the

.
,

purpose of lub ricati n g the eyes the flui d bei n g dr ai n ed o ff i n to ,

the cavi ties o f the n ose by two li ttle cha nn els or ducts Odd .

coloured eyes are sometimes see n i n s n akes Thi s i s parti cu l arly .

n oticeable i n the house s n akes ( B oodo n ) .

The ears of s n akes have n o exter n al ope n i n g bu t be n eath the ,

ski n i s a n i n tri cat e mech a n ism which registers the S ou n d -vibra

tio n s a n d co n veys t hem to the brai n a n d i n spi te o f hav i n g n o
exter n al ear ope n i n gs s n akes have very fai r heari n g They hear
, .

mai n ly by vibratio n s ca rried through some solid subst a n ce such

as t he grou n d Sharp high -keyed sou n ds have a n exciti n g e ffect
.
,

u po n s n akes The to n gues of most s n akes are black except

.
,

towards the root portio n which is flesh colour I n a few i t i s , .

fleshy or red I t is bifid which mea n s forked The to n gue i s

.
,
.

exceedi n gly se n sitive a n d i s used m ai n ly as a feeler I t i s qui te

, .

”
i nn oce n t o f a n y sti n gi n g powers Whe n at rest i t i s .

co n tracted a n d wi thdraw n i n to a sheat h i n the ce n tre o f the

,

lower j aw .

A few days previous to t he ski n -sheddi n g process t he eye ,

scales become opaque a n d the s n ake i s temporarily bli n d bu t

, ,

ca n fi n d i ts way about fairly well by mea n s of i ts very se n si tive

F IG 8 — 1 A i m l L dd o f L if sho w i g th g d l d v l o p m t o f o
Th e n a a er lif t o A mp h b i s
e, n e ra ua e e en cea n e i an

ptil s bi d s d m mm l s ( Ch ld E y l p di ) W h th t s of h o b g to
. . . .

’
re e r an a a i ren s nc c o e a en e c rea u re t e c ea n e an

t k t o l d h bit s i t s ms t h y divid d i t o tw g t b h O b h l d h M- mm l s
, , .

a e an a ee e e n o rea ra n c es ne ra n c ev o ve t e a a

s h th K g oos A t l o p s d Ap s M mm l s ,

tu s wh i h m bl oo d d
.

uc as e an ar n e e w an e a a are c rea re c are ar e

d s kl t h i y o g Th o t h b h v o lv d f o m A mp h b i s t o C o o d l s T tl s
, .
,

an uc e e r un e er ra n c e e on r i an r c i e ur e
L i z d s S k s d l s tly bi d s
. , .

ar na e an a r
T h i s i o mmo S o t h Af i L i z d w h i h h l os t it s l g s I t h tw t i y dim t y f t l g s
, , .

2 s a c n u r c an ar c as e as o n ru en a r ro n e
Th b k l g s h v v i sh d O d i ss ti o p lvi s o ly i fo d _ th i t
. .
.
,

T h s
.

e ac e a e than e h nd ec n, e e n s un i z ar is I n e n er

m d y s t g o f d v l o pm t b tw l iz d d s k T h o t h o mmo S o b t h
. .
'

e i ar a e e e en e e en a ar an a na e ere is an er c n u

Af i L i z d ( A ti md g i ) w hi h b o w s i h g o d J? h l os t ll v s tig o f l gs
.

r c an ar con as ea r s c u rr n t e r un as a e es e ut

d i m t y p l v i s s h o ld gi dl d mo v bl y h d so t i s s t ill ll d L iz d
. ,
,
h as a ru en a r e , u er r e , an a e e e s. I ca e a ar .

I S
 1 6 TH E SN A K E S O F S O UTH AFRI CA .

to n gue I have satisfied myself o f thi s o n ma n y occasio n s by

.
,

observi n g captive s n akes At t hese times whe n touched s n akes

.
,

lu n ge out wildly wi th gapi n g j aws but owi n g to their semi -bli n d ,

co n ditio n their aim is n ot accurate .

Whe n molested a s n ake darts out a n d vibrates i ts to n gu e

, ,

evide n tly wi t h the purpose of i n timidati n g i ts e n emy .

S n akes shed the ou t er l ayer or h or n y Epi derm of the s ki n

several times a nn u ally diffe ri n g i n freq u e n cy with t he S pecies
, ,

a n d the abu n da n ce or otherwise of food Capt ive s n akes which .

refuse all food usu ally moult o n ly o n ce although they may

, ,

survive a year before dyi ng u lt irn a tely of s tarvati o n The .

F IG 9 —Ca s t ski o f h d
n ea an d ne ck o f s k No t i v t d
na e e n er e e ye s l s lik
ca e e wa t h gl ss s
c a e
w it h o v si d pp mos t
. .
.
,

c nc a e e u er .

m oulti n g process usually begi n s a few days aft er bi rth a n d c o n

tin ues through out h fe The ski n peels o ff more or less e n tire
. .

The sheddi n g or casti n g of t he old ski n be gi n s at the lips .

The ski n arou n d the mouth curls up a n d by pushi n g itself agai n st ,

twigs crawli n g through tufts o f grass etc t he s n ake gradually

, , .
,

draws i tself right out of i ts ski n This comes off i n side out li ke .
,

a tight glove bei n g pulled o ff t he ha n d from the wrist portio n .

The cast ski n i s ofte n perfect without a crack tear or loss o f , , ,

a S i n gle scale — eve n the tra n spare n t eye scales come away The .

mai n reaso n why s n akes c ast their s ki n s i s to provi de for i n creased

growth The ski n of a s n ake does n ot grow wi th the growth of
.
 C HAN G I N G TH E S K I N . 1 7

the body as i s the case wi t h warm -blooded a n imals So whe n i t

, .
,

begi n s to get too tight i t i s discarded Wi th fully adul t s n akes

, .
,

i t is ofte n t hrow n o ff whe n i t gets shabby dirty a n d i n j ured , , .

N aturally before the old ski n i s shed a n ew ski n has formed ,

be n eath a n d the s n ake o n emergi n g from i ts old coveri n g looks

,

clea n silky a n d bright t he marki n gs a n d colours showi n g up to

, ,

perfectio n The n ew ski n for some hours after i s thi n soft a n d

.
, , , ,

se n sitive particularly so immedi ately followi n g the casti n g process

,
.

I t ried o n ce to assi st a captive s n ake to shed i ts ski n but somehow ,

F IG I o — A B oo ms l g i th
an n e ac t of ca s ti g i t s s ki mo gs t th b h s o f
n n a n e ra n c e a t ree . Th e
s k s t il t y t b w it h d w f o m th o ld s ki
. .

na e
'
a -en d h as no e e en ra n r e n .

pulled the S ki n i t was casti n g too fast or clumsily which resulted ,

i n t he n ew ski n be n eath bei n g badly tor n a n d exposi n g the flesh ,

.

The old ski n whe n bei n g shed i s n ot actually loose The

’
, ,
.

operatio n of sheddi n g the ski n i s S imilar to pasti n g dow n a st ri p

of ribbo n with a stro n g adhesive a n d slowly peeli n g i t o ff agai n ,

before i t is dry The old S ki n of the s n ake adheres closely to the

.

n ew o n e be n eath but seems t o peel o ff very easily

,
S n akes in .

captivi ty should have tufts of grass bu n dles o f twi gs or loose , ,

sto n es i n their cage to provide t he n ecessary frictio n al resista n ces

i n the S ki n -casti n g process .
 GG S S NA K E S
’
E .

F IG I I—
5 Eg o f A P yt ho ( P y h b ) w ig h t 5 } S iz o f G oos E g g
g a n E gg o f
t B oo m s l
o n sc g ar e oz e a e 2 a an or

T S k ( D i ph h d typ ) s i z o f P ig o s E g 3 E g g o f B o w W t S k ( Abl b ph i
. . .
. . .
, ,
'
r n a er na e a o s
ree na e s o us us e a e n g
Mo l li pti l t h t h t o f h B ooms l g S m b lk 4 A y o g B o w W t
. .
,

m/ l ) u us re e ca an a t e an a e u un r n a er

k h t hi g 5 E gg o f G W t S k ( Ch l ph is h pl g ) S m s i z d shE p
. . .
.

Sna e, a c n o ut ree n a er na e o ro a o as ter a e e an a e

sh l l o f s k s gg I t i s h d d b ittl i t i so ft d t o gh 7 g g
.
. .

N 3 6 Th
'
e e a na e e no t ar an r e, s an u
o f N ig h t Add ( C h mb t ) 8 S ho wi g th p o g ss iv d v l o p m t o f th mb o o f s k
as o . . . .
. .

a er a us us r o c a us n e r re e e e en ee a na e.

A il o f S k s E gg s -d th b o k s ki o f o t h T h s th E gg s o f th B o w o s S k
. .

’
r en n an e r. e e are e e r n u e na e
5 8 e na e an e

( Ap m / l s) w t h i d s t l s i z Th sh l l i so ft t o g h d l t h y Th o t ts
. ,
e c n en
'

l b ph a o is u u t o r n a u ra e e e s u an ea er
o f v y lig h t y ll o w o l o T h i s p t y o lk d l b m ( w hi t )
.
,
. ,

a re a er e c ur . ere s no e ara e an a u en e .

1 8
2 0 TH E SNA K ES OF SOU TH A FR I CA .

A t the old Port Eli zabeth Museum t he su n o n ly sho n e for an

hour or so daily i n to t he cages owi n g to their situatio n I n co n , .

seque n ce the fem ale puff adders freque n tly produced their you n g
i n a n i n complete state of developme n t I n others the embryo .
,

died a n d t he egg harde n ed resulti n g i n the deat h of the pare n t .

The i n cubatio n period i s abou t three mo n ths I n ovi parous .

species the baby s n ake is provided wit h a n egg-tooth for maki n g

a slit i n t he s hell The toot h the n dis appears
. .

SEN S E OF S M E LL AND B RE AT H IN G A P P A R A TU S .

The se n se of smell i n s n ak es i s very well developed as will ,

be see n o n di ssectio n of the apparatus of the n ose I n the family .

of grass s n akes t his se n se of smell is particularly good .

S nakes are thus e n abled to fi n d t hei r prey a n d guard agai n st

thei r e n emi es by the se n ses of sight touch smell a n d heari n g , , , .

S n akes breathe by mea n s of lu n gs The left lu n g i s much .

smaller t ha n the right o n e a n d i n most cases i t is rudime n t ary , ,

or e n tirely abse n t *
The right or fu n ctio n al lu n g ofte n reaches
.

to th e ce n t re part of th e body The lu n g is a sort of lo n g hollow .

tube or bag with thi n walls i n which are embedded the ho n ey

, ,

“ ”
comb -like respiratory cells a n d blood vessels whi ch t ake up
the oxyge n of the i n spired ai r S n akes owi n g to their low .
,

t emperature a n d slow blood circulatio n do n ot require to breathe ,

as freque n tly or i n hale such pure air as birds or mammals The

,
.

breathi n g i s slow a n d quiet except whe n the serpe n t i s alarmed ,

or e n raged whe n i t will i n hale a great volume of air a n d expel

,

i t forcibly produci n g t he characteristic hiss

,
.

H I S S IN G P R OG RE S S I O N
, ,
AND SEX .

The hissi n g of a s n ake i s caused by the lo n g sac -like lu n g

bei n g i n flated with air w h ich i s forcibly expelled through the,

glot tis a n d n ostrils causi n g that well -k n ow n hissi n g sou n d which

,

war n s us of the proximi ty of a s n ake .

The Pu ff Adder makes the loudest a n d most prolo n ged hiss of

a n y South Africa n s n ake Hissi n g i s t he o n ly sou n d s n akes are
.

capable of produci n g except the America n R attle S n akes which

, ,

have a hor n y subst a n ce i n loose sectio n s or segme n ts at the e n d of

the t ail which whe n shake n emi ts a hollow ki n d o f rattli n g n oise
, , , .

Afw e k sna es , s u c h i
, fo r n s ta n c e , a s t h e H era ld S nak e P yt h o s a n d
s, n ,

B o as ,
h v tw f
a e o un c t i o n al l g un s— th e r ig h t i n a ll i n t an c es b ei g t h
s l g er n e ar .
 HI SSI N G AND PR OG RE SSI O N . 2 T

Whe n alarmed s n akes hiss with t he obj ect of frighte n i n g off

,

their e n emies I f s n akes were n ot able to make t heir prese n ce

.

k n own they would be freque n tly trodde n upo n a n d i n j ured by

,

the vari ous creatures of veld forest a n d mou n tai n For lo n g, , .

ages t he wild a n imals have from bi tter expe ri e n ce lear n ed

, ,

to avoi d s n akes The i n sti n ct has bee n so stro n gly developed

.

that i t i s t ra n smi tted from pare n t to o ffspri n g Thi s i n sti n ct .

persists i n a greater or lesser degree eve n i n domesti cated ,

a n imals whose a n cestors perhaps for scores of ge n eratio n s have

, ,

n ever see n a s n ake Thus a n a n imal will ofte n m a n i fest the

.

wildest alarm at sight of a s n ake or o n heari n g a s n ake hi ss , ,

although i t has n ever before come i n co n t act wi th o n e of these

reptiles This power of tra n smi tti n g experi e n ces is a wo n derful
.

provisio n of N ature for i f every livi n g creature had to lear n

,

e n tirely b y perso n al experie n ce to avoi d i ts e n emies a n d fi n d ou t ,

what ki n ds of foods were wholesome or the reverse a great , ,

n umber of species would rapidly become exti n ct .

V e n omous s n akes i n vari ably gi ve a war n i n g hiss i f sudde n ly ,

a n d u n expecte dly approached or trodde n upo n I f the latte r .

should occur they i n st a n tly bi te the o ffe n der

, .

N ature has therefore evolved the power of hissi n g as a mea n s

of protectio n to the s n ake a n d as a war n i n g t o other creatures
,

that a reptile capable of i n flicti n g serious mischi ef upo n them i s

i n da n gerous proximi ty
S n akes progress or crawl about by mea n s of their ribs a n d
belly scales They also propel themselves by maki n g forward
.

wriggli n g moveme n ts This method i s em ployed whe n they

.

move rapidly Th e t ail aids co n siderably i n propelli n g t he

.

body The backbo n e of a s n ake i s wo n derfully co n structed a n d

. ,

is capable of bei n g twi sted a n d curved i n a great variety of ways

wi thout fear of di slocatio n There are a great ma n y vertebr ae
.

to t he backbo n e ofte n n early t hree hu n dred To each of

,
.

these sectio n s a pair of ribs is att ached o n e o n each si de The ,

.

heads of the ribs are loosely att ached t o the b ackbo n e sectio n s ,

a n d t hey ca n thus be moved forwards a n d b ackwards wi th the

greatest of ease The extremities of t he ribs are att ached to the
.

scales or hor n y shield -plates of the abdome n Whe n the s n ake .

crawls the ribs alo n g o n e side of its body move forward the edges
, ,

of the scales grippi n g the rough surfaces of the grou n d tree or , ,

obj ect t he s n ake may be crawli n g over The n the ribs o n the .
2 2 TH E SN A K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

Opposite side are brought parallel wi th t he o ther set drag gi n g up ,

the hi n der part of the body a n d propel li n g the upper or a n terior ,

part All t hi s i s do n e so smoot hly a n d equally that the s n ake

.

crawls wi th the greatest ease a n d moreover i s excee din gly ,

graceful i n i ts moveme n ts A s n ake ca nn ot crawl upo n a perfectly .

FG I I 3 — r.As k na wls ov th
e c rag o d l i k t h i s p o p ll d by it s b d o mi l s h i ld s
er e r un e r e e a na e

tip s o f w h i h g i p v s f s
. .
,

th e c r un e en u r ac e
o o s ly p o p l id o f h w s k s p o g ss o v th g o d
.

2 . Th e err n e u u ar ea o na e r re er e r un .

smooth surface such as a sheet of polished pl ate glass it ca n

, ,

o n ly succeed i n wriggli n g i n a ra n dom sort o f way The sc ales .

o f s n akes partly overl ap each other The abdomi n al S hields ca n .

be parti ally raised by cert ai n muscul ar att achme n ts .

The male s n ake has two se x orga n s These li e i n cavi ties i n .

each side of the base of th e t ail Whe n p ro tru ded th ey turn

'

i n side ou t a n d erectio n is accom plished by a flow of blood i n to

,

them The femal e u su ally has two vagi n al cavities

. .

TH E T E E TH .

S n akes teeth are recurved that i s they are curved i n wards

’

towards the t hroat N o n -ve n omous s n akes wi th the exceptio n

.
,

of the bli n d burrowi n g s n akes have two rows o f small teeth i n ,

t he u pper j aw a n d o n e row i n the lower j aw The teeth are n ot

, .

set i n sockets i n the j aw but are ceme n ted to the bo n e I f o n ,

.
,

exami n at io n t hese t eeth be fou n d to be all solid wi thout a n y

, ,

t race of g ro o v in g th en the s n ake i s certai n to be of a n o n -ve n omous

,

speci es But i n a great n umber of s n akes wi th two rows of

.

upper teeth i t will be fou n d that o n e two a n d eve n t hree o f the , ,

teeth i n the outer ro w usually abou t hal f-way back i n the j aw , ,

F A N G S OF S N A K E S ( D endrasp i s a ng u
.

f g sh o w mg th e an

F I G f 4 Th U pp — I d p o i so gl d an n an

J w o f S o t h Af i
e er
f g s d ply g
. . .
.

an a re ee r
x di gly
a a u r
c an P yt ho ( P y h n t on d
H d of
an e c ee n

se r
z b ) sho w i g h n t e
sl g T
1 2 ea a

d o bl w o f so lid
.

u e ro an or ree

v d t th ( D i ph li d s o us
re c ur e
S i d vi w o f th s k ll
ee . 2 .

sho w i g f gs n an
e
o f Pyt ho ( P yth
e e u
p gl d OI s o n an
a
b ) S ho wi g t h
n on
gl d i s t l os
.

an se c e
sa r
e
v d t th Th
, n e re
oo t o f h f gs r t e an
c ur e
o t
ee ere
lo g d t 3
.

i
.

i d w no n uc 1
s an u er a n
i th t o p j w T h s t t h
an n n er ro
o f typ i l h ml s
.

a ca ar e s
n
so
e
lid Th P yt ho
a . e e ee
sho w i g th o w s n e r 0
are
-v o mo s - Th s k ll
. e n 15
t t h 4 Th b fi d ee 1 e i
non
i th t o f
en
foo t P yt ho
u e u
of s k
. .
.

i a na e

N 5 is typ o f th
s a a n ne n .

Lo w j w o f P yt ho
.

o a e e

nthv d t bt h) sho wiissg t h d

er a a n
fo t
.

g lyph a, or r n
on

4 D
s a er
. n t e
s k s Th s na e e e ai

v o mo s
rec u r e ee ec e .

h d o f P fi A dd (Bm
. .

en u
ea a u er s
i s typ o f O
.

) sho w i g th tiv N e an
i
ar eta ns o 1 2 a

p i o f p o i so f gs h
n e ac e
b k
.

glyph a, or ac
a r
d t d th p o i so gl d
n an ,
t e
s k Th s k s na e e na e
uc
li s b t h
an e n an
d i vi s i o
.

w hi h
,

d h n a re i n t e tra
c
b hi d th y 5 Th
e e n ea
t f g s o f P ff A d d , an
s t g o f f g d v l o p m t T h y mo
an e e en e a re re

v o mo s N 3 i s t y p o f h Agly
e n ee e e e rec an a u e r. a e

Th s is d t o h p op gl f s t i k g
.
. .

t e u o. 1 a e t e
in
soh d -t oo t h d s k s T h i s d i vi s i o o f s k s
e e a re ra e r er a n e or r en

W h th mo t h i s l os d h f g s d p ss d
. .

e na e n na e
en e u c t e an a re e re e
it -v
e
l o g h j wb o 6 Th f g s o f P ff omo s
.

an d li t e u u e non en u
e a n
Ad d s h owi g h p o t t i g m m b o s sh t h
a n e. e an a q
F g o f P fi Add F S g of
.
.

a u er 2 an
t an
Co b g o f Ri gh l s pittB i g
er u B 1

3 F
e r ec n e ran e ea 4
.
n
.

W h t s t th f gs v l o p d i t h i s sh t h
. . .

an a n a or n

7 H
en a re
d d f gs o f h C p Co b ( N m fi )
e an are en
t e
e e n ea .

( S p d h
ra .
m h t
on ) 4
.

e F gaco f a es oo an a n

g f ld l pp d k
ea a va c e
an an a e ra a
F o H
.

Th y s m l l S h p d g oo v d 8 Th p o i so
.

-
. .

R d a i S
era ( L
or e e na e e
e
o f S h pst k ( T m
are a ar an r e e n 5 an

gl d d t d f g o f P ff Ad d
. . .
, ,

an uc an 9 Th an a u er. e h t mb i ) 6
o a ae a a c aa e er rI erc

t i o m xill y b o o f P ff Ad d d ss t d
.
, . ,

h mb
A t ) P ff Add F g s h w m g h
'

an er r a ar ne a u er i ec e r o c a t us

t sho w i g th d pli t s t s o f f g s tt h d
.

u er an s o t e
ou

T h i t h i s mb
, n e
h s i d o f th p p l w
u ca e e an
.
a ac e .
40 .

ti v f g d th d pli t s T h y
se 0
an e u ca e e are i n i

s t g s o f d v l o p m t T h s w di t
ere s nu er o n e a c e e u er a ac e an .

S k ll o f P ff Add sho w i g th t i v p
. ,

e e en e e e re ssec e

s i d o f th j w A S i m il mb
10 u a u er n e ac e a ir a e .

o f f gs d th xt p i wh i h w o ld w o k f
.

e e a ar n u er are

o ppos i t S d o f th j w
an an e ne a r c u r or o ne

d t k th p l o f th f o m if t h y w
.

w d
, ,

th e i e e a
ar ere on e .
an a e e ace e r er e
d w
ra n, o t h w i s l os t
or H d o f M mb
er e . I f . ea a a
2 4 TH E S NA K ES O F SOU TH A FRI CA .

are lo n ger t ha n the rest a n d more or less grooved Such s n akes,

.

should always be regarded as ve n omous to a greater or lesser

degr ee The Boomsla n g or Tree S n ake ( Disp h olidus typ us) i s o n e
.

o f these l atter a n d i t was show n o n experime n t atio n t o be

, , ,

highly ve n omous Th e poiso n fa n gs a n d other teeth wh e n shed

.

or accide n tally lost are replaced at short i n tervals .

T H E C I RC U L AT I O N O F TH E BL OO D .

The heart of a s n ake has three cavi ties o n e ve n t ricle a n d two —

auricles n ot two of each as i s the case wi th all warm -blooded

, ,

creatures The heart pumps the blood through blood -vessels i n

.

the ordi n ary way The blood corpuscles are both red a n d whi te
.
,

as i s the case wit h the higher a n imals The red corpuscles are .

ellipti cal fl at te n ed a n d bi-co n vex The circulatio n of the blood

, , .

i s very sluggish a n d i ts temperature i s much below that of the

,

mammal class o f a n imals He n ce the reaso n they are termed .

cold -blooded Reptiles are all cold -blooded a n d mammals

.
,

are wi thou t exceptio n warm -blooded The t emperature of .

t he blood i s the sam e as t hat of t he surrou n di n g air or heat

absorb ed from t he su n or h ot surfaces Th e temperature of th e .

bloo d is thus det ermi n ed by ext ern al c ircumst a n ces a n d is n ot ,

fixed as i n warm -blooded a n imals .

The blood circulatio n of s n akes bei n g very sluggish t hey ,

do n ot require n early so much oxyge n as do a n imals of the

warm -blooded cl ass such as mammals a n d birds he n ce the reaso n ,

t hey are able t o live a n d thrive i n air charged wi t h carbo n i c aci d

gas a n d o ther gaseous impurities gi ve n off by decayi n g veget a
,

tio n a n d st ag n a n t water S n akes i f e n tirely dep rived of ai r.

, ,

will co n ti n ue t o live i n m a n y i n sta n ces for several hours I

, ,
.

have see n or di n ary l a n d s n akes such as the Puff Adder si n k , ,

t hemselves i n a shallow pool a n d rem ai n immovable at t he

bot tom for n early hal f a n hour I sat o n e day a n d watched a .

Pytho n for o n e a n d a hal f hours lyi n g coiled up at the bottom o f

a clear spri n g of water wi thou t o n ce raisi n g i ts n ostrils to the
,

surface I f corked up i n a bottle o f water a s n ake will die i n

.
,

o n e to two hours as a ge n eral rule Whe n swimmi n g upo n the .

surface of water a s n ake i n flates i ts lu n g which m akes i t very

, ,

buoya n t Whe n swimmi n g upo n the surface they wriggle wit h

.

a wave -li ke motio n I have watched s n akes stretched out

.
 TH E POI SON FAN G S .
2 5

moti o n less upo n water appare n tly lyi n g o n i t as lightly as a cork , ,

su nn i n g themselves i n t he ho t rays of the midday su n O n bei n g .

al armed they i n sta n tly sa n k ou t of sight wi thout a n y appare n t

,

muscular e ffort Thi s is partly accomplished by expelli n g the ai r .

from the lo n g tube -like lu n g whereupo n the body si n ks bei n g

, , ,

the n de n ser t ha n the water .

TH E P O I S O N F A N GS .

I n t he typical ve n omous s n akes the ou ter ro w o f upper t eeth ,

has va n ished with the exceptio n of fa n gs more or less l arge

, , ,

a n d set i n t he fro n t part of the upper jaw These fa n gs are .

A N AT O MY OF TH E H E A D OF A V E N O MO U S S N A K E .

F I G 5 -A D 1 t f o m th p o i so gl d th d o f wh i h is b
uc t por e n an e en c en u n
s t i g i h ho l t th b s o f th f g i t o w h i h th v o m i s s q i t d
. . .
,
.

re n n t e e a e a e e an n c e en u r e
B D ig s t i m s l w h i h o p s th j w
.

a r c u c e c en e a
C P o so gl d
. .

r n an
D P oi t o f j t i o o f th s q mos l d q d t
. .

n un c n e ua a an ua ra e .
E A t i o t mp o l m s l
.

n er r e ra u c e
F P os t i o t m p o l m s l
. .

er r e ra u c e
H Th bifi d t o g
. .

e n ue
1 Lo w j w i w h i h so m so l i d v d t th
. .

er a n t c e rec ur e ee are se
d T h w i dpip
. .

. rac ea o r n e.

ei ther deeply grooved or hollow a n d are co nn ec ted by a cha nn el ,

or du et wi th the poiso n gla n ds which secrete the ve n om The ,

.

poiso n gl a n ds wi th bu t o n e or two exceptio n s lie o n e o n each S ide

, ,

of the head j ust below a n d back of the eyes These gl an ds are

, .

almo n d shaped a n d vary i n size accor di n g t o the species of s n ake

-
,
.

I n the Pu ff A dder they are about the size of a small almo n d .

Th e ve n om i s secreted by the cells composi n g the gla n d a n d i s ,

expelled through the duct dow n t he grooved or hollow fa n gs ,

i n to the pu n ctures whe n the s n ake bites The ve n om is drive n .

out of the gla n ds by the co n strictio n of certai n muscle fibres

which compress t he gla n ds viole n tly .
2 6 TH E S NA K ES OF SOUTH AFR I CA .

TH E U S E OF S N AK E S .

I n hot cou n tries i n s ects reptiles batrachi a n s a n d rode n ts

, , , ,

swarm The s n akes are the n atural e n emies of these creatures

.
,

a n d act the part o f N ature s age n ts i n checki n g their too rapid

’

i n crease O w i n g to s n akes n ot bei n g so depe n de n t o n oxyge n

.

as the more highly-evolved creatures they are able to exist ,

where most birds of prey a n d car n ivorous a n imals would die .

They are by vi rtue Of their specially modi fied orga n ism able to
, ,

pe n etrate i n to the morasses j u n gles swamps a n d de n se over, , ,

grow n veget atio n of t he tropics where the smaller reptiles swarm

i n vast n umbers These l at ter reptiles reproduce their ki n d at
.

a very rapi d rate a n d i f n ot preyed upo n by m a n y e n emi es

,

would soo n become a plague .

S n akes are active age n ts i n keepi n g dow n the n umbers of

these quick-breedi n g creatures as well as th o se pests k n ow n as ,
‘

rats a n d mice O w i n g t o thei r lo n g t ape ri n g bodies s n akes are

.
,

e n abled to pe n etrate i n to the i nn ermost hau n ts of these destruc

tive rode n ts a n d swallow pare n ts a n d their you n g .

S n akes are freque n tly fou n d i n a n d about t he dwelli n gs of

ma n attracted thereto b y the prese n ce of rats a n d mice a n d i n
,

the autum n t hey fi n d some cosy place i n t he thatch u n der a ,

floor down a hole i n a st ack of timber du n g heap or fodder i n

, , , , ,

order t o hiber n ate duri n g the wi n ter mo n ths .

EN EMIES .

S n akes produce a doze n t o ab out n i n ety eggs or you n g o n ce ,

yearly accor di n g t o t heir ki n d a n d i n co n seque n ce of this fas t

, ,

breedi n g n ature has provided ma n y e n emi es Birds of prey a n d

, .

ma n y of the small er car n ivorous a n im als feed upo n their you n g ,

a n d freque n tly attack a n d devour grow n s n akes Ma n y species .

of s n akes are ca nn ibals a n d do n ot hesi t ate to S w allow thei r

,

o w n you n g or those o f others .

There are several species o f mu n goose meercat a n d muisho n ds ,

i n South Afri ca all of whi ch rea di ly devour s n akes No n e of

, .

t hem are however immu n e from s n ake ve n om These li ttle

, , .

a n imals rely upo n thei r quick n ess a n d acti vi ty i n avoidi n g

bei n g bitte n whe n att acki n g a ve n omous serpe n t The n ature .

of thei r h air i s also a protectio n I have freque n tly kept the .

di ffere n t ki n ds of mu n goose a n d meercats i n capti vi ty a n d

 2 8 TH E SNA K ES O F S O UTH A FR I CA .

DUE LS W I TH S N A K E S .

The follo wi n g i n st a n ce will illustrate h o w the Mu n goose att acks

a n d destroys s n akes The M u n goose ( H erp estes pulvem len lus)
.

ma n oeuvred arou n d the s n ake a n d the i n st a n t he saw his o ppo r ,

tu n ity closed i n o n i t a n d w i th light n i n g-like rapi di ty sei zed

, ,

the reptile i n his j aws crushed its vertebr a a n d spra n g away , ,

agai n So quick were hi s moveme n ts my eyes could hardly

.
,

register the det ails After eyei n g the s n ake w it h hi s lit tle kee n
.
, ,

black w i cked-looki n g eyes for a period he was evi de n tly sati sfied
, ,

F IG I 6 — Th e Mu is ho d
n or S ti k C
n at yx
( I c to n capens is) wh b o l d l y tt k s kill s
o a ac an d d vo s
e ur
os t v o o s o f s k s
. .
, ,

th e m en m u na e .

the s n ake was i n capable of further fight as i t n o doub t was for , ,

i t was appare n t that i ts body was paralysed by the i n j ury to

the backbo n e He agai n ra n at it but this time ret ai n ed his
.
,

hold a n d havi n g ma n gled the head chewed i t from the body a n d

, ,

swallowed i t Bei n g t he n satisfied that the da n gerous part O f his

.

foe was safely disposed of he leisurely di n ed off t he remai n der of ,

the body Removi n g the Mu n goose I replaced i t wi th a hu n gry

. , ,

Sle n der -t ailed Meercat ( S u rz ca ta s uricatta) a n d i n troduced a

’

l arge Pu ff Adder The Meercat darted about n ervously for a

.

while ra n quickly forward dodged t he stroke o f the s n ake a n d

, , ,

sei zi n g i t by the n eck crushed the vertebra The n t he M eercat

, .

deliberately n ipped i t i n various parts dow n the spi n e before ,

 A N I MA LS T H AT E AT S N A K E S .

F IG 1 7 — Th s
e e a re a fe w o f th t l m i s o f S o t h Af i S k s
e n a u ra en e e u r c an na e Th e t wo s m ll i m l s i h
a an a n t e

t ts l ft i th sh y t l d M t ll d
. . .

c e n re are Meerc a ( S uric ata i tt )

s u r ca a Th. e th
o ne on e e s e Bu - ai e ee rc a ,
ca e
30 TH E SNA K ES OF S O UTH AF RI CA .

st arti n g t o eat i t e vi de n tly with the i n te n tio n of smashi n g the

,

backbo n e a n d t hus preve n ti n g the S nake from wriggli n g about .

I the n experime n ted wit h a St ri ped M uisho n d ( I cto n yx Co pen

sis) .
I pl aced a Cape Cobra i n it s cage The Muisho n d i n sta n tly .

ra n i n to a cor n er a n d faced the s n ake whi ch was o n guard wi th ,

raised body a n d hood expa n ded ready to do battle wi th hi s foe ,

.

Sudde n ly t he Muisho n d darted i n to a n other corn er of the cage .

L i ke a fl ash t he s n ake swerved a n d agai n faced him The .

M u isho n d repeated the ma n oeuvre bu t the s n ake was n ot to be ,

fla n ked He faced his foe every time Fi n di n g these t actics

. .

of n o avail the Muisho n d bega n b adgeri n g the s n ake by s n appi n g

,

a n d s n arli n g at him At last the rept ile i n a fury lu n ged fiercely

.
, ,

forw ard His i n te n ded vi ctim n imbly spra n g aside thus avoidi n g
.
,

the blow a n d before the s n ake could recover hi mself the M ui sho n d
,

sei zed him by the back of the n eck a n d holdi n g o n te n aciously , ,

i n fli cted se rious damage by lacerati n g hi s vi ctim s flesh His ’

.

e n deavour was evide n tly to crush the s n ake s backbo n e which

, ,
’
,

he very soo n di d He seemed to k n ow quite w ell that the Cobra

.

was n ow helpless for he let go a n d rested a few mome n ts The n

,
.
,

seizi n g the reptile s head he chewed i t u p a n d swallowed i t

’

, ,

a n d the n satisfied his appeti te o n a portio n of the body .

Heari n g a gru n ti n g n oise n ear a mimosa tree u n der which ,

a frie n d a n d I had camped out for the n ight i n t he N at al bush

veld we took a small bull s -eye l a n tern a n d proceeded cautiously
,
’

t o i n vestigate Prese n tly a shri ll ear -spli tti n g ye ll broke the

.
,

still n ess of th e n ight Fl ashi n g the light of my la n tern i n .

the directio n of the n oise t here wi thi n two yards o f us was a , , ,

st ri ped Muisho n d wit h hi s paw s fi rml y pla n ted o n a n adult

,

Bl ack -n ecked Cobra ( Na ia The Muisho n d stood

faci n g us me n aci n gly dari n g us to approach a n d m aki n g the , ,

forest ri n g wi th his sharp pe n etrati n g yells lau n ched ou t at ,

us at i n tervals Thi n ki n g he had i n ti midated us su ffi cie n tly

.
,

he bega n wi t h a successio n of low growl s a n d s n arls t o eat

, ,

t he sti ll -livi n g s n ake eyei n g us suspiciously wit h his kee n ,

lit tle eyes all the time .

After satisfyi n g our cu ri osity we retired an d left the plucky ,

little fellow to fi n ish his well -ear n ed meal i n peace .

I h ave allowed Meercats (S umca la su mca lta) St ri ped

’ ’

M uisho n ds ( I cto nyx cap en s is) G rey Mu n gooses ( M u n gos pulvem ,

len lu s) a n d the L arge G rey Mu n goose ( M u ng o s c afi er) to be

’

,
 DU E LS W I TH SNA K ES .
31

bi tte n by Puff Adders or Cape Cobras or i n j ected wi th thei r ,

ve n om I n every i n st a n ce these a n imals di ed of the usual symptoms

.

of s n ake ve n om poiso n i n g i n from te n mi n utes to several hours

i n time accordi n g to the si ze o f the s n ake its species i ts co n
, , ,

di tio n time of year or qua n tity of ve n om artifici ally i n j ected

, , .

A G rey Mu n goose which I had i n captivity o n ce fought a n d

, ,

killed a Puff Adder However the s n ake wit h a l ast expi ri n g

.
, ,

e ffort lacerated the li p of i t s foe w it h o n e o f i ts fa n gs

,
The .

Mu n goose dropped the s n ake retired t o a cor n er a n d after a , ,

short time bega n to mope I t di ed i n seve n hours The reaso n

. .

that i t li n gered so lo n g was because a small qua n tity o n ly of

ve n om had bee n discharged i n to t he wou n d .

O n a n other occasio n a Pu ff Adder was i n troduced i n to the

cage co n tai n i n g a Stri ped M uisho n d The Muisho n d m ade a few .

fei n ts the n darted at the s n ake before he could recover himself

, .

Although the Muisho n d crushed the s n ake s head i n its sharp ’

t eeth immedi ately the reptile was released i t struck out bli n dly
,

a n d bi t the Muisho n d wit h bot h fa n gs o n the skull The latter .

retired to a cor n er a n d faced t he s n ake but died i n forty -fi v e ,

m i n utes .

The Rev Father Bru n o of K olbe Cape Provi n ce i n formed

.
, , ,

me that he a n d some fri e n ds wi t n essed a fight betwee n a Cape

Cobra ( Nand fl o w ) a n d a Muisho n d The l atter circled rou n d the .

s n ake who stood wi th reared body a n d expa n ded hood after

, ,

the m a nn er of all cobras whe n i rri t ated Eve n tually the s n ake .

seemed to get bewildered or tired wi th tur n i n g rou n d so freque n tly

a n d at such short i n tervals _for a cobra will n ever allow at tack
,

i n the rear i f he ca n avoi d i t L u n gi n g forward he failed to .

,

recover himself i n time a n d the Muisho n d had him by the n eck

,

a n d quickly S hattered hi s backbo n e with its sharp teeth As .

i n the former i n st a n ce it first ate the s n ake s head a n d the n

,
’

di n ed off the body .

Whe n i n N at al I possessed a n old Tom Cat who was a mig h ty ,

Ni mrod He scoured the n eighbouri n g forest n ightly Whe n

. .

ever he made a capture of a n yt hi n g worth while the Old fellow , ,

who was a great pet of mi n e came scrambli n g i n through my ,

ope n bedroom wi n dow a n d after placi n g his pri ze upo n the floor
, ,

he would set up a musical croo n i n g n oise like cats do whe n they ,

c all their kitte n s He seemed quite pleased whe n I got out O f

.

bed li t the lamp a n d i n spected his p ri ze M a n y a time I have

, ,
.
32 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUT H AFR I CA .

obtai n ed really good specime n s for my collectio n s i n thi s way .

Sometimes he would bri n g i n s n akes still wri thi n g a n d wriggli n g .

Just before dusk o n e eve n i n g I was wa n deri n g rou n d wi th old

,

Tom at my heels whe n a Pu ff Adder hissed war n i n gly Tom

, .

spra n g fo rward a n d faced the s n ake K n owi n g he was well able.

to t ake care of himsel f a n d that he was by n o mea n s a te n derfoot

, ,

I moved back a few paces a n d watched He started by maki n g .

fei n ts at the s n ake whi ch i n duced i t t o st ri ke out furi ously

, .

Old Tom seemed t o be a mass of the fi n est spri n gs The agile .

ma nn er i n which he spf an g about a n d avoided the fierce forward

lu n ges of the s n ake filled me with admiratio n for him A fter .

about fiftee n mi n utes the s n ake bega n to tire Tom k n ew i t .

too full well for he n ow bega n to grow bolder a n d struck two

, , ,

or three severe blows with hi s forepaw O n ce more t he s n ake .

lu n ged wi th gapi n g j aws a n d erect fa n gs Missi n g it s ai m i t s .

,

head struck the earth wi th a t hud I t was evi de n tly spe n t for
.
,

i t m ade n o attempt t o draw b ack i n rea di n ess for a n other lu n ge .

Tom quickly fi n i shed it o ff by deliveri n g a smashi n g blow

with his forepaw whi ch seemed t o daze t he reptile for i t allowed
, ,

the cat t o sei ze i t by the n eck withou t showi n g further fight .

D raggi n g the s n ake s body alo n g my p lucky old hu n ter lai d i t

’
,

at my feet purri n g wi th evi de n t pride

,
.

A few mo n ths after this eve n t Tom came home o n e eve n i n g

,

wi th a treme n dously swolle n head He had evide n tly t ackled .

a n adder which proved more t ha n a match for him We di d .

all we could for him but he died wi thi n two hours

, .

S N A K E S E AT IN G E GGS .

A story was published some years ago i n a boys j our n al of ’

,

a Cobra which disturbed a set ti n g he n a n d swallowed five of her

eggs The Cobra was ki lled the u n broke n eggs removed from
. ,

i ts i n terior a n d repl aced i n the n est Those eggs i n due time

,
.
, ,

hatched out i n to fi n e healthy chi cks .

U n like t he usual st ock s n ake stori es this o n e happe n s to ,

be t rue I have the pleasure o f k n owi n g the ge n tlema n who ow n ed

.

t he he n a n d the eggs He was farmi n g i n Bechua n ala n d a n d

.
,

had procured a setti n g of a specially good strai n O f Black Mi n orca

eggs at co n siderable expe n se from Capetow n Observi n g the he n .

walki n g abou t the farmyard i n a n u n usually exci ted co n di tio n

a n d wo n deri n g why she di d n o t retur n t o her eggs he got a n xious , ,
 CONSTRI CTI ON .
33

a n d we n t to the he n -house a n d peeped i n to t he box co n t ai n i n g

t he eggs A large cobra wi th a fierce hiss made a ferocious
.
, ,

l u n ge at his face The ma n bei n g active a n d quick -witt ed

.
, ,

dodged t he stroke Summo n i n g assist a n ce he retur n ed to

.
,

fi n d t he cobra maki n g the most desperate e fforts to di sgorge

several eggs the shape of which could plai n ly be see n i n
,

’
the reptile s body The eggs however were too smooth
.
, , ,

S lippery a n d heavy for the disgorgi n g mecha n ism of the s n ake

,

t o grip a n d expel so the robber perforce was held captive

, , , ,

because the five eggs i n hi s stomach weighted him effectually

down Riggi n g up a n oose my fri e n d got i t rou n d the s n ake s
.
,
’

head a n d carefully dragged it forth A n assist a n t seized the .

tail the other placed the heel of hi s heavy boot o n the reptile s ’

head a n d smashed i t The n t aki n g out hi s pe n k n i fe he cut Ope n

.
, ,

the cobra s abdome n a n d recovered hi s property Wash i n g the

’
.

slimy mucus o ff the eggs t hey were replaced i n the n est a n d the , ,

he n was coaxed to retur n These five eggs hatched out properly .

,

a n d the chi cks grew up i n to five fi n e Black Mi n orcas o n e of whi ch , ,

for ma n y years was cock -in —chief of the farmyard fowls

, .

S n akes ca nn ot suck eggs bu t some swallow eggs whole the , ,

powerful digestive j uices di ssolvi n g the egg -shell usually within

twe n ty -four hours Sometimes the remai n s of the shell are cast
.

up or perhaps i t i s completely di ssolved or broke n up very fi n e

,

a n d passed wi th the excret a The Boomsla n g ( D isph olz du s

’

typ u s) I h ave freque n tly O bserved swallows birds eggs whi ch

’
,

lodged i n i ts stomach the fragme n ts of the shells of which i f at

, ,

all hard were cast u p the followi n g day Pigeo n s eggs freque n tly
, .
’

remai n ed whole i n side the s n ake for a couple of days .

There is however a species of true egg -eati n g s n ake which

, ,

has bee n provi ded by N ature wi th a special set of e n amel -tipped ,

toot h -like bo n y proj ectio n s i n the throat for t he purpose of ,

sawi n g through egg -shells a n d releasi n g the co n te n ts whi ch are ,

squeezed dow n the t hroat of the s n ake the crushed shell bei n g ,

spat out afterwards .

C O N S T R I CT I ON .

The maj ori ty of the n o n ve n omous s n akes kill their pre y »

by co n st ri ctio n The s n ake wi th u n erri n g aim makes a dart

.
, , ,

seizes i ts prey Wit h i ts j aws by a leg the body or head a n d , , ,

i n sta n tly coils arou n d i t crushi n g i ts li fe out wi thi n a few ,

D
34 TH E SNA K E S OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

mi n utes Two coils sometimes t hree or eve n more are throw n

.
, ,

rou n d the body o f t he vict im A well -k n own n aturalist .

st ates that s n akes n ever throw more t ha n tw o coils rou n d t heir

prey This i s n ot true The n umber o f coils depe n d upo n the
. .

size o f t he victim The co n stricti n g power of s n akes is very

.

great I have held Mole S n akes by the n eck betwee n my fi n ger

.

an d thumb allowi n g them to throw their coils rou n d my wrist

, .

Wi t h i n fi v e mi n utes t he ha n d would grow cold a n d n umb the ,

blood circulatio n havi n g bee n almost e n tirely stopped by t he

pressure of t he s n ake s co n stri ctor muscles upo n my wrist The
’
.

co n st ri cti n g power of the Africa n Pytho n i s t reme n dous I have .

see n a D ui ker Buck squashed by a Pytho n i n to a sausage -li ke

shape withi n te n mi n utes .

So rapi dly i s the vi ctim seized a n d co n stri cted that the eye
ca n barely follow t he various moveme n ts The s n ake remai n s .

qui te motio n less u n til t he prey i s wi thin stri ki n g di st a n ce The n .

,

wi th a moveme n t so rapi d t hat the eyes ca n but di sti n guish a

kin d o f blur the serpe n t seizes i ts Vi ctim a n d n ext i n stan t i ts
, ,

coils are doi n g their deadly work .

So swi ftly a n d sile n tly does a s n ake st rike a n d co n st ri ct that ,

the n imble quick -wit ted rat a n d mouse or the active bird are ,

powerless to escape I h ave freque n tly see n House S n akes seize

.

mice which were leapi n g past them at top speed .

Heari n g a squ ea k u n der t he table whe n I was o n ce havi n g my

eve n i n g meal I looked to see what was t he matter A House
, .

S n ake had seized a n d was co n stricti n g a mouse For years I .

kept these House S n akes whi ch are quit e n o n -ve n omous i n mv

, ,

house n ot o n ly because I was fo n d of harmless s n akes but because

, ,

t hey were of practical use for those s n akes were better than a n y ,

house cat i n keepi n g dow n the mice Fi n din g my House S n akes .

too small to t ackle big rats I t amed a Mole S n ake a n d let him , ,

loose u n der the floor Wi t hi n a mo n th the rat s had evacu ated

.

the premi ses L ater o n my s n aky pet s had to go n ot because

.
, ,

my wi fe obj ected for she k n ows much about s n akes a n d

,

rather likes them but because we could n ot ma n age t o keep a n y

,

serva n ts The serva n t class i n N atal are kafi rs as a mile a n d all

.
,

raw ka fi rs have a holy horror of s n akes I t i s of n o use t ryi n g to .

co n vi n ce them that a n y s n akes are harmless To them the bite .

of a s n ake i s t hought to be death for certai n u n less some k a fi r ,

mooti ( medic in e ) i s t ake n .

36 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

victim s body as far dow n as possible The n t here i s a short

’
.

rest followed by a n other expa n sio n of the j aws a n d t he same

,

co n tractio n o f the muscles o f the head Slowly but surely the .

, ,

prey is see n to va n ish from S ight Whe n t he hi n dquarters have .

disappeared i n to the throat of t he s n ake the t ask is easy The , .

muscles of the body set up a series of co n t ractio n s which force

the creature dow n t he gullet i n to the stomach t ube Whe n i t .

gets t o t he middle part o f t he s n ake where the real stomach is

situated the victim s body goes n o further u n til digested or
,
’

disgorged So metimes a s n ake will seize a large rat toad or

.
, ,

frog a n d begi n b y S wallowi n g o n e of the hi n d legs Fi n di n g t hat .

F IG 1 8 —A P ff Add s w ll o w i g
u er a n a larg e B a rn Rat No t h w h s k e o t e na e ma ks
e u se of
h i s f g s t o h lp t o g b o dy o f h i s v i ti m i t o h i s mo t h
. . .

an e et th e c n u .

eve n tually he ca nn ot make much progress he rej ects the swallowed ,

leg a n d moves rou n d to the head a n d begi n s agai n .

I have see n a Puff Adder i n captivi ty swallow t hree rats i n

successio n So powerful were i ts di gestive j uices t hat i t com
.

pletely digested them all Boomsla n gs wi ll at times swallow

.
, ,

seve n to a doze n frogs i n rapi d successio n Whe n t he prey .

i s o f small bulk i t i s quickly swallowed A Pu ff Adder takes

,
.

from hal f a n hour to a full hour a n d sometimes lo n ger t o swallow , ,

a l arge rat .

P OW E R OF D I S GO R G IN G P RE Y .

I t i s popularly supposed that s n akes ca nn ot release their

prey o n ce i t is w ell wi thi n t heir j aws owi n g to the n ature of their ,

teeth which are curved backwards O n the co n trary whe n

,
.
,
 SNA K ES ’
C L I MB I N G POWE RS .
37

alarmed or irritated a s n ake i n variably disgorges i ts prey ei ther

, ,

duri n g the swallowi n g process or after A s n ake whe n i n t he .

,

act of swallowi n g a bulky victim i s i n a helpless st ate for i ts , ,

j aws are diste n ded e n ormously a n d i t i s moreover u n able to , , ,

crawl away Therefore i t c a n n ei ther defe n d i tself n or e ffect i ts

.

escape So i f da n ger threate n s the victim is i n sta n tly di sgorged

.
, , .

S n akes i n poor co n di tio n O fte n swallow prey so bulky that the

gastric j uices are u n able to di spose o f i t a n d the s n ake get s i n di ,

gestio n But i f the process of digestio n i s n ot proceedi n g

.
,

satisfactorily the victim i s di sgorged ,

.

I ii captivi ty whe n several s n akes are kept i n t he same cage

, ,

i t i s a commo n occurre n ce for two of them to start swallowi n g a

toad frog or rat from O pposite e n ds
, ,
Whe n thei r n oses meet .

at the ce n tre of the victim s body o n e of the s n akes usually ’

reverses hi s swallowi n g mecha n ism a n d disgorges t he portio n

he has succeeded i n get ti n g i n to his t hroat a n d mouth Some .

times both stubbor n ly hold o n I n this case the larger or more .

active s n ake laps hi s j aws over the other s head a n d calmly a n d ’

deliberately pushes him as well as the O bj ect of dispute dow n hi s

, ,

throat He the n retires to a cosy cor n er i f he be n ot too bulky

.
,

to move a n d dozes for a week or two u n til his digestive j uices

,

have dissolved hi s huge meal .

I was lyi n g hi dde n i n a clump o f thick bush o n e day watchi n g ,

a big yellow Cobra swallowi n g a rat I w as n ot the o n ly wat cher .

,

however for i t seemed t hat a Mu n goose had bee n carefully keepi n g

,

the s n ake u n der observatio n wai ti n g u n til the reptile had the ,

rat w ell wi thi n i ts j aws whe n li ke a flash i t spra n g from the thicket
,

upo n the helpless s n ake a n d wi th a vi cious bi te smashed the ,

Cobra s backbo n e at the n eck Heari n g me move i t va n i shed

’
.
, .

I exami n ed the s n ake a n d fou n d the vertebra of the n eck quite

broke n a n d the surrou n di n g flesh m an gled
, .

S N AK E S CL I M BIN G P O W E R S
’
.

Most s n akes are excelle n t climbers although the maj ority o f ,

the species pass most of their lives upo n t he grou n d The Cobras .
,

Puff Adders Night Adders S c h aapstekers Herald S n akes Wate r

, , , ,

S n akes a n d ma n y other South Africa n ki n ds climb t rees wi th

,

ease I n the s n ake cages at the old Port Elizabeth Museum there
.

were bra n ches of trees fitted i n o n which the s n akes cli mbed ,
.

The o n ly s n akes whi ch n ever at tempted to climb trees were the

38 TH E SNA K ES OF SOU TH AFRI CA .

Burrowi n g S n akes a n d House S n akes Mole S n akes i n captivity .

n ever attempt to climb Occasio n ally i n the wi ld c o n ditio n l.

, ,

h ave fou n d t hem baski n g i n the su n o n the tops of creeper-cl ad

shrubs .

The s n ake whose n atural home i s i n t rees such as the M amba , ,

Boomsla n g a n d B ird S n ake gli des with treme n dous rapidity

, ,

t hrough the foli age appeari n g b arely to touch i t i n thei r rapid

,

flight I n fact they seem at times to glide through the bra n ches
“

.
, ,

t w igs a n d leaves without touchi n g them These Tree S n akes move

, .

by grippi n g the t wigs bark a n d bra n ches wit h the sharp cor n ers o f
, ,

thei r abdomi n al shi elds which are i n tur n worked by mea n s of

, , ,

the ribs a n d muscle att achme n ts The s n ake s body i s twisted .

’

i n a n d out u n der a n d over the bra n ches a n d twigs S n akes n ever

, .

climb by coili n g rou n d a bra n ch as is ofte n depi cted i n pictures .

Puff Adders asce n d trees occasio n ally but o n ly i n ex cep ,

t io n al circumsta n ces Sometimes duri n g heavy rai n s t heir

.

hau n ts get flooded whereupo n they climb up t he n earest t ree

, .

Occasio n a lly they make their home i n a patch of de n se bush which ,

m ay perhaps cover acres of l a n d Bei n g u n able to get to the .

beloved su n shi n e o n the grou n d they asce n d the trees o n warm ,

su nn y days a n d li e amo n g the twigs at t he to m a n d bask i n the

warm rays Pu ff Adders freque n tly do this i n the forest belt
.

”
k n ow n as the Den e Port Eli zabeth This forest is very
,
.

de n se The trees were pla n ted by G over n me n t with the obj e c t

.

O f fixi n g the dri fti n g sa n d which t hreate n ed to cover up the

southern portio n of Port Elizabeth These adders ca nn ot .

,

h owever asce n d a perpe n dicular tree tru n k

,
.

Pytho n s are expert climbers although they are usually of ,

such huge bulk They follow the arboreal V ervet a n d Sama n go

.

mo n keys to their leafy lairs a n d levy toll upo n them i n the eve n
i n g by lyi n g motio n less amo n g t he leafy twigs a n d darti n g out
wi th gapi n g j aws like a n arrow from a h o w whe n the mo n keys
, ,

are passi n g o n thei r way to bed .

S N A K E S F OO D .

S n akes prey upo n ma n y ki n ds o f livi n g creatures chief amo n g ,

which are rats mice birds a n d their eggs t oads frogs lizards
, , , , , ,

i n sects an d their larv a M a n y ki n ds of s n akes prey upo n ot her

.

s n akes a n d eve n those of their ow n s pecies Py tho n s o f course

, .
, ,
 N A K E S S WA LL O W I NG T H E I R P R E Y
S .

F IG I 9
— O h l f t is
u t e B ow
e H o s S k ( B d li t ) o s t i ti g h lf -g o w
a r n u e na e oo on n ea us c n r c n a a r n B a rn R a t
Th s k f t i h l o g I t i j s t p o di g t o s w ll o w h I t i s s t ti g
.

e na e Is 2 ee 1 nc n s u r c ee n a t e ra t ar n a t th e nos e

ll s t ti o ig h t i s R d Iipp d H ld S k f t i l gt h i of
. .

Th e i u ra thn on e r a e - e or era na e, 2 ee n en n th e ac t
f o g T h i s pi t i t k f o m lif
,

sw ll w mg
a o a r . c u re s a en r e .

39
40 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

bei n g so large prey mostly upo n Mo n keys Ca n e Rats Hares

, , , ,

a n d D assies as well as t he smaller a n telopes a n d the larger birds

, .

Each species of s n ake has i ts o w n favouri te foo d The Puff .

Adder is fo n d of rats mice you n g birds a n d lizards ; t he Cobra, , ,

prefers toads rats mice lizards a n d other s n akes ; Water

, , , ,

S n akes lik e fish a n d frogs ; Tree S n akes pre fer birds birds eggs a n d ,
’

their you n g chameleo n s a n d other tree lizards

,
Rin ghals are .

partial to toads ; S c h aapstekers to lizards ; House S n akes to

you n g rat s a n d mice ; Egg -eati n g S n akes to fresh eggs ; Mole
S n akes l ike rats birds a n d other s n akes eggs , ,
’
.

S n akes i n the wild st ate probably n ever eat a n y creature

, ,

which they might fi n d already dead They hu n t li vi n g prey . .

I n captivi ty t hey ca n usually be i n duced to eat dead a n imals

a n d reptiles After the s n ake has become fairly t ame a n d used
.

to i ts surrou n di n gs i t wi ll sometimes seize a n d swallow a dead

,

creature whi ch is da n gled i n fro n t of it s n ose or ge n tly laid ,

there Sometimes we suspe n ded the dead bo di es of birds rat s

. , ,

mice frogs or toads by a fi n e silke n thread from the top O f the

, , ,

s n ake -cage The slightest vibratio n cause d the b odi es t o twist

.

a n d tur n I n this way the s n akes were deceived i n t o the belief

.

that the creatures were alive whereupo n they seized a n d de , ,

v o u red them S n akes ca n easily be tamed a n d t aught to t ake

.

food from the fi n gers Several o f the live s n akes at the ol d Port
.

Elizabet h Museum were fed by a n assist a n t i n thi s m a nn er A .

frie n d of mi n e had a t ame Boomsla n g which t ook chameleo n s

a n d frogs from hi s fi n gers I t was so t ame that he allowed i t .

out of i ts cage I t delighted to explore the room I f a stra n ger

. .

e n tered or there happe n ed to be a n y other cause for alarm i t

, ,

i n sta n tly sought refuge i n i ts cage Whe n my frie n d held a .

chameleo n up i n fro n t of the cage the B oomsla n g would work ,

i tsel f up i n to a treme n dous st ate o f exciteme n t Whe n the .

door was O pe n ed i t darted ou t like a flash threw a coil or two

, ,

o f i ts t ail rou n d my frie n d s n eck a n d arm a n d ge n tly took ’

,

the chameleo n i n to i t s mouth a n d proceeded forthwi th to

swallow it .

I n those days we co n sidered Boomsl a n gs to be practic ally

harmless a n d i n co n seque n ce h a n dled them freely However
,
. ,

our safety l ay i n our habi t of always bei n g ge n tle i n ha n dli n g

s n akes I t i s the o n ly way to t ame them Eve n the sluggish
. .

a n d surly Pu ff Adder c an be tamed by freque n t ha n dli n g bu t I ,

 A D A PTATI ON TO SU RROU N D I N G S .
41

always prefer to remove hi s supply O f poiso n fa n gs of which he ,

has several duplicate sets i n each jaw previous to starti n g an y ,

Pu ff Adder or Cobra t ami n g experime n ts .

S n akes which are kept i n sui t able e n closures out of doors

where they c an bas k i n the su n s rays Ofte n t ake dead food ’

,
.

A D A P T AT I O N TO S U R RO U N D I N G S .

Adapt atio n of habits a n d colourati o n to surrou n di n gs i s

possessed i n greate r or lesser degree by all li vi n g creatures Thi s .

provi sio n of Nature Operates i n two ways I t serves as a pro .

tec tio n agai n st e n emies O n the other ha n d i t is of imme n se

.
,

service to fl esh -eati n g a n imals i n capturi n g their prey The .

tree -climbi n g s n akes are so alike i n colouratio n t o the bra n ches

a n d foli age that t hey have little di fficulty i n getti n g wi t h i n
o

st ri ki n g di st a n ce of bi rds I h ave see n Tree -s n akes remai n per

.

fec tly ri gi d twi sti n g their bodies to represe n t tree bra n ches a n d
, ,

have watched birds hop right up to them a n d eve n perch upo n ,

their bo dies mistaki n g t hem for twigs A bird o n ce wi thi n

, .

stri ki n g di st a n ce of a Tree S n ake has very little cha n ce of escape ,

so rapi d are the s n ake s moveme n ts I have see n Boomsla n gs

’
.

a n d G ree n Mambas m ake Off i n to small trees sca n tily clothed

wit h leaves a n d i n sta n tly va n ish from sight O n close i n spectio n . ,

they would be fou n d to be e n twi n ed amo n g the bra n ches quite ,

rigi d relyi n g upo n the ble n di n g of their colouratio n with

,
‘

t heir surrou n di n gs to esc ape detectio n .

The colour of n early all s n akes ble n ds wi th their surrou n di n gs .

A Pu ff Adder for i n st a n ce lyi n g upo n the leaf a n d twig -strew n

, ,

earth is practically i n visible to a n y o n e n ot speci ally o n the look

ou t for i t .

I n the vari ous parts of South Africa s n akes of the same

species vary more or less i n colour t o suit the n ature of their
surrou n di n gs The n atural habi t at of the Boomsla n g i s i n trees
.

a n d shrubs I ts body is therefore speci ally evolved for climb

.
, ,

i n g a n d rapi d gli di n g moveme n ts t hrough de n se foliage I n the .

E aster n Provi n ce of the Cape Colo n y I have freque n tly see n a n d

captured female Boomsla n gs which are of a chocolate -brow n ,

colour o n the grou n d Whe n alarmed they i n vari ably gli de O ff

, .

a n d seek refuge dow n holes amo n g refuse or S hrubs I seldom , ,

.

fi n d them i n trees .

Mr J
. ames Willi ams the m a n who captures s n akes for me
, ,
42 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

tells me that he n early always fi n ds these femal e Boomsl a n gs o n

the grou n d Occasio n ally he has fou n d them i n shrubs but their
.
,

usual habit is to hu n t for their prey which co n sists mai n ly of ,

lizards o n the grou n d

, .

The H or n ed Adder i s di n gy a n d whe n lyi n g o n the san d or

,

parched reddish so il o f its n at ive habit at i t i s practically i n visible .

The B erg Adder amo n gst th e grey a n d brow n pebbles of the

hillside wi t h body flatt e n ed is so i n co n spicuous that eve n the
, ,

wary rat will u n suspecti n gly ru n over i t N ature has adapted .

them to their surrou n din gs by cha n gi n g the colour of their

ski n s This adapt atio n of colouratio n of t he various creatures
.

to their surrou n di n gs is wo n derful a n d mysterious I t is most .

certai n ly n ot i n duced by a n y thought -power or desire i n the ,

s n ake s brai n I t is abu n da n tly evi de n t there i s a protecti n g

’
.
.

force or L aw at work which O perates wi thout a n y co n scious

desire or wish o n the part of the creatures whom i t seeks t o
be n efit by m aki n g them as i n co n spicuous as possible to their
,

e n emies a n d their i n te n ded prey This great N atural L aw i s.

quite impartial as are all the L aws o f G od I t m akes t he colour

, .

of o n e creature ble n d so perfectly wi th i ts surrou n di n gs as to

e n able i t to steal upo n i ts i n te n ded vi ctim u n awares but i t also ,

seeks i n a similar ma nn er to re n der the i n te n ded prey as diffi

cult to s ee as possible This i s o n e of the methods by whi ch
.

N ature forces all livi n g creatures to exert themselves me n t ally

a n d physically For i t i s o n ly by me n t al a n d physical activity
.

that the evolutio n of li fe proceeds .

F RE S H -W A TE R S N A K E S .

The F resh w ater S n akes hau n t the vici n i ty o f rivers pools a n d

e

, ,

marshes s wimmi n g a n d di vi n g wi th the greatest ease a n d grace

,
.

They live mostly upo n aquati c creatures such as t adpoles frogs , ,

a n d fish Specime n s kept i n captivi ty readi ly seize a n d eat

.

small li ve fish placed i n their water-pa n These s n akes do n o t .

live habi tually i n t he water I n fact they o n ly e n ter the wate r

.
,

i n search O f prey I f a frog or fish be seized i n t he water the

. ,

s n ake will swim to la n d with i t I have see n G ree n Water S n akes

.

carry fro g s several yards up a slopi n g ba n k The s n ake holds .

i ts prey i n i ts j aws a n d raises t he head a n d fore part of the body

o ff the grou n d whe n thus em ployed .
44 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH A FRI CA .

wit h the cold but o n the applicatio n of heat they soo n regai n ed
,

all thei r vi gour a n d vi t ali ty .

The li ve s n akes at t he O ld Port Elizabeth Museum cages we re

most active whe n the ai r i s warm a n d grew torpi d i n propor
,

tio n to the loweri n g o f the temperature of the ai r Whe n t hei r .

cages were art i fici ally heated they immedi ately revi ved .

I f a s n ake should fi n d a cosy retreat a n d provi ded there is

,

suffi ci e n t sust e n a n ce i n the n eighbourhood he wi ll make that ,

spot his headquarters from which he w ill issue forth whe n hu n gry
,

a n d scour the n eighbourhood i n search of food or else bask i n

t he warm su n shin e ready t o beat a retreat o n the least S ig n of
da n ger Whe n the leaves begi n t o fall a n d the air grows chilly
. ,

a dr owsy feeli n g begi n s to pervade hi s body which war n s him i t

i s time to seek ou t a cosy shel ter for his lo n g S leep So h e crawls .

i n to the i nn ermost recesses o f his lai r or seeks out a better o n e

,
.

Coili n g himsel f up he si n ks i n to a co n ditio n o f torpor

, .

Ma n y species of reptiles have the power of suspe n din g a n ima

tio n a n d lyi n g i n a death -like tra n ce through the wi n ter mo n ths ,

whe n the food o n which they li ve i s either very scarce or qui te

u n obtai n able Whe n a n imatio n i s more or less suspe n ded a n
.
,

exceedi n gly sm all qu a n tity of food -materi al i s used up t o keep

the creature alive ; whereas i f i t were active all the wi n ter i t ,

would require a n abu n da n t supply Thi s would mea n that most

.

species of reptiles wo uld di e of starvatio n Those which had fou n d

.

e n ough food to tide them over till the summer seaso n would n ot
be i n su fficie n t n umbers to keep dow n the armi es of livi n g creatures
which co n stitute the di et of reptiles Thus the bala n ce o f N ature
.

would be upset .

P A RA S ITE S ON S N AK E S .

S n akes are freque n tly i n fested w i th parasi tes Ticks Ofte n .

faste n themselves upo n the ski n betwee n the scales .

There o n ce occurred a n u n usual mortali ty amo n gst the collectio n

of li ve s n akes at the Port Eli zabeth Museum which are kept i n ,

a lo n g ro w O f cages each four feet square a n d the same height ,

wi t h pl ate -glass o n the four sides Notici n g mi n ute parasi tes

.

u po n o n e of t he dead s n akes I m ade a microscopical exami n atio n

,

of t hem a n d fou n d they were a species of lice somewhat smaller

,

tha n fowl lice O n close observatio n of the li vi n g s n akes I

.
 TH E HAB I TS OF SNA KES .
45

di scovered they were all swarmi n g with these ti n y vermi n which ,

harboured u n der a n d betwee n the scales I immedi ately caused .

the s n akes to be thoroughly O iled all over a n d the cages washed ,

out wi th di si n fect a n t The parasites had bee n i n troduced by a

.

s n ake which had i n the wild st ate bee n i n fes ted wi th them To
, , .

keep the capt ive s n akes clea n we are obliged to oil t hem about
o n ce every fou r mo n ths O r di n a ry salad oil with a little para ffi n
.

i n it i s t he most sui table applicat io n .

TH E H A BI TS OF S N A KE S .

Whe n we study the habi ts of vari ous creatures we fi n d that ,

t heir customs are regulated by their food supply the n ecessi ty ,

for avoi di n g e n emies a n d c limati c co n di tio n s .

S n akes come forth i n search of their prey with but few ex ,

c ep tio n s,
duri n g the daytime o n ly I n the heat of the day .

they issue from thei r various retreats to bask i n the su n s warm ’

rays for their blood is cold a n d they love the heat I t mea n s
, ,
.

li fe a n d vi t ality to them Tree S n akes hu n t duri n g the day

.

time both amo n g the foli age a n d upo n the grou n d for their
, ,

food The Cobra Puff Adder Ri n ghals a n d various other s n akes

.
, , , ,

whose chi ef di et co n sists of toads rats a n d mice usually issue , , ,

fort h toward su n dow n a n d actively scour the n eighbourhood

, ,

k n owi n g that the creatures o n whi ch t hey prey are i n the habit
of goi n g ou t about that time a n d duri n g the early eve n i n g .

Whe n the temperature of the air is fairly warm s n akes may be ,

see n at a n y hour o f the day AS a rule they do n ot wa n der .

,

about at n ight but o n warm moo n light n ight s they sometimes

,

come ou t t o look for food .

S n akes stro n gly di slike cold a n d wet a n d o n the approach of ,

rai n or if the temperature of the air falls they haste n away to their
, ,

s n ug retreats a n d awai t the retur n of b ri ght a n d warm weather

,
.

Beetles slugs a n d other i n sects which co n stitute the chief

, , ,

food of toads i n vari ably go out about su n dow n to feed upo n

,

other i n sects or veget atio n The toads k n ow n this come out .

, ,

from their lairs at these times The crafty Cobra k n owi n g he .

,

i s most likely to fi n d a good fat toad for his supper abou t su n dow n ,

also comes forth a n d spies arou n d Because the veget atio n is .

damp a n d succule n t after su n set the i n sect prefers to eat i t ,

at that time The toad comes out a n d eats i ts pre y t he n the

. ,
46 TH E SNA K E S OF S O UTH A FRI CA .

Cobra comes alo n g a n d swallows the toad L astly ma n follows .

,

a n d captures or kills the Cobra .

The habits of t he same species of s n akes di ffer i n accorda n ce

wi t h t heir e n vi ro n me n t I n some localities s n akes are n ever
.

see n at n ight because the ai r i s i n va ri ably cold after su n dow n

, .

I n other localities i t i s j ust the reverse At Po rt E lizabet h Pu ff .

Adders a n d N ight Adders are fre q ue n tly met wi t h at n ight .

Fi n di n g t hemselves u n der stra n ge a n d ab n ormal co n ditio n s

whe n placed i n cages most s n akes refuse to eat although
, ,

they will regularly dri n k water a n d actively crawl arou n d .

I have n ever succeeded i n keepi n g s n akes alive for more tha n

a year i n ordi n ary cages i n doors or i n other situatio n s where ,

t here was a lack of su n shi n e or a heati n g apparatus for keepi n g

the t emp erature at ab out
I t is o n ly occasio n ally that Boomsla n gs u n der these co n
ditio n s will t ake food The maj ority take n o n otice i f chame
.

leo n s lizards or n ests co n t ai n i n g fresh pigeo n s a n d other birds ’ ’

, ,

eggs are placed i n their cages Puff Adders will eat a rat o n .

occasio n As likely as n ot i t will be disgorged the followi n g

.

day . Freque n tly they st ri ke a n d ki ll the rats but t ake n o ,

further n otice of them Mole S n akes i n vari ably refuse all food
. ,

a n d prefer t o pe ri sh by st arvati o n .

S n akes i f kept i n a n e n closure twelve or more feet squ are

, ,

ou t i n t he O pe n air wi th suit able cosy cor n ers n ooks a n d cra nn ies

, , ,

provided a n d ple n ty of fresh water will live thrive a n d breed

, , , ,
.

I n such a l arge e n closure m a n y species O f s n akes may be kept

together I t is tru e they sometimes swallow e ach other bu t
.
,

that i s n ot of much co n seque n ce i f they are o f commo n species ,

fo r they ca n easily be replaced The o n ly really aggressive .

s n akes are t he Cobras especi ally those species whi ch grow to a

,

l arge size such for i n st a n ce as the Cape Cobra ( Na mfl a w )

, , ,
.

These big fellows are bold active a n d aggressive a n d ofte n , , ,

deliberately att ack other s n akes However after bei n g a few .

,

mo n ths i n captivi ty they ca lm dow n a n d wi ll n ot i n terfere as

, , ,

a rule wi th ot her species of s n akes except t he smaller ki n ds

, , ,

wh ich they at tack overcome a n d swallow whe n hu n gry

, ,
.

The o n ly drawback I have fou n d i n keepi n g a large n umber

o f di ffere n t species of s n akes i n o n e large e n closure i s that i f o n e
should seize a n d begi n to swallow a toad etc a n other will O fte n ,
.
,

come alo n g a n d st art operatio n s at the O pposi te e n d of the

 TH E HA B I TS O F SNA K ES .

47

victi m a n d thus i n ma n y cases o n e s n ake i s swallowed by

,

a n ot her .

Of course i t i s n ot desirable to keep the bulky Pytho n wi t h

,

the other ki n ds of s n akes He i s a n i n offe n sive fellow but his

.
,

huge bulk which he ca nn ot help draggi n g alo n g wi th him i s

, ,

apt to i n j ure s n akes over which he might happe n to crawl Also .

he has a habi t of poki n g about a n d e n deavou ri n g t o thrust him

self out of sight i n to small holes a n d cra nn ies a n d i n this way he ,

makes chaos of the little i n terior arra n geme n ts of t he e n closure

desig n ed for the co n ve n ie n ce of t he smaller reptiles .

A s n ake -house should be so situated as to be well sheltered from

wi n d a n d rai n a n d so arra n ged that the su n may at all times
,

of the day from su n rise to su n set S hi n e i n to some portio n of i t

, , .

G reat care should be t ake n that the s n akes h ave cool places i n to
which to retire whe n the su n i s very hot Free access to air .

must be give n so t hat the s n ake -house m ay n ot get u n duly

,

heated .

I o n ce lost a larg e collectio n of s n akes by allo w i n g the air t o get

t oo hot i n side the s n ake -house The su n heated the glass a n d .

woode n partitio n s which n aturally had t he effect of raisi n g the

,

temperature of the air co n siderably Every s n ake perished wi t h .

the heat although they were n ot subj ected to direct su n shi n e

, .

Testi n g the degree of heat wit h a t hermometer I fou n d the ai r ,

registered a hu n dred a n d six degrees Fahr .

I f you hold the belief t h at s n akes are very t e n acious of li fe ,

aba n do n that belief for they are n ot Whe n ma n gled they may
, .

twist wri the a n d squirm for ma n y hours but n evertheless a

, , ,

s n ake i s very easily ki lled A slight i n j ury will cause death n ot

.
,

n ecessa rily at o n ce bu t perhaps a week or a mo n th later At the

, .

Port Elizabeth Museum I used to wo n der why we had such a great

.

mort ali ty amo n gst our li ve s n akes whi ch were se n t us by ki n d

frie n ds i n various parts of t he cou n try O n ski nn i n g them my .

assist a n t di scovered various discolouratio n s showi n g that they ,

had bee n stru ck or otherwi se k n ocked abou t whe n bei n g captured .

At first I used t o di ssect out t he fa n gs a n d sometimes the max il ,

lary bo n e o n wh ich they are fixed I fou n d t hat i n the maj ori ty .

of cases abscesses formed which caused the s n ake to cease eati n g .

Whe n fed artifici ally t he mouth i n vari ably bled the abscesses ,

grew worse a n d the s n akes pi n ed a n d died

, .

I n some expe rime n t s which I co n ducted with a view o f

 T UD Y P L AT E F O R S CI E N T I F I C S T U D E N TS
S
F IG 2 0 A Th s l s o f th b k
— I P i t l s hi ld s V I t p i t l sh i ld F A t i o d
e ca e e ac ar e a e n er ar e a e n er r an

pos t i o f o t l sh i l d s S S p o l s h i l d R R os t l sh i l d
. . .
. . . . .

er r r n a e u ra c u ar e ra e

N N N s l sh i ld L Lo l shi ld A P o l sh i ld P P os t o l s h i l d U U U pp
. . .
. .

2 a a e rea e re c u ar e c u ar e er
l bi l s h i ld s T T m p o l sh i l d s M M t l m di l o w l b i l C Ch i s hi lds
. . . . .
. . . . . . .

a a e e ra e en a or e an er a a n e

3 A Th bd o mi l pl t s sh i ld s w h i h m o v bl Th s s d i l o o m o ti o T h i
. . .
. . . .

e a na a e or e c a re a e e e are u e n c n. e r

dg s g i p v s f s B Th h i sh i ld s C Lo w l bi l S hi ld s D U pp lip
.
. .

e e r une e n ur ace . . e c n e . . er a a e . . er .

48
 I DENTI FI CATI ON O F SNA K ES .
49

ascertai n i n g i f certai n species of s n akes were immu n e to Puff Adder

ve n om I allowed t he adder to bite them ei ther i n t he n eck or
, ,

somewhere i n t he regio n of the abdome n I n n early all cases the .

bi tte n s n akes died a week or S O l ater However I subseque n tly .

,

discovered that t he deaths were ofte n caused n ot by the ve n om ,

but by the actual mecha n ical i n j ury caused to t he i n ter n al part s

o f the bit te n s n akes by the large fa n gs of the Puff Adders
,
.

I D E N T I F I C AT I O N OF SN AKES .

I n t he ide n tificatio n o f the species O f s n akes the colouratio n

i s a most u n cert ai n guide The systematic Z oologist exami n es
.

the de n ti tio n to ascert ai n to wh at divisio n the

specime n belo n gs There are three mai n di vi sio n s
.
,

viz t he A GL Y P HA or soli d -toothed n o n -ve n o

.
,

mous s n akes ; the OPI STH O GL Y PHA or hi n d ,

fa n ged more or less poiso n ous s n akes ; a n d the

,

PROTE RO GL Y P HA or fro n t -fa n ged typically

, ,

ve n omous s n akes .

After fi n di n g out what family sub -family a n d , ,

ge n us the specime n i s a member Of by mea n s of

the ge n eral form atio n of the body scales -a n d , ,

shields the z oologi st i de n ti fies the species by

,

ex ami n i n g the shi elds o n the head a n d abdome n .

The n umber a n d shape of the head a n d abdomi n al

shields di ffer i n the vari ous species of s n akes
F
.

G A V 2 1 — en
Sometimes they merely S lightly di ffer i n a species
I
bd o mi l
. . .

t l ra s o r a na
sh i ld s T h y
.

e e ex
I n these cases we term i t a sub species i f the t d f om th o t
.

—
, en r r a

di ffere n ce i s O bserved t o be co n st a n t t o v t en
B A l S h i ld I
.

.
na e n

so m s k s t h is
.
.

I f you compare the head shields of two sh i ld whi h e

e na e
c

di ffere n t species of s n akes you wi ll n otice t hey o v s th v t c er

,

e en
i s d i vid d I
,
,
e n

di ffer i n shape I f the abdomi n al ( ve n tral ) shields C tSh b i-t i s dti l

.

o e rs en re .

u c a u a
Th s sh i ld s i
.
.

are cou n ted they wi ll di ffer i n n umber S O also so m s k s .

e e
e na
e
e a re
n

will those from the ve n t to the e n d o f the t ail i tw ows ; i n o r n

o t h s s i gl er in a n e

( sub -c au da ls
) I n some species of s n akes the Shield
. w ro

( a n al ) over the ve n t is divi ded I n others i t i s e n tire S O also wi th

. .

t he sub -c au dals I n some s n akes they are i n o n e ro w a n d i n others

.
,

they are i n two rows Their n umber also di ffers wi th the species
. .
 CH A P TE R I I I .

TH E BL IN D B U R R O W IN G S N A K E S .

FAM I LY I . T
- Y P H L OP I D E . .

T H E S E s n akes are worm -like i n appeara n ce wi th cyli n dri cal ,

bodi es a n d blu n t t ails They are covered wi th ti n y closely

.

fitti n g scales a n d t heir eyes are more or less ru dime n tary

, .

They burrow i n the grou n d especi all y i n soft loamy a n d sa n dy

,

soils a n d feed upo n small li zards a n ts l arv a worms beetles a n d

, , , , ,

ot her i n sects They are usually fou n d u n der sto n es loose soil
.
, ,

a n d decayi n g leaves a n d wood Occasio n ally after a shower of .

,

rai n they appear above grou n d i n search of i n sects whi ch issue

, ,

forth from thei r retreats at t his time The j aws of this family o f .

s n akes are n ot capable O f much di ste n sio n as i s the case wi t h the ,

more highly evolved or speci ali zed s n akes co n seque n tly t hey ,

ca nn ot swallow l arge prey Their upper j aws are armed wi th

.

small sharp teeth but t he lower j aws are t oothless They are all
, ,
.

quite n o n -ve n omous a n d c an be safely ha n dled They make n ice .

pets a n d soo n grow very t ame a n d thri ve i f kept i n a box co n

, ,

t ai n i n g sa n d i n which they may burrow a n d supplied wi th water ,

a n d i n sects especi ally t ermit es a n d their l arv a

,
I f the cage be .

pl aced ou t i n t he su n t hey come t o the surface to bask thei r ,

bodies gli tteri n g like bur n ished met al .

All the di ffere n t species l ay eggs whi ch are l arge i n proportio n ,

to t he si ze of t he s n ake This family o f s n akes a n d the followi n g

.
,

family ( Gla u co m da ) co n sti tute the li n k betwee n the more highly

'

speci alized s n akes a n d li zards from whi ch s n akes have evolved .

There are over 1 0 0 species or ki n ds O f Typhlops s n akes i n habiti n g

vari ous parts O f the world t e n of which live i n South A fri ca south
, ,

o f the Z ambesi These Burrowi n g S n akes still possess rudi me n t s

.

o f a pelvi s whi ch i n dicates t hat thei r remote a n cestors had legs

, .

50
5 2 TH E SNA K ES OF SOU TH AFRI CA .

h iz t l dg e ; 2 4 sc a l s o u d t h e b o dy P o c u l i o n
or on a e e r n . re ar n c

t ac t w i t h t h s c o d a d t h i d l bi l s ;
e di m ete o f b o d y 3
e n n r a a a r 0

t i mes i t o t a l l g th
n en .

T Y PH L O P S A NC H I E TzE S o u t w i t h o b tu ly a g u l a o t t c h n t
.
— n se n r, n ren a ,

h iz o t l dg ; 3 0 o 3 sca l s o u d th b o dy P eo u l r i
or n a e e r 2 e r n e . r c a n

c o t n t w i th t h sec o d l bi l o ly ; di met e o f b o dy 2 4 t i m es
ac e n a a n a r
i to t l l
n g th eye o t di st i g u i sh abl
a en n n e .

5 . T Y PH L O P S B I B O N I I — S o t w i th o b t us ly g l a b t o t t n h a n t
R . n u e an u r, u n re c ,

h o iz o t l dg e ; 3 to 3 4 sc l o u d th b o dy P o l i
r n a e 0 a es r n e . re c u ar n

c ont c t w i t h t h e s o d l a bi l ( a ly se d d t h i d ) di m et
a ec n a r re con an r a er

o f b d y 2 8 to 3 6 t i m s i t o t l l
o g t h y di t i t e n a en e e s nc .

6 . T Y PH L O P S D E L AL A N D I I S o u t o t h o k ed ( in p o fi l ) S n o u t w i t h .
— n n o r e .

s h a p t c h t h o iz o t a l edg ; 2 8 to 3 s l s o u d t h
r , ren an ,
r n e 0 ca e r n e

b d y di m t f bo dy 3 5 to 5 t i m in to t a l l g t h
o a e er o 0 es en .

T Y PH L O P S MU CR o s o —S t t h o k ed ( in p o fi l e) . S u t w i th no u no o r . no

sh a p t e c h
r ,
t h o iz o n t l dg 3 to 3 8 s l s u d th e b o dy
r n an ,
r a e e 0 ca e ro n

di a m t f b o dy 2 5 t o 3 5 t i m s in to ta l l g t h
e er O e en .

8 . T Y PH L O P S D I N G A S u t w i t h h p t c h a t h o iz o t l dg e
.
—
no S ar , ren n ,
r n a e .

S o t o t h o o k ed ( i p o fi l )
n u n 3 4 to 4 s l s o u d th e b o dy ; n r e 0 ca e r n

di m t o f b o d y 4 t o 4 6 t i m es i to ta l l g th
a e er 2 n en .

T Y PH L O P S S C H L E G S t w i th s h
ELI I —p t c h t h o iz o t l edg
. no u ar ,
ren an ,
r n a e .

S nout t h o k d ( i p o fi l e)
no o 4 t 4 4 c l es o u d th
e b dy ; n r 0 o s a r n e o

di a m t o f b dy 2 5 t 3 t i m es i to t l l e g th
e er o o 0 n a n .

T Y PH L O P S S CH I N z r S o t h o k d S u t w i th sh a p t c h a n t
.
— n u o e . no r ,
ren ,

h iz o t l dg ; 4 to 2 6
or n a e l es o u n d th e b o dy ; di m t e o f
e 2 sc a r a e r

b dy 4 5 to 5 7 i t t al l g t h
o n o en .

T Y P H LO P S .

Ten S pec ies i n S o u th Af ric a .

I . T Y PH L O P S T I CA L I S Th e Yel l o w-brown Bl i n d S nak e G I-b i

VER . . ee ru n

Sl gan .

Sy non y m O y h pk l — n ti lis
c o ce a u s ver c a .

Co lo u r— if m b w i h -y ll w
un or ro n s e o .

Av g l g th 6 t 8 i h
era e en — o nc es .

D i t ib t i
s r u — W ont P vi f C p C l
es ern y ro nce o a e o on .

2 . T Y PH L O P S F NAS N East A fri can B li n d S nak e

OR I II . .

C l
o o u r— bl i h g y i h A l gi y l l w i h
u s or re s . na re on e o s .

A v g l g t h— 6 t 8 i h
era e en o nc es .

D i t ib t i
s r u — D l
g
on B y P t ge a E t Af i oa a or u u ese as r ca .

T Y PH L P S MO S AM CU S Mossambique Bl i n d S nak e
O S BI . .

Sy no ny m O y h ph l s m mbi
— n c o ce a u oss a cu s .

C l
o o u r— D kb w l w ar fro f h d n d l gi o ll o w i h o er s u r ac e o ea an an a re n ye s .

A v g l gt h 6 t 7 i h s
e ra e en — o nc e .

D i t ib t i
s r u — Z l ulon d N th w d t P t g u E t A f i
u an or ar s o or u ese as r ca .

T Y PH L P A NC H I T
O S An c h ieta s Bl i n d S nak e
E ZE .
’
.

C l
o o u r— P l y ll w w i t h g yi h -b w
a e e o bl t h , re s ro n o c es .
Av g l g t h— 6 i h
e ra e en nc es .

D i t ib t i
s r u — T on v l; A g l ra n s aa n o a .

T Y PH L P B O S N V i ly k w
I B RO II th Bl i n d S nak e ; Two
. a r o us no n as e
h ea ded S nak e Groun d S nak e Aar d Sl an g Tweekop Sl ang
Sy no ny m O y h ph l bib ii
— n c o ce a us ro n .
 8 L 5 a
m a L o
L m
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5
54 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AF R I CA .

C l ur B r w n b o v e y ell o w o th u nd erp rt s
o o —
o a n e a .

Av g e l engt h — r f t t I f o o t 6 in c h s
e ra oo o e .

D i s tributi o n Co mm n th g h o ut S o t h Afri c
— No t r eco rd d n o t h o ro u u a . e r

o f th e Z m b i a es .

6 . T Y PH L O P S D E AL AN I I Delalandi s Bli n d Snake L D .

’
.

C l ur P l bro w n a b o v
o o — h c le a ewit h a d a rk er c en tra l sp o t ; e ea c s a ,

y llo wi h th e u nd r e s on e
p rt a s .

Av r g l en gt h I f o t e a e — o .

D i tributi n O ur s a ll o v er s o —
cc

S ut h Afri c a No t e o . r

c o rd d n rt h o f t h Z am e o e
b si e .

7 T Y P H L O P S M U CR O S O Th e Vari . .

a ble B li n d S nak e .

S y no n y m O y h ph l s n c oce a u
mu croso .

C l ur
o o pp r p rt v ari bl i
— U e a s a e n

c o l o ur l w r p rt s u ni f o r m o e a
y ll wi sh e o .

Av ra g l ngt h I f o o t to I fo t
e e e — o

6 in h s c e .

D i s tributi o n Tr ns v l D a aa e

l g a B ay ; R h o d esi ;
a o a

Z a m b es i R gi o ns N o rt h e

t Ea t
o d C en tra l s an
Afri a c .

8 . T Y P H L O P S D I N G A Th e Rust y .

red B l in d S nak e .

S y no n y m O y h ph lu s n c oce a

din g a .

C l ur R u ty d a b o v wit h
o o — s re e,
c o n flu n t bl ac k s p t s e o .

Av era g e l n gt h — 2 f t to 2 f t e ee ee
6 i nc h es .

D i tributi o n
s S ut h r n R h o o e .

d i a P o rtugu ese E as t
es

A fri c a .

9 T Y P H L O P S S CH L E G E L I I S ch legel s .
’

5 a, Bli n d S nak e .

S yn o n y o nyCh o cePh a h ‘s
H E AD S AND TA I LS O F T Y P H L O P S ?gg I T
S N A K E S S H O WI N G A RRA N G E S Ch e

ME N T o r S CA L E S C lo ur U n fo rm o l v -bro w n
, 0

. o — i i e

F lo 4 3 H d d l w rj w
2 — c ea b v o p a rti c o l o ur d
an o e a a o e, r e
3 d T il pi h t ip B
. . . .

h w g h a
H d v i w d fr r b v
.
,
s o nn
y ll w a d o liv -br o w n t h
t e s ne a t t e .
e o n e ,
e
5
5 6
a
H d v
.

i w d f r
ea
m
ea h id
e

e
e
e
l tt er
o
Co l u
o n a
f
t e s
ro
m ng
e.

e
a o r o i Ir

H d vi w d f r m b l w r gul a r bl o t h s l o w r
. .

s e ea e e o e o e c e e
5 d T l h wi g p i
. .

al
V t t p rt m rk d A E y
. t s d o
vrd
n p
S a r ts u ni f o rm y ll o w
ne a en .
e
_
.

en
by
15 a
l ( F m B it M C t S k )
a
Av a
g ro
l g
e
t h l ! ot 6
.

h
es a re c o
us
e e
e ra e en o I DC eS

t 2 f t
s c a es . r . . a . na es .

o ee .

D i t ibuti n S o ut h e r n R h d i a ; P rtugu ese E s t Af i c a ; C n tr a l

s r o — o es o a r e

A fri ca .

10 .T Y P H L O S S C H I NZ I Bl ac k -spotted Bli nd Snak e

P . .

C l ur Y l l wi h b v wit h m ll bl a k p t
o o — e o s a o e, s a c s o s .

Av r g l ngt h 8 i n h e a e e — c es .

D i t ibuti n N o rt h r n p rts o f C a p C l n y L i t tl N m qu l an d
s r o —
e a e o o e a a a .
 TH E B L I N D B U RROWI N G S NA K ES .
55

F AMI L Y I I . GL AU CO NI D ZE .

These snakes are very S i m ilar i n general structure to the

for mer fa mily an d t hei r habi ts are m o re or less
alike They are placed i n a separate fa m ily because t hey are
.

an ato m ically so mewhat di ffere nt vi z they have teet h i n t he lower ,

.

j aw only t he upper j aw bei ng qui te toothless They possess four

,
.

tee n rows of scales rou nd the body The typhlops sn akes on the .
,

contrary have teeth i n the upper jaw but none i n t he lower

, ,

j aw and t hey have at least eighteen rows of scales roun d t h ei r

,

bodi es The Gla u co n idw snakes are blunt -t ailed li ke the for m er
.

fam ily and are li ke t hei r cousi ns ofte n popularly ter m ed Two
, , ,

F IG . 2 5 .
— A l if -i G l u
e s ze a i
co n a o r B l i d B urr wi g S k
n o n na e ( Gla uco m a m g n c a m ) .

h eaded Snakes People have occasionally brought snakes to

.
-

m e in exci te m ent clai mi ng to h ave discovered a snake w i th

,

a head at each end of the body I n all cases they turned .

out t o be Bli nd Burrowi ng Snakes L i ke the for m er family . ,

the Glaucom dae are all qui te non -veno mous and are easy t o
’

kee p alive These Burrowing Snakes are very useful i n the

.

eco no m y of N ature in keepi ng down t he too rapi d increase o f

i nsect li fe .

There are about thirty species of these snakes si x speci es of ,

which are known to i nhabi t South A fric a .

56 T H E SNA K E S OF SOUTH AFR I CA .

GE N U S G L A U CO N I A .

A s in g le Gen u s i n S o u th Af rica .

K EY TO TH E S P E CI E S .

1 . GLAU C O NI A upr ao ul r pr s n t R tr l p r a t d fro m

N I G R I CA N s .
— S c a e e . os a se a e

th s upr ao ul a r by t h
e upp r p rt o f th n as l ; di am et er o f
c e e a e a

b dy 4 t o 6 ti mes i t t al l en gt h
o 0 0 n o .

2 . G L A U C N I A C O N JU Nc r A
O S upr o c ul r pr esen t R o str a l in c o n t ac t .
— a a .

wit h th s upr o c ul r ; R o str al t m r t h n twi c e th width

e a a no o e a e

f t h e n asa l ext n di n g t o o s lig h tly b ey o n d a li n

o , o nn ec ti n g
e , r e c

th p st ri o r b rd r s o f th e ey es D i m et er o f b o dy 4 7 t 6
e o e o e . a o 0

ti m s i t o t l l n gt h
e n a e .

K ULLS O F G LAU C ON IA S N A K E S
S .

F IG 6 2 — r S i d i w h wi g th t th i th l w r j w T h r
e V e s o n e ee n e o e a e e a re
h u pp r j w
. . . .

no ne in t e e a
S kull fr m b v
.

2 s ee n o a o e.

3 S kull f r m b l w h wi g t t h l p l t A L w r j
.

see n o e o S o n oo e ss a a e o e aw
i
. . . .

(Br t . M us . Ca l S n a k es
. .
)
GLAU C O N I A . G R A CI L I O R f r m r i h a vi ng th di m t r .
— D ifi ers fr o m th e o e n e a e e

f t h b dy 9 t o 1
o e ti m s i t t l l ngt h B o d y v ry s l n d er
o 0 I 0 e n o a e . e e .

GLAU C O N I A s c u rrF R O Ns S upr o c ul r pr s n t R o tr l v e y l rg .

— a a e e . s a ,
r a e,

t l
a s t twi ea br d s t h n s l a d xt ndi ng b y o n d line
c e as oa a e a a n e e e a

c nn o ti ng t h e p o t ri o r b rd r o f t h y s ; di m t r o f b dy
ec s e o e e e e a e e o

5 t o 8 ti m s i t t l l n gt h
0 0 S n ut r u n d d
e n o a e . o o e .

GLAU C O N I A D I S TAN rr S upr ao ul r pr n t S n ut wit h pr r l p rt .

— c a ese . o eo a a

n v
co pp ri n g lig h tly h o k d i pro fi l
ca e, a ea s o e n e .

6 . GLAU C O NI A L A m A L i s — No upr c ul a r I ll t h o t h r sp c i e t h e
. s ao . n a e e e s

upr o c ul r i pr n t
s a a s e se .
 THE A FR I CA N P Y TH ON .
57

G L A U CO N I A .

S ix S pec ies i n S o u th Af rica .

1 .
GL A U C O N I A N I G RI CA N S Bl ack Bli n d Snak e Z wart Bli nd S l an g .
. .

S y no n y m s Typh lops ig i —
S te o t m m g m
’ ’

s n r ca n n s o a ca n s .

C l o ur— B r w n o bl ki h wit h c l edg d wit h lig h t r

o o r ac s s a es e e
Av r g e l n gt h 6 i nc h s
, .

e a e — e .

D i s tributi o n B t h pr o vi n c s f C a p C o l o n y ; N t l ; O r n g
— o Fr e o e a a a e ee
St t Tr ans vaa l
a e, .

2 .
GLAU C O NI A C O NJU NC TA Th e Intermedi ate Bli nd S nak e . .

S y no n y m s S t t m ju tu m S t t m m gmc t m
—
en os o a co n
s St nc en o s o a an en o s o a

g u tii T h i s sp i s c o nn c t s G ig i
ro . wit h G tf
ec e e n r ca n s
’

s c u z ro n s
Av era g e l ngt h 6 i n h
. . .

e — c es .

D i tributi o n
s B o t h pr o vi n c —
f C p e Co l o n y O F S B ut l n d es o a . . .
*
as o a
N t a l ; Z ulul n d Tr nsv l N th w a ds t E s t Afr i
a a a aa or r o a ca .

GLAU C O N I A G R A CI L I O R Th e Sl en der Bli n d Snak e .

.

C l o u r U n ifo rm bro w i h -bl ac k

o —
n s .

Av ra g l engt h 8 i nc h s
e e — e .

D i s tributi o n W e t r n P r o vi n e C a p C l n y
— s e c , e o o .

GLAU C O NI A S C U TI F R O NS
Gl u o m l tif
.

S yn nym o S t o sto m s u tif

s— s en s a c ro n a c a a ro n .

Co l o u r— B ro w n o bl c ki sh a b v w h iti sh b ne t h
r a o e e a
Av r g l n gt h 6 t o 8 i nc h s
.

e a e e —
e .

D i t ributi n
s E t er n P r vi nc o f C p C o l n y ; N t l ; Z ulul n d
o — as o e a e o a a a

Tr nsv a l ; S uth r n R h o d i a ; N o rt h w a rd s t A n g o l a
a a o e es o .

GLAU C O NI A D I S TANTI Distant s Blin d S nak e .

’
.

C l o ur U nifo r m bl c ki sh t h b rd r s f th
o —
a l s ligh t r , e o e o e sc a e e .

Av r a g l en gt h 5 t o 6 i n h s
e e — c e .

D i stributi o n Tra nsv a l ; B c h u n l n d ; S ut h r n R h o d es i

— a e a a a o e a .

6 . GLAU C O NI A LAB I AL I S .

D i tributi o n
s S o ut h W es t Afri c
—
a .

TH E PY TH O N OR R OC K S NA K E ( PY TH O N S E B JE ) .

FAM I LY I I I . B O I DZE G E N U S PY T H O N . .

The Python belongs to a fa m ily of sn akes known as the

B o idce There are ni ne species or ki nds Of Pythons three i n
.
,

Afri ca and the rest in the M alay Archi pelago I ndi a an d Aus ,

trala sia Belongi ng to the sa me family i s another sub -fam il y O f

.

snakes called Boas chief among whi ch i s t he terrible A naconda ,

of A m erica whi ch is st ated t o attai n a length of over thirty feet

,
.

N one of these Boa-co ns tri ctors i nhabi t Afri ca .

The largest snake on record is t he M alay Pyt hon ( P yth o n

retic ula tus) which is j ust un der t hirty -t hree feet in lengt h .

TH E A F R ICAN PY TH O N .

The Sout h Afri can Python also known as the N atal Rock ,

Sn ake ( P yth on sabre) is co mm on i n t he Southern portion of A fr i ca

, ,

mostly towards t he East si de I n West Afri ca i t i s repl ac e d by .

O F S t h r o ug h o ut t h i s v o lu m e s t a n d s f o r O r a ng e F r ee S t a t
. . .
e .
58 TH E SN A KE S OF SOUTH AFR I CA .

another S pecies known as t he West Afri can Python ( P yth on reg ius)
and i n Sout h West Africa by An c h ieta s Python ( P yth on an ch z etw) ’ ’

The Rock S nake or Pytho n i s fairly co mmon i n Rhodesi a N at al , ,

Z ul ul an d and Eastern Transvaal I have also Obt ai ned S peci men s .

fro m Bechuan al and .

The st ate m e nts i n regard to t he length att ai ned by these

F IG . 2 7 .
— H d ea a n d n ec k of a S uth A fri
o c an P y th on (P yth o n s ebaz ) .

Pythons i s very conflicti ng Si r An drew S mi t h i n hi s Z oology .

,

”
of Sou th Afri ca m entions o ne twenty -h y e feet long whi ch h e
, ,

person all y exa m i ned and measured I have exa mi ned a consi der .

able nu mber and the longest was twenty feet The average le n gt h
, .

see m s to be about S ixteen feet t he circu m ference at t he t hi ckest ,

part bei ng about eightee n i nche s .

1 . P Y TH O N S E B Ai . Th e S o ut h Af ri can Pyth on , a sol k no w n as th e Nata l

Ro c k Sna ke .

Syn ny m C l b
o s— bz H t li o u t l si er se or n a n a a en s .

C l o ur— P l br o w n b v wit h d a rk br w n bl c k - dg d m r
o a e a o l s
e, o , a e e , o e or es

si nu u s c r b r w h ich
o u u lly nn t d by c o n ti nu u s
o ss a s a re s a co ec e a o ,

o i n t rrupt d d rk s trip ru nn i n g l o n g
r e e h s id o f t h
a b k; e a ea c e e ac

id wit h l rg p o ts d fi n ly d tt d wit h bl k a l a rg e tri

s es a e s , an e o e ac

ngul r d r k br o w n bl o t h o c u pyi n g t h e t p o f t h h d
a a a c c o e ea ,

b rd r d o o h id by lig h t trip b gi nn i n g t t h e d o f
e e n ea c s e a s e, e a en

th n u t b v t h no tril
e s o d p a i n g a b o v t h ey A d a rk
o e e s , an a ss e e e .

trip os ch id f th h d a d a d a rk s b -tri n gul r bl t c h

e n ea s e o e ea ,
n u a a o
b l w t h y upp r urf
e o f t il wit h
e e e lig h t trip e b tw n e s ac e o a a s e ee
t w bl k o n s B lly s p tt d d d tt d wit h d rk br o w n
o ac e . e o e an o e a .

Av r g l engt h 6 f t S id to tt a i n a l ngt h o f 5 f t
e a e — I ee . a a e 2 ee .

D i tributi n— N t l ; Z ulul n d ; E s t r n Tr n v
s o a a l ; E st r n p rti n a a e a s aa a e o o
f B c h u n l n d ; S o ut h r n R h o d si ; P rtugu s E
o e a a a t A fri c a ; e e a o e e as

T r pi l A fri o ca ca .
60 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA

T HEI R H A U NT S D IET AND AGE , ,

.

Pythons frequen t m oist rocky valleys plant ation and bush ,

covered l ands and are rarely found far fro m water Thei r pri n
, .

c ip al di e t i s bi rds m a m m als such as D assies Hares Cane Rat s

, , , , ,

the s m aller antelopes m onkeys et c , , .

Along t he coast al distri cts o f N atal t here are extensi ve sugar

cane plant ations where these Pythons deli ght to dwell as there
, ,

i s abundance of food i n t he shape o f Cane Rats otherwi se known ,

as G roun d Pigs ( Th ryon o mys swin deren ian n s) These Cane R at s .

at t ai n t he si z e of full -grown Dassi es or Rock Rabbits They are .

no t real rats . Thei r nearest rel atio n is the porcupi ne These .

Cane Rat s are very dest ructive t o the sugar -cane so the pl anter ,

regards the Pyt hon as his best and m ost useful ally .

When seeki ng food the Python usually lies i n a mbush i n so m e

pl ace where ani m als are likely t o pass When the i n tended .

Vi cti m i s wi thi n st ri ki ng di stance t he sn ake lunges forward sei zes

, ,

its startled vi cti m i n i ts j aws whi ch are ar m ed wi th fairly l arge

,

recurved teeth Then wi t h light ni ng -li ke rapi di ty i t s body i s

.

thrown aroun d t he t errified an d struggli ng ani m al whi ch i s ,

rapi dly crushed t o death .

The age t o w hi ch snakes live has n ot been ascert ain ed .

Pyt hons have been kn own t o l ive in capt ivit y for t went y -fi ve
years.

S W A L L O W I NG TH E P R E Y .

The snake be g i ns at t he head and swallows the body after th e ,

m an ner o f ot her s nakes as previ ously expl ai ned

,
I f the captured .

ani mal be l arge the s nake crushes i t so e ffectually that i t i s

,

converted i nto a sausage -shaped m ass which n aturally m akes ,

t he swallowi ng process so m uch easi er .

Du ri ng deglutitio n t he salivary glands are very active and ,

a n abundance of saliva i s excreted which e nables the s nake t o

swallow the prey wi t h co m parative e ase The sn ake does not . ,

however s mear i ts vi cti m wi th saliva before starting to swallow

,

i t The saliva only co m es i n cont act wi th t he portio n O f t he prey

.

which i s wi thi n t he m out h So m eti mes a lit tle escapes fro m the
.

S ides o f the m out h Snakes never sli m e t heir prey previ ous
.

to swallo wi ng i t .

This popular beli ef that snakes cover thei r prey wi t h a

sli m y secretion pre v i ous to swallo w i ng i t i s i ncorrec t What ,
.

evidently gave rise to thi s belie f i s t he custo m of snakes t o ,

 SWA LL OW I N G TH E PRE Y . 6 1

disgorge t heir prey i f i rrit ated or alar med N aturally the .

cast -u p body of the victi m i s covered wi th a sli m y secreti o n

F IG 2 9
— A S uth A fri
o c an (P yth on s cbaz ) 1 7 f t i l gth b ki g
ee n en as n in
t gr p h d ti v h bi t t
. .
,

su n . Ph o o a e in i ts na e a a .

wi t h whi ch i t beca m e covered duri ng the swallowing process ,

an d while i n the digesti ve tract .

A large Python can swallow an ani m al the size o f a full -grown

Dui ker Buck ( Ceph aloph n s g rimmi) When out hu nting one day .
6 2 TH E SNAK E S OF SOUTH A FRI CA .

in N at al w i t h a fri end we ca m e across a huge Python i n a s m all

,

cave at the foot o f a krant z After ki lli ng i t we dragged i ts body .

,

out i nto t he light and discovered t hat a pair O f D ui ker Buck

,

horns were sticki ng fully an i nch and a half through i ts ri bs and

ski n I t had e v i dently swallowed t he buck horns an d all an d
.
, ,

the l at ter worked their way t hrough the ski n The Python would .

probably not have died through the i nj ury These reptiles have .

such powerful digestive j u ices t hat the whole body bones and all , ,

O f the buck would gradually h ave been digested an d the horn s

, ,

woul d event ually have dropped out O n a second occasion I was .

prese nt when a P v th o n wi t h the horns of a D ui ker ram stic ki ng

,

out O f i t s ski n was killed I n t hi s case the sku ll had e vi dently

,
.

’
been dissolved by the snake s gast ri c j uices for the horns cam e ,

away very easil y whe n pulled leavi ng two s m all rou nd holes i n ,

the s nake s side whi ch doubtless would have healed i n a very

’

short ti m e .

One day whe n l yi ng u nder the shade Of a big forest tree near
Table Mount ai n i n N at al I heard t he terri fied cri es O f an ani m al
, , .

O n e m ergi ng fro m t he bush I saw a Pyt ho n wi t h a D u i ker Buck ,

i n i ts dea dly folds H avi n g no gu n I converted t he branch of a

.
,

tree i nt o a cudgel and rushed u p t he i ncli ne a t the sn ake H o w

, .

ever o n seei ng me approaching i t qui ckly di sengaged i ts j aws

, , ,

unwound i ts coils an d m ade Off a m ongst t he bush -covered rocks

, ,

leavi ng the buck i n a dyi ng state upon t he grou nd .

O n anot her occasio n m y Fox Terriers gave tongue C li m bi ng .

over rocks and stubbly bush i n the di rectio n O f the sound I saw a ,

Python of average si ze wi t h head and neck distended enorm ously .

On seei ng m e i t m ade desperate e fforts t o disgorge but i ts j aws ,

were so dreadfully stret ched t hat i t w a s apparent ly powerless t o

reverse i ts m echanis m I rapi dly tied o n e en d of a stout cord
.

round the s nake s mi d dle an d the other en d to a tree and ran

’

, ,

back t o get a strong li ne n bag fro m a sat chel which hung fro m m y ,

saddle Returni ng I foun d the Python had succeeded i n dis

. ,

gorging i ts prey whi ch was a half-grown Dui ker The reptile

,
.

was worked up i nto a great state of exci te men t by the badge ri ng

of t he terriers an d its i nabi li ty to escape Hol di ng out the spread
,
.

Ou t bag the Python lunged forward and sei zed i t The snake s ’
.
,

recurved teeth got en tangled i n the m ate ri al and wi thou t a ,

m o m en t s dela y I enveloped i t s head and t hen seized i t by the neck

’
, .

Wrappi ng the bag round i t s head I tied i t wi th a cord I t hen , .

 CA PTU RI N G A P Y THON . 63

sat down and w ai ted patiently un t il the Python had expended

i ts strength i n bli n dly tu mbli ng and rolling around A t l ast i t .

ceased t o fight I t fel t i t was vanquished I advanced and

. .

carefully re m oved t he bag which was bli ndfoldi ng i t Ope ni ng .

t he m out h of i t I thrust i n t he sn ake s head

, I nst antly i t ’

began to crawl forward t hus ai di ng me i n baggi ng it , .

Sli ngi ng the bag over m y shoulder I staggered Off wi th nearly ,

a hundredweight O f Pyt hon .

My pony was an Old trusty friend and co m panion of countless

excursions and was used t o the sensation of various ki n ds of
,

wriggling things on his back so he did not mi nd when I strapped ,

m y load to the saddl e and led h im along to m y Dutch fri en d s ’

far m five m iles di st an t

, .

PY TH O N S ON THE W ATC H .

The favouri te haunt of the Python i s t he rocky wooded ,

valleys i n t he vici ni ty of water They love water and delight

,
.
,

to wallow i n i t O ften lyi ng sub m erged for hours wi th o nly the

, ,

nostrils above the surface .

They are excellen t cli m bers t wi sti n g i n an d out a mon g st t he ,

branches The popular i dea i s t hat sn akes cli mb by t wi sti ng

.

t heir bodi es in spiral fashio n roun d t he branches after the ma nner

O f a rope bei n g twisted stran d above strand round the t ru nk O f
,

a tree This i s not so NO sn ake ever cli mbs i n t hi s m anner

. . .

These huge Pythons O ften lie along t he branches of trees w i th

t heir stony -looki ng u nwi n ki ng eyes fixed upon the ground below
, .

I f so methi ng good to eat co m es alo n g the s n ake m erely drops ,

upo n i t t he end of the t ail grippi ng tight to t he branch or t o a

, ,

twig When t he a n i m al is l arge an d strong the Python prefers

.
,

so m e leverage for i ts t ail i n the shape of a shrub branch tuft o f , ,

grass or a proj ection O f rock t o give i ts body m uscles m ore

, ,

power t o act AS a rule however these snakes j ust envelop

.
, ,

t heir prey wi th t heir folds and the n proceed t o squeeze the li fe ,

out of i t .

C A P T U R I N G A PY T H O N .

P ythons are not veno m ous t hey are desti tute of p o ison fangs
or poison glands .

The teeth of Pythons are all qui te sol id without any s igns o f ,
64 TH E S NAK ES O F SOU TH A FR I CA .

groovi ng The y are recurved whi ch m eans t hey are curved

.
,

backwards These teeth are capable O f i nflicti ng a n asty wound

. .

I was tryi ng t o captu re a Python one day a mongst so m e rocks

i n one of those beauti
ful tropical -looki n g
valleys so abundant ,

i n N atal I got i t .

cornered and tried to ,

get a noose over it s

head I n desperation .
,

I suppose it m ade ,

a fierce lunge and

sei zed my left hand i n
it s great j aws an d held
as tight as a steel rat
trap I yelled out to .

m y co m panion but he ,

was away i n t he bush

so mewhere Feari ng .

the Python would

want to take t he
liberty of e mbraci ng
me I dragged my ,

hand out of i ts m out h ,

t he hand O f course , ,

bei ng m i nus m ost of i t s

epi dermis Y ou wan t .

t o know what I did

t hen ? Well I re ,

t reat ed down the rocks .

A fter m y fri end had

bandaged my han d we ,

crawled up agai n and

shot t he Python and ,

t hen ret ri eved m y gun ,

satchel and hat

— A b by py t h b by b y
.
,
F IG 3 0 d a o n an a a o
Pythons beco m e
. . .

very ta m e and docile i n captivi ty For m any years past .

I have kept the m i n cages I had one big fellow eighteen

.

feet long and so t a m e di d he bec o me that one dav l coiled

,
 TH E Y HAN K ERED AFTER H I S G A LL . 65

h im
’
round a l ady s neck and waist and photographed her with ,

t he py tho n .

A S EN S ATI ON .

This Python escaped one night and I sole m nly warned a ,

rel ative to keep the fact a dead secret She con fided t he fact to a .

neighbour bi ndi ng her to stri ct secrecy but of course that secret

, ,

was known i n a very short while over the whole neighbourhood .

Anyhow for a month or two n obody would venture out of doors

,

i n t hat suburb after dark Whenever children were a lit tle l at e .

in co m i ng ho m e fro m school their m ot hers were i n horrible ,

suspe n se lest t he Python had i ntervi ewe d the m en rou te When .

e ver a n y do m esti c ani m als were missi ng O i course the Python ,

got t he bl a me Why they eve n bl am ed i t for doi ng away wi th

.
,

a man I t see m s Mr
. suddenly di sappeared from his ho me
.
,

and no trace O f h im could be found and t he poor Old Python ,

was bl am ed bu t I knew that m a n had a shrew of a wi fe wit h

,
~
,

a dreadful te m per , who preferred gossi p to looki n g after her

do mesti c a ffairs so I guessed the re al reaso n of his disappearance
,
.

T HE Y H ANKE R E D A FTE R HI S G A LL .

The K afi rs believe that the gal l of a m an who has killed a

Pyt ho n will confer o n the person who swallows i t wonderful
vigour courage and longevi ty
, .

Prior t o t he adven t O f Europeans i n to South Africa and the ,

i ntroduction of their irkso m e l aws the K a fi r who was known to ,

have ki lled a Python stood li ttle or no chance O f livi ng to an Old

age The Chi ef of the t ribe coveted his gall S O did others bu t
. .
,

they lay low for t hey well knew that t o t hwart t he desires of t he
,

Chief m eant ret ali ation swi ft sure and cruel upon the mselves , , , , .

NOW w h en any O f the Old-ti m e powerful n ative C hiefs coveted

,

anythi ng he got i t by fair m eans or foul i f i t were at all procurable

, ,
.

Su m moni ng the Wi tch -doctor he declare d wi th m any groans , ,

exclamations and lam ent atio ns t hat he fel t ill fri ghtfully ill a n d
, , ,

raisi n g his voice aloud proclai m ed that he h ad been be w i tched

,
.
66 TH E SN A K ES OF SOUTH A FRI CA .

The n i n a whi sper t o the Wi tch -doctor he n amed the m an whose

gall he coveted adding t hat he was the fellow who had ki lled a
,

Pytho n The cunni ng and unscrupulous Wi tch -doctor i nst a n tly

.

took the hi n t G oi n g forth she procl ai m ed i n exaggerated and

.
,

exci ted language and wi th wild gestures that the Chi ef had bee n
, ,

bewitched The men o f the t ri be were i n due ti me su mmoned

.
, , ,

an d co mm anded to si t i n a ci rcle The apparently sick chi ef or .

F ic 3 I — An I din yt
an P h o n c o ns tri ti g
c tl p
n an an e o e q u i g p w r f l rg
Th e s ee z n o e o a a e
yt r u r i b f h v i ti m ru h d d h b dy l g t d
. . .

P h o n i s e n o mo s Th e s o t e c a re c s e an t e o e on a e
It t w ll w d d fir t ( F m W R y lN t lHi t y )
. .

is h e n s a o e h ea
’
s . ro a rn e s o a a ura s or .

ki ng is brought fort h and lai d upon a ma t supported and at te nded ,

by a bevy o f hi s wives .

Then the se ri ous part o f t he busi ness be g i ns The Wi tch .

doctor w i th horri ble yells and m ut teri ngs bounds i nto the C ircle
, , .

A weird and repulsive -looki ng O bj ect she generally i s She is .

no t n ec es sarilv Old and shrivelled O n the contrary those I .

,

have seen were usually stalwart wo me n of u n usual height wi th ,

a co mm andi ng bold aspect ,

.

The face i s s m eared with daubs O f whi te and other pai nts , .

St ri ngs of the cl aws O f bi rds bones of hu m an bei ngs and ani m als
, ,
68 TH E SN A K ES OF SOUTH AFR I CA .

bi ts of medi ci nal bark and s m all bladders filled wi th vari ous ,

substances are suspended round her neck an d wai st her wool i s

l ong u nke m pt and adorned wi th m any blo w n TOut gall bladders
, ,

O f ani mals So m eti m es her whole per son i s decorated w i th a

’

m iscellaneous array of g rueso m e -looking things .

Crouchi n g down S h e craw ls around sni ffing each m an Then

, ,
. ,

working hersel f i nto a fren z y her features beco me dist orted , ,

S h e wri thes twi sts m utters yells ; I n fact S h e does every

, , ,

t hi ng in her power to i nspire awe r e veren ce and ext rem e fear , ,

i n t he m i nds of the onlookers each o f who m is already i n an ,

abj ect st ate O f terror lest he shoul d be the vi cti m O f her atten
,

tions Eve n tually wi th a succession of yells she leaps high

.
, ,

i nto t he ai r and wi th her wand poi nt s t o one of the m en i n t he

, ,

circle Those i n hi s vi ci ni ty i nst antly S hri nk away i n horror

.

fro m h im The h i therto terri fied s avages now beco me ferocious

.
,

and de m oni acal and gather around the vi cti m utt eri ng t he most
, ,

appalli ng t hreats However the Wi tch -doctor knows her busi

.
,

ness She want s the m an s gall for the Chief S O co mm an di ng

.
’

the men t o retire she consults th e Chi ef A n nouncing t hat he

, .

has given i nstructions as t o t he di sposal O f the m an he i s dragged ,

O ff and done to deat h i n a horribly b ru tal and agoni zi ng m an ner .

I n due ti m e t he dead m an s gall i s privately con veyed t o t he ’

Chief by the Prophetess who t he n receives an a m ple reward ,

.

“
These s m elli n g out cases were O f frequen t occurrence i n form er
ti m es I f a n y O f t he Chi ef s cattle S houl d S i cken and di e i f any
.
’
,

o ne sho ul d ge t ill fro m an y cause i f misfortune i n any shape or ,

for m should vi si t t he t ribe t his grueso me s melli ng ou t busi ness ,

was usually resorted to i n order to un m ask the wi zard wi t h t he

evil eye who by his bewi tchi ng powers had caused the trou ble
, .

I f t he good fol k i n the Mother Country kne w the condi ti ons

1
under whi ch the n atives of Sout h A fri ca lived before the adven t
o f t he Dutch and the Bri tish they woul d h ave less t o say abou t ,

”
-
the poor ill t reated down trodden sweated blacks
,
- A for mer
, ,
.

Chi ef Ma g istrate O f E as t riq u ala n d writes m e as foll ows When

’

I ca m e t o Tembu lan d i n 1 8 76 there was living here a whi te m an

n a med Ki ng who was m arri ed t o a n ative wo man This m an
, .

had killed a very l arge Pyt ho n i n the Dwesa forest O n i n for m a .

tio n received fro m h is wi fe through her relatives he was assured ,

t hat t he chief Kuli was secretly la ying pl ans to do h im t o deat h and

secure hi s gall S O he preci pi tately fled I n t hose d ays a refugee
,
.
 A N E X CI TI N G A DVEN TU RE .

fro m a neighbouri ng tribe was as securely protected as such

people were i n t he old Highland clans .

The Python is the most popular fa m ili ar of t he K a fi r

Wi tch On thi s groun d alone t he average K afi r woul d never
.

drea m of i nterferi ng wi th i t
“
These Wi tch -doctors ma v be O f ei ther sex Colonist s .

usually m ake n o di sti n cti on i n the n a m e .

A N EX CITI N G A D V ENT U R E .

I was st ayi ng at the farm of a Boer friend and one m orni ng ,

acco m panied h im down to h is rabbi t hutches t o hel p feed the

rabbi t s ; and i n one of t hose hutches we foun d a si xteen -feet
Python asleep wi th a big Belgi an hare i nsi de O f i t
, I t had .

squeezed itself between t he iro n bars swallowed t he rabbi t , ,

and fin di ng it could not get out m ade itsel f co m fort able an d

,

dozed Off We pushed i t i nto a sack an d I rode a twenty -mile

.
,

j ourney ho m e , wi th i t strapped to t he fron t of t he saddle On .

the way it got alarmed an d began to struggle My pony turned

, .

hi s head sni ffed t he sack and next i nst ant sped across the h i llsi de
, ,

at break -neck speed The sack got loose and fell However
. .
,

when m y fri sky pony h ad worked Off hi s surplus energy I re ,

t urned packed u p my sackful of Python and wended m y weary

, ,

way ho m eward My troubles were not over for on arrival ho m e

.
,

l ate i n t he night I told m y n ative groo m to t ake o ff the sack and

put i t on t he grou n d and stable the pony Presently I heard a .

m ost awful yell and rushing out was j ust i n ti m e t o see my Python
, ,

m aki ng Off i nto the darkness and the K a fi r lyi ng o n his back
,

bawli ng at t he top of hi s voi ce i n Z ulu for his m other an d hi s

fat her as is thei r custo m when fri ghtened or i n pai n I t see m s
, , .

the silly fellow i n re movi ng the sack fro m the saddle wen t and
, ,

un di d the cord bi n di ng up the mouth of t he sack— a t least that ,

was his explanation The real fact was he t hought there was so me
.

b uck m eat i nside t he sack and wanted to m ake sure so as to be

, ,

prepared to beg so me whe n I ca me out agai n t o see i f m y horse

had been rubbed down and properly fed as was my cu sto m I
never saw that Pytho n agai n but som
.
,

ehow the news go t about

, ,

and I was voted a nui sance and people t alked o f pe ti tioning

,

G overn men t t o re move me fro m t he neighbourhood .

70 T HE SN A K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

P Y TH O N E GGS
’
S .

I n the wild state when the fe male Pytho n desires to l ay her

, .

eggs sh e selects so m e secluded spot am ongst t angled brushwood

,

down an Aard -vark hole or in one of t he i nner most crevi ces of a

,

rugged krant z She lavs her eggs i n a heap coils her body
.
,

F IG 33
-
A So uth A fri c anyt P hon a b ut t w ll w K lip D i
o o s a o a ass e ( P ro ca via ca pensis)
w i it p tur d d tri t d
. .
,

h ch h as ca e an co ns c e .

around the m fold above fold wi th her head on top co mpletel y

, , ,

’
co nceali ng the eggs Duri ng the i ncubation peri od the snake s
.
,

te mperature ri ses t o about 96 Fahr which see ms t o be a pro °

.
,

vi si on o f N ature for t he hat c h i ng of the eggs I a m by no m eans .

sure whether the eggs would not hatch j ust as well i f laid i n ,

so me war m moist place and le ft to i ncubat e by the mselves as

, , ,

is t he case wi th m ost other egg-layi ng sn akes One reason w h i ch .

 AN ADVENTU RE .
71

undoubtedly pro m pts the fe male Python to coil aro und h e r eggs
i s to protect the m fro m being eate n by wild ani m als such a s ,

m ungooses rats and mi ce an d by Nilotic Moni tor L i zards other

, , , ,

” ”
wise known as L egu ans m isna m ed Iguanas ,
.

One blazi ng hot su mm er day i n N at al we cam e across a Python ,

baski ng i n the sun O n seei ng us approach i t vanished down a .

hole whi ch proved to be that of an ant -eater otherwise known

, ,

as an Aard-vark ( Orycterop us af ar) which i s an ani m al as bi g as ,

an adul t pig We filled the e ntrance wi th boulders and wandered

. ,

away Returni ng anon with so m e muscular Z ulus we dug

.
,

vigorousl y for a couple of hours or so Eventually we ca m e .

across the snake coiled up in fron t of a pile of eggs at the end of

the hole in t he lair for m erly occupied by the Aard -vark We
,
.

captured the mother Pyt ho n alive an d cou nted t he eggs whi ch , ,

nu mbered forty -eight Breaki ng O pen two we found the m t o be .

partly hatched There were i n di cations whi ch showed t he

.

Pytho n had been lyi ng coiled up i n front of her eggs for so m e

ti me .

We kept a large Python i n captivi ty i n the Port Eli zabeth

Museu m duri ng t he m ont h of Nove mber an d i t l aid a batch of
, ,

forty -four eggs These eggs were ellipti cal and about the si ze of
.

those O f a goose and cont ain ed a yellowi sh substance si milar t o the

,

’
yolk O f fowls eggs but lighter i n colour They weighed 5 % ounces
, . .

’
The shell was no t hard and bri ttle li ke t he S hells O f birds eggs .

I t was soft and leathery i n texture an d crea m y -whi te i n colour ,

.

When the young Pythons hatch out the m other t akes n o ,

apparent heed of the m and moves o ff her m aternal duties bei ng , ,

ended The young scatter i n di fferen t di rections thei r i nsti nct

.
,

i m pelli ng the m to seek for food which at this ti me consists O f ,

s m all fry i n t he shape of mi ce rats birds li zards frogs etc , , , , ,

.

A N A D V E N T U RE .

On e day whe n m eanderi ng wearily along wi th a gun u nder

,

m y arm a m ongst the rugged rocky shrub -covered mount ai ns i n , ,

N atal I ki cked my toe agai nst so m ethi ng soft and tu mbled ove r
,

o n to i t when t o m
,
y horror th at big soft
,
m ass began to wriggl e
,

an d uncoil and for a m o m ent or two I saw nothi ng but a succes

,

sion of huge coils The n those coils resolved the m selves i nto th e
.

for m of a great Pytho n about twen ty feet long He m ade O ff .

7 2 THE SNA K E S OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

i nto the bush as fast as his ri bs and scales would propel him ,

evi dently as m uch terri fied as I was When I was able to collect .

m y t houghts I looked around for my gu n an d h at and wandered ,

O ff calculating whether t he Pytho n could h ave m an aged to

,

swallow me whole or n ot .

TH E PY TH O N AND TH E C O CK .

Si t ti ng o n the stoep of a Dutch farm house listeni ng t o t he '

t ales o f a tough Old Boer hunter a rooster suddenly beg an t o ,

cry out i n evi de nt di stress down a mongst t he foliage i n the garden

,

We made Off i n t he directio n o f t he soun d and t here i n a S hady ,

glade was a tre mendous Pytho n doi ng hi s mightiest t o co n stri ct

’
t he fowl The rooster s head was sticki ng out i n o ne di rection
.
,

hi s t ail i n another and his legs and wi ngs were north south e ast
, , ,

and west The Pytho n had h im e n veloped i n his great coils

.
,

but the fowl s body was co m paratively S O s m all and t he Python

’

so l arge t h at he so m ehow coul d not get a su fficien t gri p t o squash

,

t he rooster I n the m eanti m e the cock was cryi ng out for aid
.
,

assisted by hi s wives who kept at a safe di st ance an d cackled

,
.

We darted back t o the house procured a m eali e sack and fro m

, ,

thre e poi nts Of the co m pass sneaked t he Python li ke a st ealthy

Red I n di an A signal was give n and we si mult a n eousl y rushed i n
.
,

an d assaulted h im I n hi s bewil derm en t he rai sed his head to

.

t ake i n t he S i tuation Before he coul d decide h o w to act t he

.
,

Dutch man cl apped the m outh of the sack over the Python s ’

head his son and I t hrew ourselves o n the huge body and after ,

about fifteen mi nutes tu m bli ng and rolli ng aroun d we m anaged

’
,

t o ge t h im safely lodged i nsi de the sack which he al most filled ,

.

We kept this Python alive i n a cage i n the grou nds of the N atal
Museu m for a long ti me .

B U CK-H U NTING I NCI D ENT .

A t the big buck hun ts i n N at al i t i s the practice t o gather ,

t ogether fro m fifty t o a hundred kraal n atives with thei r dogs ,

.

These natives would spread the m selves out crescent -fashi on and
enter the dense bush and t h e fellows wi th the g uns would go away
,
 B UC K -H UNTI N G I N CI DENT .
73

ahead and k eep o n t he gu t vive for any bucks that broke cover .

At such hunts Pythons are frequently killed The dogs locate

, .

the m i n t he bush and bri ng the m to bay At one of these hunts

, .

a big torpi d -looki ng fellow broke away and ca m e crawling

sluggishly over t he rocks We ki lled h im whereupon two or .
,

three of the n ati ves beca m e very Offic io u s i n volunteeri ng thei r

F IG .
34 .
— An A fr i c an P y th on s w ll w i g bi rd
a o n a .
( F ro m Wa rn e s
’
Ro y al Na tu ra l H is to rv )
.

services i n ski nni ng h im for me without t he usual fee so I w illi ngly ,

agreed When they were t aki ng t he ski n O ff one of the m pulled

.
,

the re mai ns of a D ui ker Buck fro m t he snake s i nterior I t was ’

.

a pulpy shapeless m ass covered all over wi th sli me The K afi r

,
.

lai d i t carefully aside I i nquired What are you goi ng to do

.

”
wi th that ? Eat i t boss What ! eat that sli m y t hi ng
, .

— ugh Y es boss why not I t s good meat We will

, ,
’
.

”
wash i t i n the strea m and skin i t and have a feast to -ni ght ,
.
74 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH A FRI CA .

A C RA FT Y PY T H O N .

I was fortun ate enough o nce to w i t ness a most re markable

occurrence I was lyi ng concealed i n t he mi dst of so m e t angled
.

scrub near a still pool i n a densely wooded valley studyi ng the ,

habi ts of va rious species o f bi rds an d all was as S ilen t as t he grave

, ,

wi t h t he exception o f the occasional twi tteri ng a n d calls of birds .

Suddenly a Red N at al D ui ker Buck ( Cep h alop h u s n atalen sis)

e merged fro m a mi dst t he leafy shrubs right Opposi te to where I
,

l ay I t cautiously and ti m idly looked aroun d to m ake sure all

.

was safe stooped and bega n dri n ki ng

, Suddenly t he water was
.

lashed i nto foa m Consi derably startled I rushed to t he edge

.
,

O f t he pool and there at the ot her S i de was a Python i n the shallow

,

water wi t h the buck in i t s coils The struggle was fearful bu t

.
,

i t e nded i n t he snake s m otheri ng t he antelope When the .

V i cti m ceased to resi st t he sn ake laboriously dragg ed i t to the

,

shore and after resti ng awhile constri cted i t afresh evi dently
, , ,

to elongate the body t o m ake t he swallowi ng process as easy as

possibl e an d t hen bega n eati ng at t he head A fter t he head neck
, .
,

and S houlders had disappeared dow n t he snake s t hroat I carefully ’

crept rou nd through t he bush and pounci ng upo n t he Python

, ,

s m ashed i ts head and backbone wi th a qui ck succession Of blows

fro m a stout sti ck .

The Python had evi dently sub merged itsel f i n the water an d ,

was e ff ectually concealed fro m V iew by t he vari ous water plan ts .

On t he approach of t he buck i t had silently sunk i ts head under

t he level O f the surface of the water and whe n the buck ben t
,

i ts neck t o d ri nk those cruel recurved teeth had seized i t and

, ,

next i nstan t t he vi cti m was in the deadl y coils O f the serpen t .

We ate so m e o f the buck at our ca m p t hat night and a leopard ,

s neaked O ff the rest However we got even w i th i t next day

.
, ,

for we traced i t t o i ts l ai r wi t h t he ai d o f our fox -terrier dogs ,

killed i t and took i t s hide o ff as a trophy

, .

PYTH O N S S W A LL OW ING P E OP L E .

I have read an d heard m any travellers t ales abou t Pythons ’

swallowi ng people but I have never known of a case whi ch w a s

,

t horoughly aut hen ticated I have been told scores o f ti mes by

.
76 THE SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

i ts body and a t hi rd held i t by the neck opened i ts mout h and

, ,

gently pushed lu m ps of raw m eat down i ts gullet wi t h the ai d of

a s m ooth rou nded stick The second m an meanwhile worked
, .

t he meat down to t he m i ddle part o f t he sn ake After abou t ten

.

pounds of beef had bee n lodged i n the sn ake s sto m ach a ligature
’
,

was appli ed above the m eat— that i s between the m eat and the
,

snake s m out h This was to preven t the sn ake disgorgi n g the

’
.
 W HAT TH E P Y THON D I D .
77

food as i t would otherwi se have done every ti m e The snake

,
.

was then pl aced out i n t he war m sunshi ne for half a day t he ,

ligature was re m oved and i t was the n put back i nto i ts cage
,

agai n until next feedi ng ti me .

C R OC K E R Y -S MA S HING PY TH O N .

Whe n out hunti ng one day i n N at al we captured a Python ,

about seventee n or eightee n feet long My Du tch fri end brough t .

i t i n next day t o m e i n a m eali e sack He du mped i t down i n .

my ch e m i cal roo m at the Museu m the walls of whi ch were covered ,

wi t h shelves o n whi ch hundreds O f j ars O f S peci m ens i n spi ri ts ,

and lots Of e m pty glass j ars were stored We could no t get a

,
.

cage ready t hat day for the Python so thi nki ng he would be , ,

safe i n the sack till t he followi ng day I locked h im up and went ,

ho m e .

W HAT T H E PY T H O N DI D .

Y ou want t o know what t he Python Why he S o mehow did P ,

or other got out O f t he sack duri ng the night and explored every ,

i nch of each shelf i n the roo m seeki ng so me hole through whi ch

,

t o escape Fi n di ng none he coiled hi msel f up i n a ball on t he

.
,

top m ost shelf an d went to S leep He left an O dd bottle here and .

t here o n the S helves t hi n ki ng I might need a few bu t all t he rest

, ,

had been pi tched i n a heap o n t he floor We let h im S leep for .

half a day u ntil we h a d sorted out all the speci mens fro m t he heaps
,

O f broken glass whi ch hal f filled a cart then we t ackled h im ,

.

We t hought we were goi ng t o have quit e an exciti ng ti me but we ,

were woefully di sappoi nted for t he Python was as drunk as a

,

m e di ae val fid dler What ! a Python drunk ? H o w did he get

.

drunk ? Why qui te easily Those bot tles he knocked down

, .

fro m th e S hel ves were full of 7 0 per cent st rengt h alcohol and the .
,

concentrated fu m es of t he S pirit i n that closed —u p roo m got i nt o

his blood t hrough absorptio n fro m the air breathed by h im .

When he got sober he fou nd hi m self i m prisoned i n a wi re

cage where he was forced t o do a year s soli tary confine m ent
,
’
.

Then he escaped and a n ewspaper reporter fin ding i t out

, ,

he reported i n t he leadi ng daily paper a m arrow -freezi n g

accoun t of how P v th o n s swallow people as eas ily as we dispose
o f oysters .
7 8 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

F A S TING P O W E R S .

-Pythons have bee n known to fast for two an d a half years I .

have kept Pythons i n captivi ty which lived fro m si x months to

a year and a h al f w i t hou t food I di d not purposely st arve the m
. .

I o ffered the m thei r n atural food fro m ti m e t o ti m e but never ,

succeeded i n i nduci ng the m to eat I dare say t hose I kept .

woul d have lived m uch longer but I did n o t care t o see t he,

creatures sta rve to death so began feedi ng the m artifici ally I

, .

must ad m i t however that after a year an d a half o f starvation

, , ,

t hey di d not appear t o be m uch e maci ated Although sn akes .

can fast a long ti m e t hey wi ll di e as a rule after a month or

, , ,

t w o i f deprived of water except duri ng the wi nter m onths when

, ,

they will frequently coil up i n a warm corner O f their cage an d

lie dor mant for three or four mo nths .

A Boa has been known t o fast four years an d on e m onth an d ,

a Viper t hree years .

R U D IMENT S OF L EGS .

Most Pythons still ret ai n traces Of the legs thei r re mote

an cestors possessed bu t ,

gradually lost because ,

they di d not use the m

su fii c ien tly On ex ami .

n ation two horny spurs

,

will be found near the

ve nt whi ch are the ex
,

ternal ru diment s of hi nd
legs I nternally a por
.

tion O f the pelvi s bones

still re m ain Pythons .

are doubtless the de

sc en da n ts of huge pre

histori c li zard -li ke crea .

tures which lived upon

F IG 3 6 — Pa rt fl tt d i
o f th e a e ne sk n o f a S ut A fri
o h c an t he surface O f the
yt lw b wi
. .

P h o n s h o w m g th e c a s a n d o n es h ch
i i t t t r t tr yt e art h m1 ll lOllS 0 f years
.
'

n d ca e h a t h e e m o e a n c es o s o f P h o ns
p o sses se d leg s ( F ro m B rit ish M us eu m G u ide
. .

R ept iles )
.
3 80 °

S T U P I D I N D I F F ERENCE .

O nce I had a Pyt ho n i n captivity and the perverse t hi ng ,

would not eat I i ntroduced a big barn rat i n to i t s cage The

. .
 P Y TH ON STEA K . 7
I 9

rat showed no fear of t he snake I allowed i t to re m ai n for a .

couple O f weeks feedi ng i t regularly ,

The rodent i nvari ably .

sought refuge wi t hi n the Python s coils when alar m ed and at ’

other ti m es would si t 0 11 top of t he coiled u p Python and busy —

,

itself cleani ng i ts whiskers One m orni ng I was astonished to .

observe that t he flesh had been e aten for several i nches along t he
back of t he snake near t he t ail exposi ng m any sections O f the ,

backbone The rat had evidently di ned Off the Pytho n duri ng
.

the night and the beast had see m i ngly not resented the liberty
, ,

for the rat was si tti ng i n a corner wi th an expression O f conte nt

m en t upon hi s cun ni ng visage Now although t he Python had .
,

not t asted food for fourteen m onths this extensive woun d healed ,

up co m pletely .

PY TH O N S IN C A P E C O L O N Y .

Pythons could not have been ver y co m m on i n Cape Colony ,

at least i n fairly recent geological ti m es as m ost parts are no t ,

p articularly favourable t o t heir exi stence The Old Hot tentots .

and Bush m en however when questioned decl are that t hey

, , ,

exi sted when they were boys i n the warm m oist regions of the , ,

C olony However they are n o w supposed to be exti nct wi thi n

.
,

the borders Of t he Cape Colony I t i s possible however t hat .

, ,

there m ay be a few i ndivi duals left They see m to be fairly .

plenti ful i n the neighbourhood O f Palapye Road i n Bechuanaland , ,

as Mr Paul Jousse has sen t m e several fro m that locali ty

. .

PY TH ON S T E AK .

Snakes are really good wholeso m e food and Python steak ,

gri lled i n the red glowi ng wood fire O f the hunter s cam p i s no t ’

to be despised One day when hunti ng we ki lled a Python

.
, ,

and two of our m en who were a m i xture O f s e veral breeds— the

,

Hottentot ele m en t predo m i nati ng— after ski n ni ng t he reptile ,

carried the carcase O ff t o camp When we arrived m any hours .

later ga m eless and fa m ishi ng wi th hunger our men were all

, ,

squat ti ng round a fi re ea c h o n e with a lu m p of Python flesh i m paled

,

upon t he sharpened poi nt of a freshly -cut stick and holding th e ,

m eat i n the fire I t s m elt so savoury t hat I set t he exa mple and
.

ate a piece an d liked i t so m uch t hat I t ri ed another piece for

, ,

i t was really nice tender an d j ui cy , .

 C H A P TE R I V

D IV I S I ON I . A GLY P HA . TH E S O L I D -T O OTHE D S NAKE S .

F AMI LY I V . COL U B R I DZE .

S U B -F AMI LY I . COL U B R I NzE .

T H E RE are about 1 0 0 0 species or ki nds i ncluded i n t hi s sub

fa mily O f snakes scattered over the various te m perate and
,

tropi cal regions of the world Of thi s great nu mber o nly twenty
.

eight species i nhabi t South Afri ca All O f this sub -family are .

known as the Aglypha because t heir teet h are qui te soli d

, ,

showi ng no traces O f groovi ng They are consequently all .

non -veno m ous an d shoul d no t be in terfered wi th for they do

, ,

an i m mense a m ount of servi ce i n ri ddi ng the cou ntry O f rats ,

m ice an d noxious i nsects

,
So m e species are oviparous t hat i s
.
, ,

they lay eggs Others are vi vi parous whi ch m eans t hey give
.
,

birth t o young .

After readi ng t his book and carefully studying the pictures

sho w i ng the heads and teeth O f the three typical ki nds Of snakes ,

vi z the soli d -toothed no n —veno m ous snakes ; the back -fanged

.

m ore or less veno m ous snakes and t he front -fanged typically ,

veno mous sn akes i t should be qui te easy for any st udent by

, ,

m eans o f a strong m agni fyi ng glass or low power microscope , ,

to i denti fy a s nake o f any of t hese t hree divisions I f grooved .

or hollow fangs are fou nd i n t he fro n t O f the top jaw t hen the ,

snake i s one of t he typical veno m ous ki nd I f there are two or .

three grooved fangs at t he posterior e nd O f the upper row O f teeth ,

the snake belongs to t he back -fanged ki nd whi ch are all m ore or ,

less poisonous All t hose snakes possessi ng soli d teeth wi thou t

.
,

any pronounced groovi ng are as har m less as li zards as far as

, ,

veno mous properties are concerned .

80
 TH E SO L I D -TOOTHE D SNA K ES . 81

SUB— FAM I L Y CO L U B R I NZE .

SY N OP S I S OF TH E S OU T H A F R I CA N G E N E R A .

Th is s u b- a f mi ly a re with o u t groo ved f a n g s i n th e u pper j a w . Th eir teeth

a re qu i te s o lid N o trac e of po iso n g la n ds
. .

I .
G E N US TR O P I O N TU S S l m o o th i D 9 ro w P upil r u nd ;
O .
— c a es s n 1 s . o
p o st ri r m xill a ry t th l n g st ; i n t r n l o t n t ri n g th e
e o a ee o e e a sa n e e

n tril ; sno u t r u n d d
os o e .

2 . G N US P S U AS P I s S l sm o o th i 7 to 3 1 r o w ; i n t r n l
E E D .
— c a es n 2 s e a sa
n t eri n g th n tril ; no ut with v rti l s id es m o r e o l
e e os s e ca , r es s
pr o m i n n t P upil r u n d P t ri o r m xill ry t t h l n g t
e . o . os e a a ee o es .

F I G 3 7 S kull d t — an ee th f t ypi l k f tho a -v m u divi i ca sn a e o e no n eno o s s on

( Aglyph )
. .

a
I S kull h wi g th t th i b th j w ll f wh i h Wi th ut gr v
.

s o n e ee n o a s, a o c a re o oo es
kull d l w r j w ( C)
. .

2 T p f th o o e s an o e a

3 Vi w f r f fm uth h wi g th tw r w f u pp r t th
. .

e o oo o o s o n e o o s o e ee

( A ) M x i ll r y t th ( B ) P l ti t th ( B i t M C t S k )
. .

. a a ee . . a a ne ee . r . us . a . na es .

G E NU s AB L A B O P H I s l es m t h i 1 9 r o w ; P upil v rti c lly .

—
S ca s oo ,
n s e a
llipti c ; n l en tir
e F ro n t l t l east n a d a h alf s l o ng
a a e . a a o ce n a

br d m xill ry t th qu l
as oa a a ee e a .

G N US L AM O P H s S l es sm o th i 9 to 3 r w s fr o n t l br d
E PR I .
—
ca o ,
n 1 2 o a oa

a d sh o rt ; p o s t ri r m xill ry t et h
n h rt t ; P upil v rti a lly e o a a e s o es e c

llipti c o s b llipti c A n l n tir

e r u -e
. a e e .

G N US B O O D O N S l s m o t h i 2 3 to 3 3 r w s with pi l pit ;
E .
— ca e s o n o , a ca s

a n t ri o r m xill ry te th s tr ngly n l rg d V rti lly llipti

a a ee o e a e . e ca e c

pupil 8 t o 4 m xill ry t t h
. 1 2 a a ee .

6 . G E N US L Y C O H I I U M S c l m o t h w it h
P pi l pit i 5 o 1 7
D .
— a es s o , a ca s n 1 r

r o w s T il h rt ( s b - au d l t m r t h n 5 p ir ) P upil
. a s o u c a s no o e a 0 a s .

v rti c ally llipti c r o stra l sm ll n t ri o r m axill ry t t h l ng t

e e a a e a ee o es .

G
82 TH E SN A K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

G E N US P ROS Y MNA —S c al s sm o o t h i 1 5 o 1 7 r o w P upil v ertic lly

. e , n r s . a
ellipti c ; r o s tr a l v e ry l rg with an gul r h o riz o n ta l dg e ; po s a e, a e

t e i r m xill ry t t h s tr o n gly en l rg d
r o a a M axi ll ry b o ne sh o rt
ee a e . a

with 7 o r 8 t eet h .

8 . G E N US H O MAL O S O MA — S c al es s mo o t h i 1 5 r o w s P upil ro u n d ;
. n .

r s tr l small ; n a l s i ngl e ; a n t eri o r m xill a ry t t h l o ng t

o a sa a ee es .

M axill a ry sh o rt wit h 1 t o 2 t t h T il h o rt su b -c a dals i

,
0 1 ee . a s ,
u n

tw o ro w s .

G E N US CH L O R O P H I s S c a l es s m o th with a pi l pit s in 1 5 ro w
.
— o ca s .

T a il l o ng ( sub -c a d l m r t h n 8 p ir s) pupil ro u n d p o st ri o r
u a s o e a 0 a e

m a xill ary t eet h l o n g es t S b- ud l t k l d a di r w . u ca a s no ee e ,

n n 2 o s .

G E N US P H I L O TH A MNU s S c l e mo o t h wit h pi l pit i 1 3 o 1 5

'

.
— a s s a ca s, n r

ro w s di sp o s d o b liqu ly a t l st o th e a n t ri o r p rt o f th b o dy
,
e e ,
ea n e a e .

S ub- c a u dals k e l d a d n o t c h d lik t h e v n tr l s

e e T il l o ngn e , e e a . a .

G E N US S I MO CE P H AL U S —S l s k eel d wit h o ut pi ts i 1 5 o 1 7 r o w s
. ca e e , ,
n r

t h o se o f th e v e rt ebr al o w enl rg d d b i-c ri na t e ; a n t ri o r r a e an a e

m a xill a ry t th l o n g s t P upil v erti c lly lli pti c

ee e . a e .

G E N US D AS Y P E L TI s S c a l s in 2 3 t o 2 7 r o w s l t r l v ery o bli qu e
.
— e ,
a e a s ,

a d w it h n s rr a t ed k eel s t eeth v ery small a d f w P upil

e n e .

v ertic ally ellipti c .

G E N US T R O P I D ONO TU S .

Two S pec ies i n S o u th Af ric a .

K EY TO TH E S P E CI E S .

V en tral s 1 6 2 —1 8 0 ; an al en tir e . S ca l es s mo o th Tropido n otu s laz viss imu s .

V n tr al s
e 1 3 1 -1 4 9 ; a n a l divid ed . A i ngl s e an

t e rio r t em p o r a l Tropido n o tu s o liva c eo u s .

1 . TR O P I D O N O TU S L E V I S S I MU S Watermeyer s Bl ack S nak e .

’
.

S y no n y ms— N a trix le vissi mu s Gra yia lu bric a .

Co lo u r — Da sh rk
i ni ng bl ac k a b v n rr o w y ll w lin o ith r s id e o e, a a e o e n e e

o f th e h ead b h i n d th ey ; b el o w y ll o w wit h a n rro w ill

e e e , e ,
a

d fi n ed d rk li n ru nn i ng th w h o l e l ngt h f t h b o dy l o n g
e a e e e o e a

th e c n tr e o f t h e v en tra l
e Th e t w o o u t r r o w o f c l es sp o tt d s . e s s a e

d bl o t c h ed wit h bl c k
an a .

Av era g l n gt h 3 f eet
e e — .

D i s tributi o n E ast r n P ro vi nc e C p e C o l o n y N t al
— e , a a .

2 . TR O P I D O NO TU S O L I VA C E O US Ban ded Oli ve S nak e Olyien S l ang . .

S y no n y m C o ll li
— or n e a o v a cea .

C l ur O liv e o bro w n a b o v wit h

o o — r m r o l ss di ti n t d rk er e, a o e r e s c a

v ert br al b and 4 o 5 s l s wid b o rd er d o ea h id by

e r ca e e, e n c s e a

s ri s o f w h iti h d o t
e e fl n k a d n d s o f v ntr l s o liv upp r
s s a s n e e a e e

lip y ell o wi sh th e s utur s b tw e n t h e sh i ld

,
bl c k ; v en tr al s e e e e s a

y ll o wi h
e so m e tim s ,
dg d wit h o liv es e e e .

Av r g l ngth 2 f t
e a e e — ee .

D i s tributi o n— S ut h r n R h o d i a o N o rt h to Tro pi ca l Afri

e es ca .

G E N US AB L AB O P H I S .

On e S pec ies i n S o u th Af ric a .

S ca l es s m o o th
with a pi c l pit s i a , n 1 9 r o ws .

F r o n t l a t l t nc
a d a h a lf
ea s o e an as lo ng a s
br d ; m xill ry t et h qu l
oa a a e e a A blaboph is f
ru u lu s .
 84 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

G E N US B OO D ON .

F o u r S pec ies i n S o u th Af ric a .

EC I E S KEY TO TH E SP .

S c a l es i 2 3 o r 5 r o w T h r l bi l s nt ri ng th ey
n 2 s . ee a a e e e e .

Tw o p o st u la s pr eo c ul r o t xt en di n g t o upp er
oc r a n e

urfa o f h a d v en tr l s 1 7 5 1 9 6
s ce e a — B oo do n i nf ern a lis .

S al in 3
c es2 5 ro ws T h r p o to c u la s pr o ul a r
2 or . ee s r e c

xt n di n g to upp er s urf e o f h a d v en tra l s

e e ac e

1 9 6 —2 1 0 ; su b -c a u d a ls 72 B o o don g u tta tus

V en tra l s 9 3 7 Tw o
.

S ca l es 3 3 ro w s
in 2 7 to . 1 2 —2 .

( r r ely t h r e ) l bi l s n t ri n g t h e y ; t w o p ir s
a e a a e e e e a

f h i n sh i ld s in c o n t a c t wit h eac h o t h r
o c e R o da li e tu s e o n n a .

S ca l es in 2 7 to 3 3 r o w s T h r ee l a bi l s en t eri n g th e . a

eye ; o n ly o e p a ir o f c h i n shi ld s m ee tin g o

n th e e n

m edi a n lin e B oo do n men t lis a .

I B O O D O N I N F E R NA L I S
. Ol ive Ho use S nake ; Z wart H uis S l an g .
.

C o l o ur— D rk o li v bl a k b o v e l o w er p a rts wh iti sh

a e or c a .

Av r a g e l ngth e f e t 6 i nch s
e — 2 e e .

D i s tributi o n B t h pr o v in es o f C a p e C o l o n y
— o N t l O F S c a a . . .
,

Tr ans v l S uth er n R h o d es i aa E ast Afri c o a a .

2 B O O D O N G U TTAT US
. S potted House S nak e Stippel H ui s S l an g . .

S y no n y m s L yc d g u tt tu s
— A lop i o u lif r on a ec o n an n e .

C o l o ur Y ll o wi h -br o w n a b o v e with sev r a l r o w s o f r eddi h -bro wn

— e s , e s
p o ts with u m b er -br o w n b o rd ers th e tw o r o w s o f p o t s a l o n g
s , s
t h e m iddl o f th e b c k a l m t ir c ul a r
e d l a rg es t a d rk a os c , an a
bro w n bl o t c h o n ac h sid o f th e b c k f th e h e d d a p ir f e e a o a , an a o
d rk l n gitu di n l str ea k s o th e n a p e u n d r -p a rt s p l e y ell o w
a o a n e a .

Av r a g e l ngth — 1 fo o t 6 in c h
e e es .

D i s tributi o n— B o t h pr o vi n c s o f C a p e C o l o n y e .

3 B O O D O N L I N E AT US
. Bro wn Ho use S nak e Bruin Hui s S l ang . .

S y n o n y m s— L yc d g e met i u s B oodo g m t i u s
o on o r c n eo e r c .

C o l ur U n if r m br o w n b o v w h it e b el w A w h it i h li ne ( m eti m
o — o a e, o . s so es
b nt ) ru nn i ng fr o m b ase o f h a d t h r o ug h th ey to t h n o tril
a se e e e e s ,

a d c n d s i m il r li n e b l w t h e
n a se o ye B c k o m eti m e v a ri e a e o e . a s s

g t d wit h y ll wi h Th e l u r v ri s in di ff r en t p a rt s o f th e
a e e o s . co o a e e

c o u n try m r e l ss E y br w n wit h v rti c a l pupil

o or e . e o a e .

Av r g l n gth e a f t 6 i nc h es t o 3 f et 6 i nc h s
e e — 2 ee e e .

D i tributi o n s C o mmo n llo v r S o ut h Afri a Ext end s no rth to Tro pi c a l

— a e c

Afri c a .

4 B O O D O N M E NTAL I S
. S tri ped Ho use S nak e ; Streep H ui s Sl an g
. .

Co l ur— P l bro w n i h a b o v ; t w o y ll o w li nes o n eac h s id e f th

o a e s e e o e

h d l o w er p rt s wh it e
ea a .

A v er g l en gt h 1 f o o t 6 i nc h es
a e — .

D i tributi o n— D m r a l n d
s a a a .

G E N US L Y CO P H I D I U M .

Tw o S pec i es i n S o u th Af ric a .

K EY TO TH E S P EC I E S .

V en tr l s 1 6 4 2 8 ; s b
a da l 3 45
— 0 u —c a u s 0 — L yc o ph idiu m ca pen s e
V n tr a l 1 4 6 — 5 6
.

e s 3 1 0 L yco ph idiu m s emia n n u lis

I L Y C O P H I D I U M CAP E N S E Cape Wolf S nak e
.

. . t l
S ee S na e k .

S y no n y m s— L y od p is L y ph idi c o n ca en s co on h o rs toc h ii .
 TH E SO L I D -TOOTH ED SNA K ES . 85

C l o ur B ro w n purpli sh
o — o liv e b v ; id o f h d p c kl d
, or a o e s es ea s e e or

v r m i ul a t e with w h iti h
e c s .

V ri ti a e es

A B r w n o d a rk purpl e a b o v e th e l a t er a l s l tipp d wit h w h iti h

. o r ,
c a es e s

l w r p rt s w h iti h
o e a s .

B D rk purpli sh br o w n a b o v a d b el o w l t r l
. a l d v n tr l e n ,
a e a sc a es a n e a s

wit h w h iti h dg t h ro a t w h it e ( P rt Eliz b t h )

a s e e o a e .

C D rk gr y b v t h c l dg d with bl ki h ; t w s ri f bl k
. a e a o e, e s a es e e ac s o e es o ac

sp o t s a l o n g t h b c k th nt ri r n flu en t i n t r b r s t h r t
e a ,
e a e o co o c o ss a oa

w h it e v en tr l d u b - au d l bl ki h -bro w n edg d with w h iti h

a s an s c a s ac s ,
e s .

Av ra g e l ngt h 1 f t 6 i nc h es
e e — oo .

D i s tributi n E ast r n P r o vi nc o f C p C l o n y ; O F S Transv l ;

o —
e e a e o . . .
,
aa

S ut h er n R h o d es i
o N t l Z ulul n d D l go a B y a d a a a a e a a ,
n

n o rt h w rd t Tr pi a l Afri a ( M o i t d m p l o liti
a s o mo ng o c c . s ,
a ca es a

d d l av d u n d er d c yi n g l o g s )
ea e es , a n e a .

2 . L Y C O P H I D I U M S E MI A N N U L I s Nort h ern Wo lf Snak e Steel S nak e . or .

C o l o ur Gr yi sh blu o purpli h a b v with irr gul r bl ac k c ro ss

— e e r s o e, e a

b r ; sn ut a d sid o f h a d y ll wi h sp ec kl d with bl k ;
a s o n es e e o s ,
e ac

bl c ki h -br w n b ene t h th e h i ld dg d with y ll wi sh

a s o a ,
s e s e e e o .

Av erag l ngt h efo o t e — 1 .

D i tributi n s Z ulul n d P rtugu se E st Afri c a

o — a o e a .

G E N US S I MO CE P H AL U S .

Two S pec ies in S o u th Af rica .

K E Y TO TH E S P ECI E S .

Fr nt l o a a li ttl
rt r th an th p ri et a l s ; t w
e sh o e e a o

p o sto u l s v n tr l s 2 3 2 4 1
c ar e a 0 — S i rn oceph a lu s ca pen s is .

F r o nt l m u c h h o rt r t h n th e p ri t l s
a s i ngl e a a e a a s e
p t ul r ; v ntra l s 1 7 1 1 8 5
os oc a e — S i rn oceph a lu s n yass w .

1 .S MO C P H A L U S CA E N S I S
I E Th ree-cornered P . or il
F e S n a e ; Driekant k
Vijlslang .

Sy no n y m— H etero lepis c a pen s is .

C lou r o l bl ki br w —S c a es
s p a r a t d fr o m o
ac sh - o n an d a n t h r t h e s ki n e e ne o e ,

b tw n h h o wi ng lig h t purpl
e ee E nd s Of bd m i n l h i ld s
e ac s e . a o a s e

bl o t h d wit h bl ki sh Th t w l t r w o f s l
c e th id
ac . e o as o s c a es o n e s es

tipp d wit h w h it U pp r lip a d a bd o m n w h it Th m iddl

e e . e n e e . e e

p rt f th v ert br l s l w h it e t rti ng fr o m th n k a d
a o e e a c a es , s a e ec n

ru nni n g d w n t o t h t il givi ng t h pp r a n o f th b kb ne e a , e a ea ce o e ac o

b i ng xp s d E y s bl c k T o ngu e fl h o l o ur
e e o e . e a . es c .

Av r g l ngth 4 t o 5 f eet
e a e e — .

D i s tributi o n N a t al T r n v l ; S o u t h er n R h o d esi ; D l go a B y ;
— a s aa a e a a

P rtugu es e E s t Af i a
o C n tr l Afri c a a r c e a .

2 . S M O CE P H A L U S NY A ss az
I North ern Th ree- corner ed o r F il e S nak e ; Noor .

delijke Driekant Vijlslang .

C o l o ur l k br w n b v p al r br o w n b el o w
— B a c i sh - o
a o e, e ,
th e ch i n and th e

l a t r l v n tr a l k l y ll o wi h w h it
e a e ee e s or e .

Av r g l ngth 4 f e t Att i n l engt h o f 5 f eet

e a e e — e . a s a .

D i s tributi o n N t l ; Tr nsv aa l ; D lag o a B y

— a a a e a Po rtugu ese E tas

Afri c C en tr l Afri a a a c .

G E N US P S E U D AS P I S .

Ge n us is
presen ted by o n e S pec ies
re o n ly .

K E Y TO TH E S P ECI E S .

S ca l es s m o oth in 2 7 t o 3 1 r o w I nt rn s . e l n t ri ng
a sa e e
th e n tril sn o ut wit h v rti l id
os e ca s es mo r l es e or s
pr m i n en t
o P s eu das pi s ca ua .
86 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFR I CA .

I . P S E U D AS P I S CAN A . Mo l e S nake ; Z wart S l ang ; Lui S lang ; Molslang .

Syn nyo m s— o lu ber C c an e C o ro n ella can a C o ro n ella ph oca ru m

D u berri a c a n a C ad mu s c u n ei o rmi s
f .

C l ur
o o — Th e o y u ng p al bro w n b o v e with d ark bro w n w h it
a re e a , e

edg ed sp o t s f r m i ng f o ur l n gitudi na l seri s ; so m et i m s

o o e e a
d rk r v rt br l li n ; l o w er p a rt s y ll o wi h o pu rpli sh bro w n
a e e e a e e s r ,

u nif r m o sp o tt d wit h bl ac k
o r e .

F I G 3 8 - H d d k f h h rml M l S k ( P d p
. . ea an ) n ec o t e a e ss o e na e se u as z s ca n a .

Adu lts a e v ery v a ri a bl e i c l o ur bro w n o r ddi h w it h

r n o , r e s ,

m r o l s di ti n c t sp t s ; o ft n u n if o r m d rk br o w n o r h i n y
o e r es s o e a s
bl k ac .

Av r ag l n gth 4 f t T h s n a k s so meti m s a tt ai n a l ngth o f

e e e — ee . e e s e e e
v r7f t
o e ee .

D i s tribu ti n All o v er S o uth Afri c a N rth to A ng o l a d B riti h E a t '

—
o o an s s
Afri ca .

G N US C H L O R O P H I S
E .

F o u r S pec ies i n S o u th Af ric a .

K EY TO TH E S P EC I E S .

V n tra l wit h o ut k l
e s ee s . Tw o l a bi l a s e n t e ri n g th e
e ye su b-c a u da ls 8 5 —1 0
7 C h l r ph is
o o h oplog aster .

V n tra l s wit h di s ti n t l t r l k l Tw o l bi l
e c a e a ee s . a a s
n t e i ng th y ;
e r i n gl n t ri o r t m p r l ;
e e e a s e a e e o a
s u b -c a u d a ls 77
—1 I
4 C h l r ph i
o o s n eg lec tu s .
88 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

A I rr gul r bl c k c r o s b a r s so m o f t h e sc al es with wh i ti h s p o t
. e a a s e a s .

B N0 bl c k sp o t s o b a r s
. a so m f t h e sc l with w h i ti sh p o t
r e o a es a s .

C With bl k spo t s a t l t th n t ri r p a rt f th e b c k
. ac , ea s on e a e o o a .

D S po ts . d b r s a b s n t o v e ry i n di s ti n c t
an a e r .

Av r a g l n gt h 3 o 4 f t
e e e — r ee .

D i s t ibu ti o n D ela g o B a y
r P o rtugu es e E as t Afri c a ; Rh o d es i a
— a .

G E N US P R OS Y MNA .

F ive S pecies i n S o u th Af ric a .

K EY TO TH E S P E CI E S .

S ca l es th in 1 5 r w s I n t ernasa l p a i d ;
sm o o o . re
t wo s up rp o s d a n t eri o r t m p o r a l s
e e e P ro symn a su n deva llu .

S c al s sm e t h i 1 5 r o w s I n t r nasa l sin gl ; a
oo n . e e
s i n gl e a n t ri o r t m p o r l Width o f th fro n t a l
e e a . e
n o t h a lf t h widt h o f th e h e d v ent r a l s 1 6 7 ;
e a
su b -c a u da ls 50 P rosymn a f ro n ta lis .

Sca l es sm o o 5 th in 1 3 ro ws . V en tra l s 1 1—15 3

su b -c au da ls I 9 —3 4 P rosymn a a mbi g u a .

S ca l es s m o o h in I 5 t
o s r w Widt
h o f th e . fro n t al
r t n
mo e h a h a th e lf widt
h o f th e h ea ; e d v n tra l s
1 6 9 -1 8 5 s u b -c a u da ls 3 8 — 4 9 P mn a berg eri
ro sy .

S ca l es ee e k l d
in 1 7 o s a s e e r w
a sa i ngl i n t rn l P rosymn a a n i j .

I . P R O S Y MN A S U N D E V A L L I I K operac h tig S an . Coppery S nak e ; l g .

y y
S no n m s — Temn o rh yn ch u s s u n deva llii R h i n osto ma c u preu m Tem
n orh yn c h u s
f ro n ta li s .

C l ur
o o — Pa e l br w o b v
n a o e eac h sc a e e e l dg d wit d rk r
h a e ; h ea d ,

y ll wi wit
e o sh r ,
l d ti t br w b d b tw
h a m o e o r ess i s n c o n a n e een th e
y
e es a n d a l rg d rk br w
a e a o bl t b rd r g
n c resc en tric o c h o e i n th e
p i t l p t ri rly
ar e a s os e o ; tw o o r w
s o f sm a ll br w p
o n s o ts a o n l g
b k u f r w i i f ri rly
t h e ac ni o m h it sh n e o .

Av er a g l en gt h e I fo o t —
.

D i s tributi o n B o t h pr o vi nc s o f C a p
— C o l n y ; N a t al ; O ran g e F r ee e e o

S t t ; Tr n s v aa l a e a .

2 . P R O S Y M NA F R O NTAL I S Nort h er n Co ppery S nak e . .

S y n o n y m — Tem o h y h u f t lisn r nc s ro n a .

C o l o ur— V ery s i mi l r to t h f o r m r a e e .

Av era g e l ength — 1 f t oo .

D i s t ibuti o n— S o ut h -W es t Afri c a ; An g o l a
r .

3 . P R OS Y MNA AM B I G UA Grey- S po tt ed Co ppery S nak e . .

S y no n y m L ig i —
t stu h lm i
o n ros ra an n .

Co l o ur B l c ki h b o v ac h sc a l u u lly gr eyi sh n th c en tre l o w er

— a s a e, e e s a I e

p a rts w h iti sh o bro w n r .

Av er g l n gt h I f o o t
a e e — .

D i s tribu t i n— Z ulul a n d o S o ut h -W s t Afri c S o uth er n Rh o d esia e a

A ng o l a E t Afri c as a .

4 . P R O S Y M NA B E R G E R I West Afri can Coppery S nak e . .

Av ra g l engt h — 1 f o t
e e o .

D i tributi o n— S ut h -W es t Afri c a
s o .

5 . P R OS Y MNA JA NI B l ack - h ea ded Co ppery Snak e

. .

C o l ur— P l e r ddi h -br w n a b o v ; th gr t r p a rt f th e upp r

o a e s o e e ea e o e

s urf c f th ha d d n p bl k l vi n g a p l e p o n t o n
e o e ea an a e ac ,
ea a s ,

a h s upr o ul r a d a rdif r m o m ddl o f t h n p

.

e c a c th a n co o ne o n e i e e a e

bl c k c ro s b o n th n c k f ll o w d by d ubl s r es o f bl ac k
a a s ar e e , o e a o e e i
 H A R ML E S S G R E E N S N A K E S ( Alt S mith ) . er .

( G 39 E t r
— I G r S k N t l h G r S l g ( C hl ph i t l ) Av r g l gth 3 ft
as e n ee n na e a a sc e o en an o ro s n a a en s i s e a e en
E y l rg B dy l g C l ur : P rt b v b rig h t g r m ti m li v t i g U u ll y
. . . . .
.

e a e o on o o a s a o e a re e en , so e es o e n e s a

l- h v wh i t p t ut r b rd r d ki b tw l i bl k P rt b l w
. . .

mso e sc a es a e e s o on o e o e an s n e ee n sc a e s s ac a s e o a re

gr i h wh i t D i tributi : All v r S uth A f ri M r bu d t tw rd N rhr

.
,

een s e s on o e o ca o e a an e as a s 2 o t e n

Av r g l gth 3 ft E y l rg
n
G r S k N d lijk G r Sl g ( C h l ph i
. . . .

een na e g l
oor e ) e o en an o ro s i rre u a ri s e a e en 2 - e a e

B dy t p i g C l ur : G r l iv b v l ft W i th wh i t p t b Wi th W i th ut
. .
. .

o a er n o o een o r o e a o e , s c a es o en e s o at ase , or o

bl k u pp r b rd r S ki- b tw l bl k S m ti m bl k p t i rr g l r r b d u pp
.

ac e o e n e een sc a es ac o e es ac s o s or e u a c o ss - a n s on er

p rt f b dy G r i h y ll w b l w D i t buti : R h d i t C tr l Af ri
. .

a o o . een s e o e o . s ri on o es a o en a ca .

89
 90 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

p o t s l n g th e n t eri o r t w o -thi rd s o f th e b ac k ; y ll o wi
s a o a e sh w it e
- h
b lo w e .

Av ra g l ngt h
e t 2 f
e et — I o ee .

D i s tributi o n— Z ulul a n d P o rtugu ese E s t Afri c a a .

H O MAL OS O MA .

Tw o S pec ies i n S o u th Af ric a .

K EY TO TH E SP E C I ES .

V n tra l 1 1 5 — 1 4 4
e H o ma loso m a lu trix .

V n tr l s 9 7— 1
e a 1 0 H o ma lo so ma varieg a tu m .

I . H O MA L O S O M A L U TR I x Th e Ho malo so ma S na e ; Roo S an . k i l g .

y y
S n o n m s— C o lu ber lu trix H o ma lo so m a s h ira n u m .

C l ur C l u r ti v ry v ri bl
o o — o o a on e a a e ; u d r p rt l w r urf
n e - a s a n d o e s ac e o f
t il u if r y ll wi
a n o m e o sh in th e m iddl e an d gr yi
e sh o n t h e s id
es , ,

u u lly wit
s a h a er gul r l t r l ri
a a e a se es o f bl k d t
ac o s .

f ll wi g
Th e o o n is th e esc d ripti o n o f th e v ri u v ri ti
a o s a e es
A l r w
Pa e B o n or e o
. y ll wi b v wit
sh a o e h a v rt br l ri
e e a se es o f bl k
ac ,

d t gr yi
o s e sh o liv e or plu b u
m eo s o n t h e s es id w i li it d
h c h a re m e ,

b v by
a o e ri
a se es o f bl k d t l t r l v tr l d t l rg
ac o s a e a en a o s a e .

B R ddi br w b v bl ki
e. sh o iv id gr yi t w rd
n a o e a c sh o l e o n th e s es e sh o a s , ,

b lly
th e e a fin e bl ac kv rt br l li
e e a l t r l v tr l d t l rg
n e a e a en a o s a e .

C ik . pr di g bu t
L e t h e ec e n th e v rt br l l
e e a in e a n d t h ev tr l d t
en a o s ,

i n di ti n t s c .

D U n if o r m o liv br o w n a b o v e p as i n g t o gr eyi sh o
. th
e s id es ; th , s n e e

l t r l v n tr l d t v y sm ll
a e a e a o s er a .

E R ddi sh br o w n o r bri c k
. e d b o v gr y o n th s id es ; l t r l re a e, e e a e a

v en tra l d o t s w ll m a rk d ( E t rn P r o v C C ) e e . as e . . .

Av r a g l n gt h 4 f o o t
e e e — .

D i s tributi o n W es t r n a d E st r n P r o vi n s o f C a p C l o n y N a ta l
— e n a e ce e o

O F S ; Tr n s v . l ; R h o d es i ; N o rt h t E as t a d C n tr l
. . a aa a o n e a

Afri ca .

2 . H O MA L O O M A VARI E G AT U M S Th e Varieg ated S nak e ; Bo nt Sl ang . .

C o l ur Th c o l ur v ri s
o —
e o a e .

A D rk br w n a b o v
. a wit h irr gul r lic h en-lik bro w n i sh -w h it e
o e, e a e,

v r g ti n a ie a o .

B O liv -br o w n b o v e wi t h t h r ee
. e ri s o f d a rk br w n sp o ts U n d r
a , se e o . e

p rt s in b o t h v a ri eti es r eti c ul a t d bl c k d w h iti h

a e a an s .

Av r g e l ngt h I f o t
e a e — o .

D i s tributi o n Z ulul a n d ; D el g o a B a y ; P o rtugu se E as t Afr a

— a e ic .

SUB- FAM I L Y R H ACH I O D ONTI NZE .

G E N US D A S Y P E L T I S .

A i gl G us i S o th Af r ic s n e en n u a .

Sc l s i a e 3 to 7 ro wn l t r l v ry bliqu e d with
2 2 s, a e a s e o an se rr t d k eel s
a e
t t h rudi m n t ry ee e a .

D AS Y P E L TI S S CA RA Th e Eg g-eati n g S n ak e E i er Vreter
B or or i
E er S an l g
S y n o n y m — C mb
. .
,

sc b s A d typ s aR h i do er a er no on u ac o n s c a ber Tro pi

do n o tu s sc a ber. D a sypeltis i n o rn a ta .
 92 TH E SNA KES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

bot to m of the pond I n capti vi ty t hey will sei ze an d devour

.

l ive fish I n t he neighbourhood of Port Elizabeth they are

.

co mm on We h ave a doze n or m ore at the Port Eli zabeth

.

Museu m whi ch t hri ve well o n their di et of frogs They att ai n .

an average lengt h o f about 2 feet The under -parts are of a .

beauti ful light pi nk ti n t whi ch rapi dly fades to a yellowi sh hu e

,

when a speci m e n i s placed i n alcohol .

These sn akes when co nstri cti ng thei r prey will O ften throw as
many as five coils round i t .

TH E G R EEN W ATER S NAKE S .

There are four species of G reen Water Sn akes t wo of which are ,

co m mo n i n the southern parts of South Afri ca and t he other two ,

i n t he norther n parts near the Z a mbesi I n N at al these G reen .

Wat er Sn akes are frequently mi stake n for G reen Ma m bas for ,

although parti al to water they are i n reali ty Tree Snakes livi ng

largely i n the foli age of trees si nce they are expert cli mbers These
,
.

Water S nakes have long t aperi ng bo dies and large eyes They .

frequen t m arshes ponds rivers and da m p locali ties i n search o f

, ,

frogs whi ch are t heir favouri te food They swi m an d dive wi th

, .

t he greatest e ase an d cause m uch alar m to bathers by poppi ng

,

up al most under thei r noses They are perfectly har m less .

,

bei ng qui te desti tute o f poi son gl ands or poiso n fangs I f one .

o f t hese snakes should capture a frog or fish i n t he water i t swi m s

ashore an d hol di ng i ts head so m e i nches above the ground gli des
, ,

up t he bank and findi ng a sui t able pl ace S wallows i ts prey

, , ,
.

The G reen Water Snakes are equally expert at swi m mi ng divi ng , ,

cli mbi ng t rees and t ravelli ng o n the ground

,
.

I kept so me G ree n Water S nakes and Boo m sl a n g s i n the sa me

cage O ne day o ne of t he latter swallowed a Water Sn ake
. .

After about fift een m i nutes I forced the Boo mslang to disgorge
i ts victi m When thrown u p the Water Snake was none t he
.
,

worse and i nst antly glided o ff and al m ost i mmedi ately afterwards
,

c aught a frog and swallowed i t .

TH E H O U S E S NA K E S .

There are four species of snakes known as House Snakes ,

classed under the genus B o o do n The Olive House Snake an d .

,
 TH E HOU SE SNA KES .
93

t he Brown House Sn ake are the tw o best known They are called
, .

House Sn akes because they are so frequentl y fou nd i n and about

the dwelli ngs of m an at tracted thereto by the presence of m i ce
,

and young rats o n whi ch they feed I n return for t h is great .

servi ce men ignorantly ki ll the m at sight although they are as ,

har mless as any i nnocen t li zard These snakes are S i m ply .

i nvaluable about far mhouses an d are much m ore servi ceable ,

th an cats for they can follow the destructive li ttle rodents right
,
.

down t o thei r secret hi di n g -places House sn akes are qui t e .

har mless and i t woul d be well for all far mers to learn to i denti fy
,

the m wi th a View of protecti ng and shiel di ng the m fro m har m ,

I n the House Snake the farm er has a very valuabl e ally ag ai nst
his ene mies t he rats and m ice .

L ate one night at a cert ai n dwelli ng i n Port Elizabet h close ,

to my house there was ,

a great co mm oti on .

It see m s t hree of t he
i n mat es returned
about m i dnight fro m a
party . Arri vi ng on
the l andi ng h alf-way
up they saw the for m
,

of a sn ake by t he light
cast by t he candle .

Holdi ng a con
su lt a tio n the three F 4 A t m Br w H u S k w ll
IG wiIg — a e o n o se na e s a o n a

y u gd d t o n ea ra .

ret i red below t o seek

weapons Meanwhile the landlady heari ng the u nusual c o m
. ,

m otion sallied forth acco m pani ed by her two daughters

, ,
.

Cautiously peeri ng down the st airs they descended step by step ,

.

Wi thout previ ous warni ng a loud hiss st ruck upon t he strai ned ,

e ars of the l adi es The form of a snake rapi dly vani shing fro m
.

Vi ew behi nd a pedest al caused such a successi on

,
O f shrieks that
-
I bounded out of bed hurried on a dressi ng gown and rushed
,

ou t of my house to the rescue fully beli evi ng so m e burglars ,

were co m mi tti ng m urder I di d not knock I j ust we n t i n

.
. .

Cautiously steali ng up the stairs were three young m en ar med wi th

weapons I was m uch relieved to learn the trouble w as only a
.

sn ake .

By the ti m e i t was killed there was m any a den t i n the

 04
I
TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

stair ra ils and sun dry ugly cuts i n the wallpaper caused by the
,

wil d bl ows ai m ed at the reptile .

Hauli ng t he m angled body ou t i n tri u m ph one o f t he fellows ,

declared he woul d t ake i t t o the m useu m the follo wi ng day .

I quietly assured the m i t w as o n ly a co mm on Brown House

\
Snake that i t was perfectly har mless — as harmles s as a li zard
, , ,

and t hat i t was evi de ntly i nten t upon cat chi ng mischievous ,

t hi evi ng mi ce .

House sn akes soon beco m e qui te t a me i f gently han dl ed at ,

frequen t i nt ervals Those i n our cages are t aken out an d while

.
,

bei ng hel d i n t he hand they t ake dead m i ce fro m the fingers and
, ,

swallow t he m .

One eveni ng when wal ki ng i n St G eorge s Park at Port

’
.
,

Eli zabeth I atte m pted t o capture a sn ake whi ch I noticed on

, ,

t he pat h I n the darkness I bungled and the reptile bi t my hand

.
, .

I fel t the sti ng of i ts t eeth Bei n g too dark to i denti fy t he

.

speci es I sei zed i t firm ly an d hurri ed o ff to the nearest elect ri c

,

light I was much relieved t o find th at i nstead of a Night

.
,

Adder i t was a harmless Brown House Sn ake N ow i f I had

,
.
,

known nothi ng about sn akes I S hould probably have rushed o ff

for hel p i n a great st ate of alar m and nervous dread and dOIib tless ,

have been dosed with so m e popular snake bit e re m edy and ever ,

afterwards advocated i t as a cure for snake bi te .

M U CH AD O A B O U T N OTHING .

The followi ng appeared in a certai n Cape Colony newspaper ,

and was telegraphed all over the co u n try

Our L ouwsburg correspondent writes — An extraordi nary
affai r occurred l ast night whe n the i n mates of the local gaol
,

si tuated four m iles away— were t hrown i nto co mmotio n by the

entrance of a sn ake i nto one o f the two ce lls whi ch a patern al
G overn men t has provided for the acco mmodatio n o f pri soners
and wit nesses alike About 1 1 p m on e of the pri soners heard
. .

a rustling noise near h im and t hi nki ng i t was a m ouse put ou t

, , ,

hi s hand t o drive i t away His fi n gers ca me i nto cont act wi th the

.

body o f a s nake an d he was i m medi ately bi tten o n t he hand

, .

The shouts of the prisoners brought out the warders bu t when ,

t hey entered the cell the snake h ad al ready retired i nto i ts hole .

The bi tte n m an was su fferi ng severely and a m essenger was ,

9 6 T H E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFR I CA .

i mmedi ately despat ched for t he Di st ri ct Surgeon Fortunately .

,

the sn ake was n o t o f a ki nd whose ve no m acts pro m ptly for the ,

messe n ger h ad t o Ii de four m iles and the doctor four m iles ,

ere m edical assist ance coul d be re ndered t o the su fferer .

D r Wil dish took wi th h im the anti -veno m di scovery o f the

.

”
Pasteur I nsti tut e and i t s e ffects have so far bee n successful
, .

Subsequently water was poured down the hole where the snake
,

was seen to disappear an d behol d out crawled a h al f-drowned

, ,

harmless Brown House Snake .

T HREE -C O RN ERE D OR F I L E S N AK E S .

Thes e s nakes although foun d i n m ost parts o f Sout h A fri ca

, ,

see m t o be rather rare everywhere Although l arge and fo rmid .

able -looki ng they are perfectly harmless Their average length

,
.

i s t hree t o five feet They are not easily m ist aken for any other
.

genus of snake owi ng to their peculi ar vertebral scales an d

t rian gular -shap ed body which has gi ven ris e t o t h e na m e The .

row of scales along the backbon e are bi cari n ate which m eans ,

double -keeled These scales h ave a groove lo n gitu din allv down
.

the centre The colour of the m iddl e part of t hes e scales is

.

whit e for mi ng a long li ne fro m t he head to the tail of the snake

,
.

These b ackbone scales are rounded and l arger than those o n t he

rest Of the body The colour of the upper parts i s blackish
.

brown The edges o f t he abdo m i n al shi elds are blot ched wit h
.

black an d t he tw o last rows of scales on t he sides are t ipped

,

wit h whit e U pper lip an d abdom en whit e Two species are

. .

Offi ci ally recogni zed i n South Afri ca vi z S imoceph a lu s cap en sis ,

.

and S imoceph alu s iwassw Th e re ason for separating t he m i nto

.

two S peci es was because S c ap en sis was S upposed t o have two

.

postocul ar shields and 2 0 3 — 2 4 1 ve ntrals and S nyassaz only a ,

.

si ngle postocular an d 1 7 1 — 1 8 5 ventral s However I am not .

,

con vin ced t hat t his di fference is const an t I h ave exa mi ned .

several S peci m ens and fin d that the above characters which

are supposed t o di sti n g uish the m were not const ant I n so me, .

there were two postocular shi elds and 1 7 0 to 1 8 0 ve ntrals I n .

others a si ngle postocular and 2 0 3 t o 2 40 ve ntrals thus S how ,

in glth a t these characters cannot be relied upo n I have fo u nd .

the sa m e thi ng to hold good wi t h other speci es of snakes .

Thi s fre qu ent creati on o f new species i n Z oology i s bei ng carried

 I . S H S NA K E
TH E TH R E E -C O RN E R E D O R F I L E S N A K E ( A/t S mith )
BU . 2 .
. er .

F I G 4 3 Bu h S k l g Av r g l g t 3 4 f t L rg
m m h -
— B h S
s ( P h il
na th e i
or i g t )
o sc an o a n us se va r e a us e a e en ee a e

l d r h p t p ri g t il C l ur v ri i diff r t p i m Th v i t i ( ) C l ur
. .
. .

e a es n e en s ec en s e ar a o n s a re : a o o
y e , s en e s a e, a e n a o o
bv g l i v wi th i rr gul r b l k r b r ; m l w h wh i ti h p t G r i h
.
.

a o e, ree n or o e, e a ac c o ss a s so e sc a es rt s s o ee n s

y ll w b l w ( b) N bl k p t b r l wi th wh i t i h p t G r u d d l ur gr d bb vr
.

e o e o m o ac S o s or a s so e s c a es s s o o n co o ee n a o e,

d y ll wi h b l w Wi t b l k p t l t t ri r p rt b k
.
.

an e ( ) o h s t
e o 0 f ( ) Sp t ac s o s, a e as on an e o a o ac o s an a s

b t v ry i di ti t — ( B t M C t S -k ) N - Th p r v i l i g l ur h lw y g c
.
. .

a sen or e n s nc ri us a na es O TE e e a n co o IS a a s re e n r

l iv gr d y ll w i h b l w Th r rd S k i
. . .
, .

o e een , an V jl l g (S m
e o p l p 2) ee c o rn e e na e or i s an i o ce a us ca ens s

Av r g l gth 3 ft C l ur : D rk b r w b v wi th l iv h d U pp r l ip d l l g t p f
e o s . .
.

e a e en o o a o n a o e, o e s a e e an sc a es a o n o o

b kb y ll wi h L igh t y ll w b l w
.
.

ac one e o s . e o e o .
98 T H E SNA K ES OF SOUT H AF RI CA .

to an extre me and will doubtless creat e endless con fusion and

l abour i n t he fut ure i f conti nued I n the case i n poi nt the
,
.

difference is probably a m at ter of vari ati on whi ch i s by no

m eans const ant N aturally i f a l arge seri es should be ex
.
,

a min ed and i f the di fference be seen to be constan t then there

, ,

i s j ustification for t he creatio n o f a new species an d sub species

-
,

not othe rwise .

The generi c na me S z moce/J/zalus h as been previously used for a

'

ge nus o f Crustacean s a n d will re q uire to be altered

,
.

TH E M O L E S N AKE .

AL so K N OWN AS THE Z W A R T S L ANG ,

LUI SL A N G MOL SL ANG
, .

)
’

P seuda spz s can a .

The Mol e Snake is wi dely di st ributed over South Afri ca .

I t varies co nsi derably i n colour So m e speci m ens are shi ny black .

,

others b ri ck red or brown spotted w i th black The Mole Sn akes

, .

an d House Snakes can be regarded as typi cal exa m ples of non

ve no mous snakes Y oung Mole Sn akes are b rown wi t h irreg u
.
,

l ar black m arki ngs M any o f these about tw o feet long are light
.

brown with wavy bl ack m arki ngs on t he back and are also spotted ,

and blotched with whi te Adults are usually foun d most .

abu ndantly about t he hau nt s of m oles m ole -rat s fi eld-rat s and , ,

vlei o to mys i n sandy soil sparsely covered wi t h scrubby bush

, , .

The young h au nt stony hillocks and rough rock -strewn ground , , ,

i n pursui t of lizards o n whi ch they m ostly feed I n captivi ty

, .
,

Mol e Snakes usually refuse all food Occasi on ally I have i nduced .

t he m to eat an d h ave observed t he m const ri ct and swallow m ice

,

and rats .

Mole Snakes whe n surpri sed wi ll show fight boldly faci ng

, , ,

the i ntruder an d m aki ng desperate l unges i n hi s direction wit h ,

gapi ng m out h an d slightly raised body T h is habi t o f rai sing .

t he fore part of the body an d head an d general outward si milarity ,

to t he Cape Cobra causes the m to be m i st ake n usually for the

,

l atter A part fro m the di ffere nce i n the for m ation o f the t eeth
.

an d scales Mole Snakes c an easily be disti nguished fro m cobras

, .

Their heads are n arrow and j oi n the body wi thout any n arrowi ng
,

at the neck region Thei r bo d ies are ni cely rou nded ( cyli ndrical )
.
,
 1 0 0 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

a nd no t fl atte ned li ke t hose O f t he cobras They possess no power .

o f elevat i n g t he ski n o f the neck i n t he form O f t he well -known

hood O f t he cobra I f any snake expands a hood an d at t he
.
,

sa m e ti m e raises i ts head an d the fore part of i ts body above t he

ground you m ay rest assured i t i s one of the veno m ous cobra
,

fa mily

M O L E S N AKE S AR E H A RML E S S .

The Mole Snake is qui te non -veno mous I t always kills i t s .

prey by constricti on The power which i t can exert i s very

.

great I h ave frequently held Mole Sn akes betwee n m y fi n ger

.

and thu m b and allowed the m t o coil rou nd my wrist I n a few

,
.

mi nutes t he blood circulatio n was arrested and t he hand grew ,

cold and nu m b so gre at was t he power O f constriction exerted

,

by t he snake .

I n capti vi ty Mole Sn akes rarely cli mb They only see m t o .

do so when explori ng their pl ace O f con fine m ent soon after bei n g ,

placed t herei n A fter a day or two they never atte m pt t o cli m b

.

t he branches i n t he cage and m ost O f the ti m e he buried i n t he

,

sand wi t h t he head protrudi ng whi ch t hey i nstantly wi thdraw ,

i f disturbed I n the wild st ate I have occasionally foun d t he m

.

hi gh u p above ground i n t hi ck creepers such for i nstance as , , ,

the honeysuckle grenadill a an d creeper -covered bushes I t

, , .

is a co mm on sight to see Mole Sn akes b aski ng i n the su n near

rat or m ole holes i nto whi ch they i nst antly retire i f disturbed
,
.

The Mole Sn ake i s vivi parous giving birth t o a great nu mber ,

Of young usually
,
fro m t h irt v t o forty -fi ve .

We procured o ne which m easured seven feet three i nches and ,

i t gave birt h t o eighty -fo ur young whi ch i s the m axi m u m nu m ber ,

ever recorded Thi s speci m e n was however m uch l arger t han

.
, ,

t he average o f Mole Snakes which are usually fro m three to four,

feet i n length .

I t i s a grave mistake to kill Mole S nakes for they are as harm ,

less as li zards and are the far mer s great allies ai di ng h im m ost
,
’

e fficie ntly i n killi ng O ff rats and m ice They have been known .

t o t ake fowls eggs an d yo u ng chickens O ut in t he bush vel d

’
.
,

past urage an d th e c ult ivat ed fiel ds however t hey do n o harm , ,

at al l .
M O L E SNA K ES A RE HA RM L ESS . I OI
10 2 TH E SN A KE S OF SOUT H AFRI CA .

H ARM L E S S S NAKE S .

I t i s un necessary to notice i n det ail each Of the Soli d -toothed

Sn akes the n a mes O f whi ch are gi ven above
,
They are one .
,

and all entirely non -veno m ous possessi ng n o vestiges O f poison

, ,

gl ands an d their t eeth show no signs O f groovi ng

,
.

I t i s very desirable that the general publi c should beco m e

acquai nted wi th the di fferent species O f snakes i n order that th e
present i nd iscri mi n ate slaughter of t hese i n nocen t and exceed
in g ly useful reptiles should be checked Through lack O f know .

ledge O i t he habi t s an d ways O f these creatures O f the earth a bit ter ,

warfare has been waged agai nst the m and great nu mbers O f ,

species O f exceedi ngly useful reptiles have been an d are bei n g , ,

exter mi nated .

TH E E G G-E ATI NG S NAKE S .

S U B -FA M I L Y II . R ACH I O D O NTI NE .

TH E E GG-E ATING S N AKE OR E IE R V R E TE R .

( D a sypeltz s sca bm )
'

The Egg -e ating Sn ake i s truly a re m arkable creature and ,

serves t o bring forcibly ho m e to us the wonderful and awe

i nspiring worki ngs O f N ature I n the study O f N ature we see
.

t he O peratio n Of a m ighty All -Wise I ntelligence I t reveals t o us .

the fact th at t here are great an d m ighty forces at work which we

call L aws an d t hrough t he O peratio n O f these great forces or
,

L a w s t he Creator works The student Of N ature sees the results

,
.

of the operation O f t his m ighty Power or I ntelligence i n everythi ng .

I n t he Egg -eati ng Sn ake we have a li vi ng exa m ple Of how N ature

takes away t hat which i s n O longer requi red or whi ch through ,

neglect or i ndolence i s not used We also see how wonderfully .

she provi des for t he altered habi ts and e nviron m en t O f t he

creatures O f the Earth .

The only species whi ch represe nts this sub -fa mi ly O f Colubri ne
snakes i s t he Egg -eati ng Snake O f A frica I t i s di fferent fro m all .

o ther sn akes i n havi ng only five very rudi m ent ary teet h i n t he
upper j aw and four i n t he lower jaw S i tuated about t he centre
, ,

part O f the m outh I n fact practi cally speaki ng i ts j aws are

.
, ,
1 0 4 THE SNA KE S OF SOUTH A FR I CA .

too thless The Egg -eati ng Snakes vary a great deal i n colour
.

ation accor di ng t o t he di st rict i n whi ch they are found On

, .

accou nt O f such di fferences they have been divided i nt o s ix ,

vari eti es Four ou t Of t he si x varieti es are fou nd sout h of the

.

Z a mbesi the other two occurri ng i n Cen tral an d N orthern Africa

, .

— m
The sub fa ily n a m e applied to the Egg -eati ng Sn ake i s Ra ch i o
’

do n lin w whi ch m eans h aving en a m el -tipped tooth -like pro

,

jec tio n s i n t he -S pi ne penetrati ng t he gullet These snakes are

, .

found i n all part s Of South A frica but are nowhere co mm on ,

.

Thei r average length i s three feet .

E VO L U TI O N OF THE E GG-B REAKING M ECHAN I S M .

I n proportio n t o the degree in whi ch this species O f sn ake

took to feedi ng upo n eggs i ts t eeth dwi n dled i n size and nu mber
, ,

and t o d ay i t only possesses a few w hi ch are qui te ru di ment ary , ,

’
an d can n ot be detected unless the snake s j aws be dissected
'
.

I n t he ac t o f swallowi ng eggs teeth were Of n o use t o t he sn ake ,

i n fact they were a disti n ct hi ndrance so N ature took the m awa y

, , ,

and S peci ally provided for t he altered h abi ts o f t hi s creature i n

a m ost wo nderful an d uni que m an ner I t reads al m ost li ke a .

fairy t ale but i t i s n evertheless true t hat the Egg —eater actually
,

has teeth i n i ts backbone For all practi cal purposes they are .

t eet h but i n a stri ct scienti fic sense they are li ttle bo ny pro

,

jec tio n s j utti ng ou t fro m the backbone O f the neck They .

proj ect forwards and downwards i nto the gullet an d are tipped
, ,

wi t h ena mel There are about thirty altogether The s m aller

. .

teet h st art fro m t he base of the Skull and i n full-si zed snakes ,

co nti nue for two and a hal f to three i nches down t he backbone ,

ter mi nati ng i n si x or seve n others a li ttle m ore pro mi nen t and ,

“
more freely coated wi th ena mel These l arger teet h are for .

the purpose of sawi ng t hrough strong hard shells whi ch the s m aller
teet h cannot negoti ate Below t hese there are seven bony
.
,

proj ectio ns al m ost a quarter of an i nch long These are no t .

ti pped wi th en a mel They like the others proj ect i nto the
.
, ,

gull et poi nti ng at an angle towards t he m outh When t he

,
.

sn ake sw allows an egg it by m eans o f these proj ections , , ,

keeps the egg i n positio n until i t i s sawn through by t he ot her

teeth They are also used as an ai d i n helpi ng t he sn ake t o
.

c ast out the cru m pled egg -shell and ensuri ng that no pieces ,
 AT E R A T W O R K E GG -E .

FIG 47 —
A E gg t r d i g h i b t t fi d w y i t W v r bi rd
n -e a e o n s es t T h i i th
o nt f Smi ha a n o a ea e
’
s n es s s e n es o t
’
s
W v r B i r d ( S t g m p i ) wh i h y u g t r k w B ttl F i k T h i r ft y F i k b ld
. .
.

ea e i a ca en s s c o n s e s no as a o e n s c a n ur
t t th xtr m d f b r h th t it mi wi l d t d k m y b bl
.

n es a e e e e en o th a an c so a s en e es , e c a s an sna es , a no t e a e
t r h it ddi ti l uri ty i t m k l g tu b t h t th t v i f u i g rp t ,

o ea cA s an a ona se c a es a on e o t e n es so a e en a c nn n se en
h ul d r th i i t i t ul d t g t i id b u -if i t tri d
.
, ,
s o h it h m e ac w th
s o e, as as e c a se i n s n s an ce , co no e ns e, ec a se e to
cli m b d w th tu b o i t w ul d f ll ff t th g r u d Th
n e e, o d pi tur h w E g g t r r bbi g
a o o e o n e se c o n c e s o s an ea e o n

t f W r b l r E v rg r b u d k i id t Th t h i rd pi tur
.

th ”
e n es o i a a e h hi h n an d e th een s s ea an ne c a re ns e e n es e c e
E gg - t r f r m N t l T hi p i f t i l g I t u pp r p t d u , .

sh w o s an ea e m oi a a h s S f ec ll en s 2 ee 1 0 nc es on s e ar s a re o a
r d dish -b r w l ur wi th li gh t ti g f liv Th u d r-p rt l ig h t y ll w T h i i
, . .

e o n co o a s n e o f h o e e n e a s are e o s s o ne o t e
vlri t i f D yp lti r r f th pi tur i p rti f th b kb
, . .

a e es o bm as I th
e s sc a n e co n e d O e c e s se e n a o on o e ac o n e, an
ti f h gull t h wi g f w f th gul r t th pr tru di g
.

a so a sec on o t e e , s o n a e o e a ee o n .

1 0 5
 THE SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

should sli p down i nt o t he sto m ach There i s n o other S peci es .

O f sn ake i n t he world whi ch possesses t hese wonder ful backbone

or gular teeth .

E GG-S WA LL O W ING P R OCE S S .

’
The expandi ng el asti c -like power Of the Egg eater s lower j aw -

and S ki n of t he thro at i s really i mm e n se as wi ll be n oticed i n the ,

illustratio n The snake sei zes the egg at o n e end an d proceeds

.

to swallow i t by a succession -Oi slow an d deliberate gulps ,

acco mpanied by a pus hi ng -forward m ove m e n t Of the body .

I n fact the sn ake s m outh see m s j ust t o spread S lowly over the
,
’

egg S O s moothly and eve n ly does the process act

, Whe n .

t he egg has bee n worked dow n i n to the throat t he snake raises i t s ,

head an d neck an i nch or two above the grou n d an d by worki ng ,

i ts backbone backwards a n d forwards saws the egg -shell right ,

through longi tudi n ally j ust as a perso n would do wi th a very

,

fi ne fret -saw The n the n eck -muscles are put i nto O peratio n
. ,

and t he snake moves i t s n eck fro m si de t o S i de co n st ri cti n g the ,

egg u ntil all t he contents have bee n squeezed out and dow n the
gullet Then rai si ng i ts head a li ttle hi gher the Egg -e ater S pi ts
.
,

ou t the cru m pled shell .

A n Egg e ati ng Snake wi th a head the breadth O f a m an s

’
-

forefinger can swallow a ban ta m s egg The largest vari eties can ’
.

m an age a do m esti c fowl s egg ’

.

E G G-EATER S IN C A P TIV IT Y .

Egg —eati ng snakes are i nteresti ng reptiles to keep in capti vi ty .

U nlike m ost other sn akes t hey are n o t o nly quite n o n

,

ve no mous bu t havi ng no t eeth other th an a few ru di men tary

, , ,

o nes i n t he m outh they are u nable eve n t o scratch the ski n

, .

K nowi ng thi s they never at te mpt to bi te when ha n dled even

, ,

whe n first captured as do m any n o n -veno mous s n akes

,
.

NO species O f snake i s m ore i nteresti ng to O bserve and study

t h an t he Egg -eater i n captivi ty He is di fferent fro m the usual
.

s n ake as he has a g en tle in n o cen t lo o k abou t h im After bei n g i n

, , .

captivi ty for a m on th or two and ge ntly han dl ed at i ntervals he

, ,

s ee m s to beco m e affection ate wi th whoever fondles h im However .

,

’
I fear a sn ake s ti ny S pot O f a brai n i s no t su fficiently evolved to
 AT E R R O B B I N G A N E S T
AN E G G -E
T h i pl t llu tr t v ry p th t i i id t ( ) S h w C p Qu il- t
.

—
F IG 48 ( ) a s a e i s a es a e a e c nc en 1 o s a a e a on i s
gg m t k pi g it mp y ( ) S h w th pp r h f E g g t i g
. . .

e d it
s, an s a e ee n co an 2 o s e a o ac o an ea n

S k Th qu i l r lu t tl y r ti ri g b f r th i f rm i d bl my k
.

na e e a i s see n e c an Th e n e o e s o a e en e e sna e
pr d m k m l gg ( 3 ) Th k m ut h
. .

o c ee s f th
to a e a ea gg i
o i e e ( 4 ) Th
s e sn a e an e n ts o e
k i bu y wi g g g i i th t
. .

sn a e s s sa n an e n ts ro a .

1 0 8
 R OB B E R E S CA P I N G TH E QUA I L S G RI E F
TH E .
’
.

to 4 8 ( b) -C ti
on d n ueH vi g t th gg th w i ly rp t r ti r
a n e a en th f l i g ( 6 ) Th
e e s, e se en e es to e o a e e n

d f t h r q u i l r tur t fi d ru m p l d p gg h ll I i ll tr t i h C p C l y v ri
. . . .

an a e a s e n o n c e u e s e s n us a on t e a e o on a <

t r h w i m p ri W i th h Nigh t D m Add r ( C h mb m )
.

t h E gg
e -e a e is s o n, n co a so n Th t e or e on e a us us r o ca s
Nigh t Add r Alth u g h th y b t h b r w wi t h b l k m r k i g h E g g
.

-ea te
o ne is th e e o e a re o o n ac a n s, t e
i l y b d i ti g i h d H i b dy fl t b r d th t f h Nig h t Add r I p r
.

ea s e s n u s t e s o is no so a or oa as a ot e e t ta e s
bl k m rk g di ff r t h p th l r u g h d h i ri f h i y i wh it h
.
.

th e ac in an t e s o s e e s e, w
Ni
a s a re e en in s a e, e s c a es a re o
th t f
a o th e
. g h t T t
A d d e r is b la c k h m u h
VV h h e e as ie s w a
,

to fi n d o u t is to 0 0 9 11 t e o t an
 A TI N G S N A K E D I N I N G
AN E GG-
E .

49 H r w h v- w d r ful pi tur t k fr m li f th l y k w
— e e e a e a on e f th ki d i th w rl d
c e a en o e, e on no n o ne o e n n e o
T h i i E gg ti g S k ( D yp lti b ) t h P rt E l i b th Mu u m W p l d tri h
.
.
’

s s an ea n na e as e s sc a ra in e o za e se e ac e an o s c

gg b f r it b it r l i d i t w u l tt m pti g t w ll w i t W th ( 3 8 ) p t fr h f wl
.

’
e e o e ut ea ze as se e ss a e n o s a o e en 2 u a es o s

g g b f r it d it t p r d d t w ll w i t 3 C h w i t g tti g th d i t m uth
.
,

e e o e an a o n ce o c ee e o s a o 2 s o s e n e en n o i ts o

g g i w ll h r d N w m h w d r ful p rt f i h xt pi tur w
. .
,

I 3 D th
n 2 e e s e on t e oa o co es t e on e a o r, n t e ne c e, e s ee

k bu y wi g h h ll wi th th m rv ll -u t th m ti d i th t xt I 3 1 th
.
,
=
ht e sn a e s sa n t e s e o se a e o s ee en one n e e n 2 e

h ll i ll p i g d h r pti l w rki g it k mu l f r m id t id t ru m pl p th h ll
.

s e s co a s n an t e e e is o n s n ec sc es o s e o s e o c e u e s e

in m ll
as s p a p i b l d th m t i m q u i g t h
a s a c e as o ss t t d w it th r t
e, an at e sa e e s eez n e c o n en s o n s oa .

I I O
 1 1 2 TH E SN A K ES OF SOUTH AFR I CA .

t he vari et y of questions asked me and listeni ng to so m e wo nderful ,

snake stori es whi ch I was assured were perfectly true .

But when a n Old lady was i n the m iddl e O f a t hril li ng t al e

about a dreadfully veno m ous snake darti ng at her wi th O pe n
m outh and long forked tongue I was st artled t o O bserve her face ,

t ake a di s m al hue Her eyes were fixed i n a glassy st are and

.
,

her j aw hu ng li m p St arti ng fro m my seat I prepared to

.
,

advance to her ai d whe n wi th a screa m she lurched back

,

wards I glanced hastily arou nd and was about t o su mmon

.
,

t he other l a di es to co m e and hel p when m y words were checked ,

by O bservi ng the m rush wi th gestures Of terror ou t Of the

roo m .

Just the n my aun t threw light upon the be w ilderi ng scen e by

orderi ng m e to leave the roo m i nst antly and t ake away m y ,

loathso m e sn akes Then i t all ca m e like a flood of light i nto my

.

m i nd . I t see m s as I was li steni ng i nte ntly to t he Old l ady t alki ng ,

t hat Egg -e ater whi ch I had forgot te n all about suddenly popped
, ,

his head an d a few i nches O f hi s body fro m u nder t he neck

portion Of m y coat out i nto t he full gl are of light That expl ai ned .

t he whol e mystery .

I retired t o my study in disgrac e !

E GG -EATER S ARE C R A FT Y S NAKE S .

The Egg -eater i s n o t al together a fool Y ou cannot t ri ck h im .

abou t t hi ngs whi ch his ancestors for u ntol d ge nerations have

l earned fro m experien ce an d tran smi tted t o h im i n the form Of
a re m arkably acute sense O f s mell whi ch i s very necessary for ,

h im i n his professi on O f a n egg -

eater Being short O f fresh .

pigeons eggs once I we nt t o my cabi net an d t ook t he clean

’
,

blown shells O f a few doves eggs Beati n g up the co ntents O f

’
.

a fresh fowl s egg I syri n ged i t i n to t he e mpty shells and care

’
, ,

fully pasted ti ny bi ts of t issue paper over the holes Pl acing .

t hese i n t he Egg -eaters cage I watched expecti ng the snakes

’
, ,

t o swallow t he m as they always did t he ot her eggs First on e .

Egg -eater advanced Touching each egg ge ntly i n turn wi th

. ,

the ti p O f hi s nose or the poi n t O f hi s forked tongue he crawled ,

away i n disgu st Another and yet another eagerly advanced

. , ,

repeati ng t he perfor m ance and duly retired I began to get .

 E GG -EATERS A RE CRAFT Y SNA K ES . 1 1 a
5 4

i nterested L eavi ng the eggs I returned i n a few hours ti m e to

.
,
’

find the m still t here For two whol e weeks these eggs re m ai ned
.

i n the cage u ntouched alt hough I refrai ned fro m givi ng t he ,

snakes any others Then procuri ng so me fresh pigeo ns eggs

.
,
’

I put t he m i nto t he cage The sn akes approached touched .

,

the m wit h t hei r noses or tongue an d i nst antly began to swallow

the m I tried thi s experi ment a second ti m e wi t h the sa m e
.

result Frequently I have noticed that t he snakes woul d eat

.

so me Of the eggs give n t he m but rej ect t he ot hers On breaki ng , .

t he latter O pen I always found t he m ei ther ad dled or wi th a ,

m ore or less developed young bird i nside I could never i nduce .

an Egg -eater to swallow an egg other t han a fresh one , .

The Egg -eater i s an expert cli m ber an d his sense O f s m ell ,

’
bei ng acute he is able to di scover birds nests wi th t he greatest
facili ty I t see m s t hat he possesses a peculi ar ki nd O f s m ell
.

sense whi ch enables him t o detect t he proxi m i ty O f eggs The .

O dour given out by eggs evi dently has an a ffini ty for his sensi tive

nerves O f s m ell I f an Old e m pty bird s nest be placed i n the

.
,
’

cage Of an Egg -eater he t akes no noti ce O f i t unless perhaps ,

occasionally for the purpose O f utilizi n g i t as a cosy bed H o w .

ever if fresh eggs be placed wi t h i n i t he i nst antly detects t hei r

, ,

presence although hi dde n fro m sight

,
.

I f the Egg-e ater had to depend entirely upo n hi s senses O f

’
sight and heari ng he would procure but a lean livin g for birds
, ,

nests as a general rule are e ffectually concealed fro m view

, , .

Havi ng a toothless m outh an d a speci al set O f egg -sawi ng

tools i n his gullet this s nake is able to subsist m ainly i f
, ,

’
not e ntirely o n birds eggs I t i s probable however he will
,
.
, ,

sw allow the young of birds as well as v ari ous soft -bodi ed cre a tures , ,

such as li zards wor m s an d various la rvw But I have not as o er

, , .

tain ed for cert ai n i f he eats t he li vi ng young O f bi rds for so m e , ,

h o w I could n ever harden m yself su fficie n tly to rob i nnocen t

,

parent birds Of their young an d allow t hese li ttle creatures t o ,

be swallowed or ot herwise perish m iserably for having studied , ,

t heir ways and h abi ts i n their n ati ve ho mes I h ave grown t o ,

love bi rds .

Most Egg -eaters are light brown S po tted and li ned wi th black , ,

and are i n co nsequence freque ntly m ist ake n for N ight Adders
, ,

( Causus rh ombeatu s) I n N atal and along the East Coast the

.
,

colour i s i nvari ably a u nifor m p ale reddish or O live -brown above , ,

1 1 4 TH E SN A K E S OF SOUT H AFRI CA .

wi th no black spot s or m arki ngs . Thi s sub -species i s k n own as

D asyp elti s m in o m a ta
'

sc a b .

This vari ety O f colouratio n in t he sa me species O f snake i n

the di fferent parts of South Africa leads to co n siderable confusion
,

i n t he publi c mi nd I f an y one i s in doubt abo ut the ide nti ty

.

O f an Egg -eater ope n i t s m outh an d i f n o teeth are presen t

, , ,

t hen he m ay be cert ai n it i s a true Egg -eati ng snake and qui te ,

h ar mless .

The Egg-eat er bit es viciously in im it at io n of a ven om ous

snak e when at t em pt s are m ade t o capt ure it This is un .

dou bt edly a rus e t o in t im idat e it s aggressor for t his species Of

,

sn ake is in capable Of even p un cturin g t he S kin owin g t o t he

absence Of t eet h in t he m out h W hen alarm ed or an n oyed it
.
,

coils up an d m oves its b ody rapidly m akin g a scrapin g soun d by

,

brin gin g t he scales on t he S ides Of its body in cont act Also it .

rem ain s in t he sam e spot all t he t i m e it is m aking t his curious

n o rse .
 1 1 6 THE S NA K E S OF S OUT H AFR I CA .

These snakes stand m i dway between the harmless solid

toothed ( Ag lyp h a) and t he typi cally -ven o m ous sn akes whi ch ,

without exception have the fangs pl aced i n the fron t of the j aw ,

.

and properl y co n nected up with poison glands and ducts .

The Opisthoglypha snakes have grooved fangs whi ch are ,

S i tuated so far back i n the j aw that wounds cannot rea di ly b e

i nflicted wi th the m .

I have always found t hat t hese Back -fanged Sn akes will n ever
at te mpt to bi te u nless i n self—defe n ce I h ave frequent ly han dled .

most o f the South Afri can species i ncludi ng the now dreaded ,

Boo m slang an d they n ever S howed any di sposi tio n to bi te

,
.

Whe n kept i n captivi ty for S ix months or m ore and habituated ,

to the presence of hu m an beings they ca n be pi cked up and ,

caressed and S how li ttle or no fear However when atte m pti ng

, .
,

to capture the m i n t he wi ld st ate they S how fight an d will bi te ,

i f opportuni ty O ffers So m e of t hese B ack -fanged Sn akes are .

arboreal others terrest ri al although all are fairly good

, ,

cli m bers .

There are twen ty -six species or ki nds o f this B ack -fanged

fa m ily of snakes i n South A fri ca south of the Z a m besi and ,

Cunene Ri vers .

S U B -F M A I LY D I P S AD OMO R P H I NZE .

SY N OP S I S OF TH E S OU T H A F R I CA N G E N E R A .

Th is s u b- a mily o
f th e Co lu brin e S n a kes h ave g ro o ved f a n g s a t th e po sterio r
f
en d o f th e u pper
ja w Th ey a re, with o u t exceptio n , mo re o r less
.

v en o mo u s .

G E N US M a xill ry t eet h 1 3 t h ird to six t h l o ng s t

P Y TH O N O D I P S A S — . a ,
e ,

f o ll o w d ft er a v ry h o rt i n t r sp a c by l a rg e gr o o v ed f n g ;
e a e s e e, a a

c n d t o fift h
se o m a n dibul r t e t h s tr n gly en l a rg d f n g -lik a e o e , a e .

H d di ti nc t fr o m n k ; y m o d er t with v erti c ally llipti

ea s ec e e a e e c

pupil ; n tril dir t ed upw rd pi r d b etw e n n s l d

os ec a , e ce e a a a an

upr nasal ; p a ri t l br o k n up i n t o sm ll Sh i ld B o dy
a s a e a s e a e s .

yli n dri a l ; sc l s s mo o th o v ry o btu s ly k el d wit h a pi c l

c c a e r e e e e , a

pit i 1 r o w s ; v en tr l s r o u n d d T il m d er t ; s u b -c a u dals
s n 2 a e . a o a e

s i n gl e .

G E N US TA R O P H I s M xill ry t e th 1 t o 1 2 n t eri r l o n g s t gr du ally

B .
— a a e 0 , a o e a

d c r i n g i iz p st ri rly
e ea s d f o ll o w d a ft er
n i n t r sp a e
s e o e o , an e an e c

by a p a ir f n l rg ed gr o v d f n g s situ t ed b el o w t h e p o st ri o r
o e a ,
o e a a e
b rd r o f t h e y ; a n t i o r m n d i bul r t t h s tr o ngly nl rg d
o e e e er a a ee e a e .

H d di stin c t fro m n e k ; ey m d ra t with v rti a lly llipti c

ea c e o e e
“

e c e

pupil B o dy c yli n dri c l o slig h tly o mpr essed ; s a l s smo o t h

. a r c c e ,

bliqu wit h a pi c l pit i 1 9 t 2 3 r o w s ; v en tra l s r o u nd d

o e, a s, n o e .

T a il m o d er t e u b -c u d ls i tw r o w s a s a a n o .
 D I V I S I ON OPI STHO GL Y PHA . II7

G E N US L E P TO D I R A M xill a ry t t h 1 5 t 1 8 gr du lly
.
— a d f ebly ee o , a a an e

i n r i n g i l n gth f ll w d ft r
c ea s n i n t r p c by p ir f
e , o o e a e an e s a e a a o
n l a rg d gr o o v d t t h situ t d j u t b h i n d th v rti c l f
e e e ee a e s e e e a o
th p t ri o r b o rd er o f th y ; m ndibul r t t h n t ri o r
e os e e e e a a ee , a e

slig h tly n l a rg d H d di s ti n t fr o m n k ; y l rg wit h

e e . ea c ec e e a e
v erti lly llipti c pupil ; p o st ri r n as l n v e B dy c y li
ca e e o a co ca . o n

d i al r c m d r t ly o m pr s d
or oc l s sm e a et h o f a i n tly k l ed c e se s a e oo r ee ,

wit h pi l pit i 1 7 t 5 r o w s v n tra l s r o u n d d s b -c u d l

a ca s n o 2 e e u a a s

i tw o r o w
n s .

G N US CH A ME TO TU S M xill w t t h
E R gra du ally a d f bly i c
.
— a a ee 1 2 ,
n ee n rea s

i g i l n gt h f ll o w d ft r
n n e h rt i n t r p c
,
by l rg gr v d
o e a e a s o e s a e, a a e oo e

f n g itu t d b l o w th p o st ri o r b o rd r f t h y ; m an dibul r
a s a e e e e e O e e e a

t t h u b - qu l H d di sti nc t fro m n c k
ee s e a y . l rg wit h ea e e e a e

v rti lly lli pti c pupil p t ri r n s l o n v e l r l en t ri n g

e ca e os e o a a c ca o ea e

th ey B dy c m pr
e e . d l smo o th with pi c l pit s
o o esse s c a es a a ,

i n 7 r w1 v n tr al s o btu s ly a n gul a t l t r lly T il l n g

o s e e e a e a . a o

sub - u dals i t w o r o w s
ca n .

G N US AM P L O H N U s M xi ll ry t eth 1 2 o 1 3 gr du lly i n r si n g
E R I .
— a a e r , a a c ea

i nsi f ll w d by
z e, en l rg d
o gr o o v d t t h ; m an dibul r
o e an a e ,
e oo a

t t h su b - qu l H d di ti nc t fr m n c k ; y m d r t wit h
ee e a . ea s o e e e o e a e

r o u n d pupil ; n l m i -divid d B dy yli n dri l ; s a l a sa se e . o c ca c es

sm o o t h o f bly k e l d with a pi l pit s i 1 7 r o w s ; v n tr l s

r ee e e ,
ca ,
n e a

r u n d d T a il m o d r t
o e . b- d l i tw r w e a e su c au a s n o o s .

G E N US T ME R O R H I NU s M xill ry t t h I t I 2 sub -equ l fo ll o w ed

RI .
— a a ee O o ,
a ,

aft er a i n t er sp a e by a p a ir f l rg d gr v d f ng s itu a t d
n c o en a e ,
oo e a s, e

b l o w t h p o s t eri o r b rd r f th e eye ; nt ri o r m n di bul r t et h

e e o e o a e a a e
s tr o n gl y n l rg d H d di s ti n c t fr m
e a k ; y m o d r t wit h
e . ea o n ec e e e a e,

r u nd pupil ; no tril
o s e t ic b tw n tw o n l s a d th s c re c n r ,
e ee a sa n e

i n t r na l B o dy yli n dri l ; sc l s sm th wit h a pi l pit s i

e sa . c ca a e oo ,
ca , n

1 7 r o w s ; v n tr a l s r o u n d d T il mo d er t e ; s u b - d ls i tw
e e . a a c au a n o

ro ws .

G N US R H A MP H I O P H s M a xill ry sh rt wit h 6 t 9 t th gr du ally

E r .
— a o ,
o ee a

i n r si n g i l n gt h
c ea d f o ll o w d
s n ft r i n t r sp
e by an e ,
a e an e a c e, a

p ir f v ry l rg e gr v d f ng s situ a t d b l w th y a n t ri r
a o e a oo e a e e o e e e e o

m n dibul r t t h l n g s t
a a H d di sti n t fro m n k wit h
ee o e . ea c ec ,

pr j c ti n g sn ut ; ro tr l l rg h ll w d u t b n th ; y
o e o s a a e, o o e o e ea e e

m o d er t wit h r o u n d pupil ; n o tril c esc t ic i

a e di id d s r en r n a v e

o r ami -divid d se l B o dy yli n dri c l ; s l sm t h e n a sa . c a c a es oo ,

wit h pi a l pit i 1 7 o r 9 r o w s V entr l s r o u n d d S b

a c s, n 1 . a e . u

c d ls in t w r w s
au a o o .

G NUS P s A MMO P H s — M xill ary t th 1 t I 3

E I . e o r tw a i t h e mi ddl ee 0 o ,
on o n e

m u c h en l rg d f n g lik pr ec ed d a d f ll o w d by
a e , a in t r — e, e n o e an e

sp c a t h e l as t t w
e, l rg d gr o v d a d itu t d b l w t h o , a e an o e n s a e e o e

p t ri r O f th y ; n t ri r m n dibul a r t t h v ry tr o ngly
os e o e e e a e o a ee e s

nl rg d H d di sti nc t fr o m
e a e . k w it h n gul r
ea nth u n ec ,
a a ca s

r tr li ; ey mo d r t
os a s l rg wit h ro u n d pupil ; fr o n t l
e e a e or a e, a

n rr o w B dy yli n dri l ;
a . l s sm o t h m r
o c l bliqu ca sc a e o ,
o e or e ss o e,

with pi l pit i 1 1 t 9 r o w s ; v n tr l r u nd d T il
a ca s, n o 1 e a s o e . a

l n g ; b - d ls i t w o r o w
o su c au a n s .

G E N US D I S P H O L I D US M xill ry h o rt wi d n i ng b h i nd w h r it rti
.
— a a s ,
e e ,
e e a

l t with th f rk d c t o pt eryg id ; t t h m ll 7
en a es e o 8 e e o ee s a ,
or ,

f ll w d by t h r e l rg gr v d f ng itu t d b l w th y ;
o o e e a e oo e a s s a e e o e e e

m n dibul a r t t h
a b - qu l H d di sti n t fr o m n k wit h
ee su e a . ea c ec ,

di ti nc t nth u s
s t li ca Ey v ry l rg wit h r o u n d pupil ; ro s a s . e e a e
n l n tir
a sa B dy
e lig h tly mpr d ;
e . l v ry n rr w
o s co es s e sc a es e a o ,

bliqu m r
O e, l tr ngly k l d wit h pi l p i t i 9
o e or ess s o ee e , a ca s, n 1
1 1 8 TH E SN AK ES O F SO UTH A FRI CA .

or r o w s v en tra l ro un d ed o o btu sely ngul a t e l t er a lly

2 1 s r a a .

T a il l n g ; sub -c u d ls i t w o r o ws
o a a n .

G E N US TH E L O TO R NI s M a xill ry t eet h 1 6 o 1 7 gr du a lly i nc r ea si ng

.
— a r , a

in l en gt h f o ll o w ed a ft r a sh o rt i n t er sp a c by t w o o t h r e
,
e e r e

e n l rg e d a gro o v d t eet h s itu a t ed b l o w th p o s t er r b o rd r

e e e io e

o f t h e eye ; n t eri o r m n dibul a r t e t h s tr o n gly n l a rg ed H ea d

a a e e .

di ti nc t fro m nec k E y l arg e wit h h riz o n t a l pup l ; n sal

s . e ,
o i a

n tir
e B o dy c yli n dri c a l
e . v ry sl en d er S c al es n rr o w v ry , e . a ,
e

O bliqu f eebly k e l d with a pi c al pit s in 1 9 ro w s ; v en tr l s

e, e e , ,
a

r o u n d ed T a il l o n g ; sub -c a dals i t w o r o w s
. u n .

( B rit M us Ca t S n akes )
. . . .

F 5 — S kull f t ypi l B k -f g d S k
10 . 1 . o ca ac an e na e .

1 S id v i w h wi g th p i t i
e e f th f g ( B)
s o n e os on o e an s
T p f h d d l w r j w ( C)
. .

2 o o ea an o e a
R f f th m uth ( A) S h wi g p i ti f th f g p t ri r
. .

3 oo o e o o n os on o e an s at os e o
d f ut r w f u pp r t t h
. .

en o o e ro o e ee
Th i r w f t t h th p l t i
.

e n ne ro o ee are e a a n es .

G E N US AM B L Y O D I P S A sM a xill a ry v ery h rt with 5 t e t h gra du lly

.
- s o , e a
i nc r easi ng i siz e a d fo ll o w ed a ft r a n i n t rsp ac e by a l rg
n , n , e e , a e
gro o v d f n g situ a t ed b l o w t h e ey m n dibul r t eeth dec a s
e a e e a a re
in g in s iz e p o s t e ri o rly H e d sma ll o t di sti nc t fr o m ne k . a , n c
ey mi n ut
e wit h ro u n d pupil ; no s tril in a si n gl v y sm ll
e, e er a
n s l ; no i t
a a ls ; l o r a l ; n o pr o c ul r ; n o a n t eri o r
n ern a sa no e e a
t m p o r al B dy c yli n dri c a l S c l s sm o o t h wit h ut pit i
e . o . a e , o s, n
1 5 ro w s ; v en tr l r u nd ed T il v ry h o rt o btu s ; s u b a s o . a e s e
tw o ro ws
,

c a u d ls i a n .

G E N US CA L AME L A P S M xill ry v ery sh o rt with 3 o 4 t eet h

.
— a a , r
gr du lly i nc r asi ng i siz e a d f ll o w d a ft er a in t r sp c
a a e n n o e , n e a e,
by l rg e gro o v ed f n g itu t d b l w t h ey a n t eri o r m ndi
a a a s a e e o e e a
bul r t t h enl rg d H d small n t di ti nc t fr o m n k
a ee a e . ea , o s ec
12 0 TH E SN A K ES O F SOUTH A FR I CA .

G E N US L E P TO D I RA .

A s i n g le S pec ies in S o u th Af ric a .

KEY TO TH E S P EC I E S .

A n l en tir e sc a l s i 1 9 ( x pti o n lly 1 7 ) r o w s

a e n e ce a

v en tra l s 1 4 4 1 8 0 ; su b -c u d ls 3 2 5 4
— L pt di h t mbce a a — e o ra o a
'

za.

I L TO I A H O TAM B CE I A Th e H eral d o Red-li pped S nak e ; Roo de

. EP D R . r

lip S l an g ( Roo i-lip S lang ) . .

C o l o ur B r w n liv e o bl ki h a b o v e u n if o r m o wit h w h iti h

— o , O r ac s ,
r s
d o t s lik fl y gg s m r a pp r n t w h en s ki n is str t c h ed A
, e
’
s e ,
o e a e e .

bl k b n d o t h e t m pl u su ally nn ec t ed with it f ell o w

ac a n e e, co s
ac r o ss t h o c iput ; upp r lip brig h t e d c o ra ng e d u n d er e re , or re
p rt s w h iti sha .

Av r g e l ngt h 2 f et
e a e — e .

D i s tributi o n G n r a l all o v er S o ut h Afri c a ; N o rt h t h r o ug h Tr pi c a l

—
e e o

Afri ca t o S n g m bi a a d N ubi a e e a n .

G E N US CH AMZE TO R TUS .

Th is Gen u s is
pres en ted by o n ly o n e S pec ies re .

( F o r sc ien tifi c descriptio n see th e S yn opsis of Gen era of th e D ips a do morph i n w ) .

I .CH A M zE TO R TU S A U L I C U S Th e Cro ss-barred S nak e . .

C o l o ur r o w b o v th e b ac k wit h n u m r o u s w h iti h d rk - dg d
— B n a e, e s ,
a e e

r s b r th s id e p o tt ed wit h w h iti sh h ea d wh iti h sp tt d

c os a s, e s s s , o e
d m rbl d wit h br w n a d wit h
an a ebr w n tr k o h o , n a o s ea n ea c

Sid e p ssi ng t h r o ugh th e eye ; l a bi al s dg ed wit h bro w n ;

a e

b n t h w h it e
e ea .

Av ra g e l n gth 2 f et 6 i n h s
e e — e c e .

D i tributi o n— Tr a n s v a l
s S o ut h er n R h o d e i P o rtugu ese E a t A fri c
a s a s a

E t d C en tra l Afri c a
as an .

G E N US AMP L O R H I N U S .

A s in g le S pec ies in S o u th Af ric a .

K EY TO TH E S P EC I E S .

Sca l es in r o w s f bly k eel ed o th e

1 7 ,
ee n

p o st ri o r p rt o f th b k a d a t th e
e a e ac n

b ase o f t h t il V en tr l 1 3 3 4 9 ;
e a . a s —1

an l en tir ; su b -c a u d l 6 8 6 R
a e a s 0 — . os

tr l m d r t n o tril i si ngl s mi
a o e a e s n e e

divid d n s l e a a A mplo rh in u s mu ltimac u la tu s .

i . A M P L O R H I N U S M U L TI MA C U L A TU S Cape Many- spo . tted Snak e ; K aapsc h e

l g
S tippel S an .

C l ur liv
o o — O br w b v wit
e or o na o e r h tw o m o e o r , l di ti nc t y ell o wi sh
es s s

trip
s l gitudi l r w
es a n d on bl k
na o s O f a c s p o t s ; blui sh -gr ey o r

liv b
o e ten ea h p i u if r
S o m e s e c m en s n o m . brig h t gr n a b v e ee o ,

lig t r gr
an d h e b t
ee n en ea h .

Av r g l gt
e a e en f t i
h —4 oo 6 n c h es .

i tributi
D s C p C l y Tr v l H ig v
o n— a e o on ; ans a a ( h e ld ) .
 DI VI S I ON O PI STH O GL Y PHA . 12 1

G E N US TR I ME R O R H I N U S .

Tw o S pec ies i n S o u th Af ric a .

K EY TO TH E SP ECI E S .

E ye a s o l ng a s its di t anc fro m th n tril s e e os Tri mero rh in u s rh o mbea tu s .

E ye sh o rt r t h n it s di t n fr m th n o stril
e a s a ce o e Trimerorh in u s tritw n i a tu s .

I . TR I ME R O R H I N U S R H O M B E A TU S . R h o mbic or S po tted S c h aaps tek er ;

Bo nt
S ch aaps e er tk .

S y n ny o m s— Co lu ber rh o mbea tu s
P ph is l g m t li s a rn r
no on e en a s .

C l o ur— C o l ura ti n v ri bl
o o Gr ey i sh y ll o wi h
o p l liv br o w n
a a e .
,
e s or a e O e-

abo v wit h br w n bl k - dg ed m rki ng s w h i h m y f r m

e, o ac e a c a o
th r f ur l ngitudi na l s ri s f r u n d
ee or o or h m b id l p t e e o o or o o a s o s,

b or p rti lly o n tir ly o n flu n t i n t o t h r u n dul u

e a a r e e c e ee o s or

tr ig h t l ngitudi n l b n d s ; y ll w v rt br l li n s m ti m
s a o a a a e o e e a e o e es

pr s n t d rk b n d o
e e c h s id
a f th h
a d p in g t h r ugh
a n ea e O e ea a ss o

th y wid n i n g b h i n d d ft n j i n i n g it f ll o w
e e e, e th e an O e o s e on e

iput m ti m s br k n up i nt o sp t s ; upp r lip y ll wi h

o cc , so e e o e o e e o s

wh it u n if rm with bl k sp o t s t il with th r d rk trip s

e, o or ac a ee a s e

l o w r p rt w h it d o tt d
e a p tt d wit h blui sh gr y bl k
s e, e or s o e e or ac .

Av r g l ngt h
e a e f t t f t 6 i n h s Att i n l gth o f 3 f eet
e — 2 ee o 2 ee c e . a s a en .

D i tributi o n
s B o th pr o vi n — f C ap C o l o n y ; O r n g Fr S t t ; c es O e a e ee a e

Tr n v l S ut h W t Afri
a s aa S o ut h r n R h o d i
o A ngo l es ca e es a a .

2 . T I M E R O H I NU S
R R TR I TzE N A TU S S tri pe d S c h aapstek er ; Streep I . or

Gestreepte S ch aapstek er .

S y n ny m
o Rh g —h i t it i tu a err s r aen a s .

C o l ur Gr yi h
o — p l br w n b o v wit h t w
e s or t h r d rk br o w n
a e o a e, o or ee a ,

bl c k - dg d b nd s rigi n ti ng o t h h d d xt n di ng t
a e e a o a n e ea an e e o

th d f t h t il t h
e en ut r p i n g t h r ug h th y th v rt
O e a ,
e o e a ss o e e e, e e e

br l m ti m s r th r i n di ti n t o b sent ;
a so e e fi y ell wi sh
a e s c r a a ne o

li n m ti m s divid
e so th v rt ebr l b n d ; th e id b l w
e e es e e a a s es e o

th b nd s w h it wit h p l br w n
e a d tr k ru nn i n g l o n g
e a a e o o r re s ea a

th ut r w o f sc l s upp r lip d l w er p rt w h it e
e o e ro a e e an o a s .

Av r g l ngth
e a e f e t 6 i nc h s
e —
2 e e .

D i tributi o n
s O ur ll o v r S o ut h Afri a ;
— cc s C o mm n n a r P o rt
a e c o e

E li ab t h No rth to th Equ t o r
z e e a .

G E N US R H AMP H I O P H I S .

A s in g le S pec ies i n S o u th Af ric a .

K EY TO TH E S P E CI E S .

S no ut sh rt p o in t d
o , e . S ca l i 7 ro w s
es n 1 .

V n tr l
e 55
—1 6 8
a s 1 . A n l divid d a e .

S u b -c a u da ls 3 1 —4 0 os a a e . R tr l l rg
R h a rn ph io ph is m ulti ma c u la tu s .

r . R H A M P H I O P H I S M U L TI MAC U L A TU S Damara and Man - spo ed S na e ; . l y tt k

S tippel S ang l .

y y
S n o n m — Co ro n ella mu lti n ta cu la tu s D ips ida rn u ltu n a c u la ta B h ag o r .

rh is m u ltim ac u la ta .

C l ur
o o — Pa e l bu f dy gr y b v wit t r
f o r sa n e a o e h ri
h ee o r fi v e se es O f ,

r gul r br w Sp t
e a o br d r t l g A
n o s t h e v ert eb ra ls o a e h a n o n ; a ,
“

sh p d br o w n m rki n g o th
a e c c iput ; a O bliqu br w n a n e o n e o

s tr k b h i n d th ye l o w r p rt s w h it
ea e e e e a e .

Av r g l ngth 1 f t 6 i n c h t f et
e a e e — oo es o 2 e .

D i s tributi n N rt h r n p rt f C p C l ny ; O r ng F r e S t t ;
o — o e a s o a e o o a e e a e

S o ut h W es t Afri a c .
1 2 2 TH E SN A K ES O F SOUTH A FR I CA .

G E N US PS A MM OP H I S .

Ten S pec ies i n S o uth Af ric a .

K E Y O F TH E S P ECI E S .

S c ales in 7 r o1w s ; v en tr a l s 1 54
-1 8
9 An a l .

en tire ; f o u r l o w er l bi l s i c o n t ac t
a a n

wit h c h i n sh i ld s ; tw o p eo c ula s
e r r

s ub -c a u da ls 8 1 —1 0 4 P sa mmoph is n o tostic tu s

Sca l es i 1 7 ro w s V en tr l s 1 5 4 1 9 8 A n l
n a — . a
di id d ( r r ely n tir ) P r o c ul a r x
v e a e e . e e

t n si ly i c n ta c t wit h t h
e ve n o fr n t a l e o

fo r eh e d c o nc a v e ; t w o l a bi al s nt er
a e
in g t h eye ; s n o ut h o rt
e s P sa mmo ph is f u rc ula s .
12 4 TH E SNA K ES O F SO U TH AFR I CA .

P SAMMO P HI S TR AN S V AAL I E N S I S Goug h s S an d S nak e .

’
.

C o l o ur Th — v n m iddl ro w s o f s al es d a rk br o w n tipp ed o dg d
e se e e c ,
r e e

with bl c k Th t o p t h ird o f th o w f a l fift h fro m middl e

a . e e r O sc es

O f b ac k bl ac k ; l o w r tw o -t h ird o f fifth o w a d upp er t w o

,
e s r n

t h i d s o f s ixt h o w c r m-c l ur d ; o ut r t h ird f t h i

r r w ,
ea o o e e O s ro

bl ac k Th sev en t h d igh t h r w s d a rk bro w n a l m st bl ac k

. e an e o ,
o

a t th tip s U pp r h lf O f o ut r o w bl k ; l o w r c r m
e . e a e r ac e ea .

A bl c k li n e a l o ng c h Sid o f th v ntral s th e sp a b tw en
a ea e e e ,
ce e e

th bl k li n s y ll o w L ip s d c h i n c r m wit h bl a c k d o t
e ac e e . an ea ,
s

a d m rki n g s ;
n abl c k li n ru ns l o n g th pp er edg e f th
a a e a e u o e

l bi l a r ss th r tra l U pp er s u rf c e f h d ligh t br o w n
a a s, c o e os . a o ea

wit h d rk er bl c k - dg d m r ki ng s
a ligh t er tr n v er b a n d
a e e a , a a s se

on th na p Th
e y ell o w l t ra l s trip s o rigi n t t
e .
h o rt
e a e e a e a a s

di t nc e fr m th e h a d th p o rti n o f th e n ec k a n t ri o r to
s a o e , e o e

t h m wi th i n di sti n c t c r o s b r s
e s a .

Av er g l n gt h 2 f t 6 i n c h s
a e e — ee e .

D i stributi n Tr nsv l
o — a aa .

FIG .
53 .
— H d ea an d n e c k of a S dS k
an na e , a so l k w no n as a W h ip S k na e

( P s a mmo ph i s /u rc atu s ) .

P SAMMO P HI S T I G R AMM U S Namaqual and San d S nake

R . .

C o l o ur P l liv b o v y ll wi sh p o t ri o rly t h
— a e O e a al s o n th e, e o s e ,
e sc e e

v rt br l li ne bl c k - dg d f r m i n g a trip e p o st ri rly a
e e a a e e , o s e o
r t h r i n di ti nc t d a rk l a t r al trip e ru nn i n g a l n g th e o ut r
a e s e s o e
w of
ro l es ; upp er lip p
sc a d p o s t u la y ll o wi sh w h it ; ,
re an oc rs e e
l o w r p a rt s d l w r h a lf o f o ut er o w O f sc a l y ll wi h w h it
e an o e r es e o s e,
t h e v n tr l c l o u d ed wit h O liv e i th
e a s m iddl n e e .

Av r g l ngt h 3 t 4 f t
e a e e — o ee .

D i tributi o n
s N m aqu l n d — a a a .

P SAMM O P HI S B OC A G I I Bo cag e s S an d S nak e .

’
.

C l o u r A br d r ddi h br w n bl k - dg d v rt br l b n d v n
o — oa ,
e s — o ac e e e e a a se e

Sc l br d s p ra t d fro m th id w h i c h e gr y o r eddi sh
a es oa e a e e s es, ar e r
br w n by a y ll o w tr k ;
o , bl k li n l o n g th m iddl o f
e s ea a ac e a e e
th o ut e r
e ow f c l s ; h a d wit h r a t h r i n di ti n c t y ll w
r o s a e e e s e o ,

bl c k - dg d c ro -b r s ; a bl c k li n e l n g th e upp r b rd er f
a e e ss a a a o e o O

th l bi l w h i h
e a d tt d wit h bl k ; l o w r h lf o f o ut r
a s, c a re o e ac e a e
w
ro f l a d l w r p rt p a l y ll o w wit h bl c k li ne o n
O sc a es n o e a s e e ,
a a
h id
ea c s e .

Av r g l n gt h 3 f et
e a e e — e .

D i tributi o n S o ut h r n R h d i
s — A ng o l e o es a a .
 D I VI SI ON OPI STHO GL Y P H A . 1 2 5

6 . P SAM MO P HI S S I B I LAN S Hi ssi ng S an d Snak e Blaas Z and S l ang .

.

Sy n ny ms C lu b sibil
o — P o m ph is th m l er an s s a rn o o as .

C l o ur— C o l o ur v ry v a ri bl
o e a e .

A O liv o bro w n b v t h sc l m tly bl c k - dg d ;

. e r a o e, e a es os a e e

m r o l ss di sti n t n rr o w y ll o w v rt br l li n
a o e r e d br d r c a e e e a e an a oa e
y ll w str ea k a l n g c h sid e Of th b k ; h d with y ll w
e o o ea e ac ea e o ,

bl k - dg d l o ngitudi n l s tr k i fro n t
ac e e d tr n v r n a ea s n , an a s e se o es
b h i n d w h i c h m rki n g s h w v r m y b m v ry i n di ti n t
e ,
a ,
o e e ,
a ec o e e s c
i th n dult ; upp r lip y ll wi sh w h it u nif r m o wit h f w
e a e e o e, o r a e
br w n o bl k d o t o t h nt eri o r Sh i ld l w r p rt s i n lud i n g
o r ac s n e a e s o e a c

th l o w r h lf o f o ut r w f l s y ell wi h w h it u nifo r m
e e a e ro o sc a e o s e, or
with f i n t br w n l t r l li n
a a o a e a e .

B As i A bu t . trac e Of a ligh t v rt br l li n
n ,
no e e a e .

C U i f o r m br w n
. gr yi h -Oliv b o v th m rki ng s
n o or e s e a e, e a on

th h a d v ry i n di s ti n t ; upp r lip
e e e d l w r p rt s i n ludi n g c e an o e a , c
l o w r th ird f ut r o w o f l s u n if r m y ll o wi h wh it
e O o e r sc a e , o e s e .

D B r wn . liv b v wit h l t r l tr a k s d h d
o or o e a o e, a e a s e an ea

m rki ng a i A V rt br l li n b n t
s as nr du c ed to s ri s . e e a e a se or e a e e

f y ll o w d o t
O e o h l ; upp r lip wit h br w n
s, ne on ea c sc a e e o or
bl c k d o t ; l o w er p rt i n ludi ng l o w r h lf f ut r w Of
a s a s c e a o o e ro

c l s w h it
s a e wit h ,
n ti n u u i nt rrupt d bl k l n gitudi n l
e, a co o s or e e ac o a
li n a h sid
e on e o f th b lly c e e e .

E U n if r m br w n o O liv
. b o v with m r o l di ti nc t tr
o o r e a e, o e r e ss s a c es

f th o m rki n g e th h d ; upp r lip y ll o wi h wit h br w n

a s on e ea e e s , o
bl ki h d o t ; l w r p rt i n ludi ng l w r t h ird o l w r
or ac s s o e a s c o e r o e

h lf f o ut r o w
a O f s a l es y ll o wi h e with br o w n o bl k
r O c ,
e s , a r ac
li n c h s id
e o n ea f th b lly e o e e .

F O liv b o v w h i h l ur xt n d s d w n to th n d s o f
. e a e, c co o e e o e e

th v ntr al u nif o r m o d o tt d with bl c ki h o wit h m o t f

e e s, r e a s , r s o

th s a l s bl
e k - dg d ; so m ti m i th y o u ng wit h tr
c e ac e f e e es n e a c es O
ligh t l o ngitudi n l strip s upp r lip y ll o wi h p tt d Sp kl d a e e e s , s o e or ec e
with bl k ; b lly y ell o wi sh o r p l e liv e u n if o r m
ac e d tt d a o , or o e
wi th bl c k o th e sid s th d o t s s o m ti m es c o nflu n t i n t l n gi
a n e ,
e e e o o

tu di al li n es n .

Av er a g l n gt h — 4 f e t
e e S o me s p c i men s a tt a i n a l n gt h f ov re . e e O e

5 f t ee .

D i s tributi o n B o t h pr vi n c es o f C p e C l n y ; N t l ; Z ulul n d ;
— o a o o a a a
Tr n v a l ; S o uth er n R h d si a N o rt h t h r o ugh Tr o pi l A fri
a s a o e ca ca

t Egypt o .

7 . P S AMM O P HI S B V R I O S TR I S S h ort- sno uted S an d S nak e

RE Kort-sn oet .

Z and S l an g .

S y n ny m Po ph is sibil s
— s a rn rn o an .

C l o ur B ro w n d rk Oliv e o n t h b ac k ( 7 r o w s f l ) p l liv
o — or a e o sc a e s ,
a e O e

thon id d o w n t th v n tr l th t w h d
e s es p r t d by o e e a s, e o s a es s e a a e

m r o l s di sti n t lig h t r tr k ;
a o e r esy llo wi h bl c k - dg d c e s ea a e s a e e

Sp t u u lly pr se t o ea h
o s a t b l al e ; h d u n if r m
e n n c
'

v er e ra sc ea o

liv bro w n i th dult in th y o u ng wit h y ll wi h tr k

O e n e a ,
e a e o s s ea

a l n g th o fr o n ta l d y ll wi h c r o s -b r
e b h i n d ; y ll wi h ,
an e o s s a s e e o s

w h it b ene th w ith a s ri s o f O liv

e a bl a c ki h d o t o h rt
,
e e e or s s r s o

s tr k s al o ng c h sid
ea ea e .

Av r g l ngt h — 4 f t S o m e p i m n tt a i n a l n gt h f o v r
e a e e ee . s ec e s a e O e

5 fe t e .

D i s tributi o n B t h pr o vi nc o f C a p e C l ny ;
— o N t l ; Z ulul and ; es o o a a

Tra n v aal ; A ng o l a s .

8 . P SAMM O P HI S JA L S an d S nake L ZE . .

D i tributi n
s S o ut h r n R h d i
o — e o es a .
1 2 6 TH E SN AK ES OF SOUT H A FR I CA .

9 . P SAMMO P HI S C R U C I F E R Crossed Grass S n ake K ruis Gras S l an g . .

S y no n y m Co lu b u if
— er cr c er .

Co l o ur —P l e o liv o br w n i sh b o v wit h a bl c k - dg ed d a rk ert

a e r o a e, a e v e

br a l b n d th r ee sc a l s wid e w h i c h ext n d s t o th e h ea d givin g o ff

a ,
e e ,

e o on t w o tr a n s v er sr b a r s o th n p d en c l o s i n g a lig h t e n e a e, an

p o t str a k o th utur e b tw een th e p a ri t l h i eld ; s id s

s or e n e s e e a s s e

of h d with l a rg e d rk bl o t h es t h p
ea a d p o s to c u la s a c , e re n r

y ll o wi sh ; a m o r o l ess di sti nc t b an d l o ng ac h id e O f t h e
e e r a e s

b o dy wi t h a w h it s trea k b l w it o th e l o w er h lf o f t h o ut r
,
e e o n a e e

ow o f r l es a d t h O ut r en d s o f t h e v entra l s ; l o w er p rt
sca n e e a s

y ll o w o r ddi h o r an g e u ni fo r m o fi n ly sp c kl ed with bl ac ki sh
e r e s , r e e

wit h d a rk s tr k o s ri s O f sm all sp o ts o n eac h s id e

a ea r e e .

Av er g l en gt h — 2 f et
a e e .

D i tributi o n — B o th pr o vi nc s o f C a p e C l o n y ; B a ut o l a n d
s Na ta l e o s
Z ulul n d O r a n g e F r e S t t
a Tr n v l e a e a s aa .

P SAMM O P HI S A N G O L E N S I S .

S y no n y m s — A mph i ph is g l is C lu b r cru c if er ; A bl bes h m

o an o en s o e a o e

yeri D ro mo ph is a n g o len sis .

C o l ur P l liv b v e wit h a d a rk O liv

o — a e o e bl c ki sh v rt ebra l
a o , e or a e

s trip th r s al wid fi n ly dg d wit h bl a k a d y ell w ;

e ee c es e, e e e c n o

h d d rk liv e in fr o n t ; bl c ki sh b eh i nd wit h th r y ell o w

ea a O a ,
ee

tr ns v r e li n s t h e fir st b h i n d th ey es th e t h ird b h i n d
a e s e ,
e e ,
e

t h e p a ri t l sh i ld s ; t w o bl c ke a r o ss-b n d s m y b e pr e n t o
e a c a a se n

th n p f th
e n c k s p r a t ed by a y ell o wi h i n t er p c
a e o e e ,
e a s s a e

l bi a l ad p eo c u l s y ll o wi sh w h it e ;
s an o r tw o m o re
r ar e one or

l di sti nc t d a rk li n s o r seri es o f d o t s a l o n g ac h Sid e ; l o w r

es s e e e
p rt wh iti sh
a s .

Av r g e l engt h 2 f et
e a e .

D i s tributi o n O r n g e F r e S t a t e ; An g l a ; E a s t a d C en tr a l A fri c a
— a e o n .

G E N US TH E L O TO R NI S .

Th is Gen us is re presen ted by o n e S pec ies .

KEY TO TH E S P E CI E S .

S ca le sin 1 9 r w s f bly k e l d V en tra l s

o , ee e e . 1 47
—1 81 . Ana l divid ed
S u b -c a u da ls 1
7 17 P upil h o riz o n t l ; 1 — 0 . a eye l a rg e ; b o dy l n d er s e .

T il v ry l ng d s l en d r
a e o an e .

I . TH E L O TO R N I S K I R TL AN D I I Bir d S nake ; Vo g elvreter S lan g .

.

S y n o n y m — L eptoph is kirtla n dii .

C o l o ur— Gr eyi sh o r pi nki sh -br o w n a b o v e u n ifo r m o r wit h mo r e l ess , or

di sti nc t d rk er d lig h t er sp o t a d c ro b a nd s ; h d gr en
an s an ss ea e
abo v wit h o wit h o u t s m p a t h o f pi n ki h sp kl d with
e, r o e c es s , ec e
bl a k n d pi n ki h bl c k -d tt ed s tr ea k o n e c h Sid e O f th e h ea d
c a a s a o a ,

p ssi ng t h ro ugh th ye upp r lip c r ea m-c o l o ur o r pi n k u n ifo r m

a e e e ,

o sp o tt d wit h bl ac k ; o
r e sev e r a l bl ac k bl o t h es o ach ne or c n e
s id e f t h e n ec k ogr eyi h o r pi n ki h b en a t h p ec kl d o s tri a t ed s s e , s e r
with br w n o .

T h r e tw o v a ri ti s wh i c h e c o l o ur d as fo ll o w s
e e ar e e , ar e

A H a d u ni fo r m gr een a b o v e a n d o t h e sid s bl c k
. e n e a
bl o t c h es u u a lly f o r mi n g c r s b a n d s th e n c k
s os on e .

B H ea d wi t h bl c k d t s a b o v e a d o n t h
. s id es ; o c r o ss a o n e n
b a nd o n th e n ec k s .

Av er g l ngt h 4 f t
a e e — ee .

D i tributi o n
s All v r S ut h Afri a in f r est c l d p a rt s ex c epti n g C a p e
— o e o c o a ,

Co l o n y ; N o rth wa rd to E st d Tr pi a l A fri a s a an o c c .
12 8 THE SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFR I CA .

2 . CA L AM E L A P S O O O C NC L R . P urp e- l gl ossed S na ke .

y y
S n o n m s— Ch o risto do nc l C l m l p i i o n co o r a a e a s ni ro n .

C l u r Gr i bl k b o v w ith a purpl gl o ss ; p a l e bl ac ki sh
o o — ee n sh ac a e, e

pu rpl b n t h th h i eld s m rgi n d b h i n d with livid w h it e

e e ea , e s a e e .

Av r g l n gth — 1 fo o t
e a e e .

D i s tributi n N a t l C ff i
o — a , a ra r a .

G E N US MACR E L AP S .

There is o n ly o n e S pec ies i n th is Gen u s .

K EY TO TH E S P ECI E S .

S ca l es in 2 5 o r 2 7 r w o s no pr eo c ul r
a . R f er e to s y no p i s s of th e g n er a
e

o f th e s u b - a m f ily D ip s a do m o rph in ae .

1 . MA C R E L A P S MI C R O L E P I D O TU S Na . t al Bl ack Snak e ; Z wart S l ang .

S y no n y m —
U riec h is m icro lepido tu s .

C o l o ur U n if r m bl k
— o ac .

Av era g l ngt h e f t 6 in h s
e — 2 ee c e .

D i tributi o n
s E as t er n p a rt s f C a p C o l o n y
—
o e N t l a a .

A .
g uen th eii (s id vi w)
e e . A .
g uen th eri ( to p of h ea ) d .

G N US
E AP AR AL L ACTUS .

Tw o S pecies in S o u th Af ric a .

KEY TO TH E S P E CI E S .

N a sa l divid d v ntr l s 1 5 3 — 1 8 0
e e a A pa ra lla ctu s g u en th eri .

N asa l en tir e v ntra l s 1 3 8 1 6 6 e —

A pa ra lla c tus ca pen s is .

AP A R A L L A C TU S Guent h er S n ake
’
r . G U E NTH E R I . s .

S y n n y m U i h is c p is
o — r ec a en s .

C o l o ur— B l c ki h br o w n b o v a littl e ligh t er b en a t h ; c h i n a n d

a s a e, e

t h o t y ell wi h w h it
r a d p bl c k ll r dg d with y ll o wi sh
o s e a ee a co a ,
e e e

w h i t e i fro n t d b eh i n d n a rr o wly i n t rrupt ed on th t h r o t

n an , e e a .

Av r a g l ngt h 1 f o o t
e e e — .

D i s tributi o n S ut h r n R h o d i a
— A ngo l
o E ast a d C ntr a l Afri c a
e es a n e .

2 . A A R A L L A CTU S CAP E N S I S
P Bl ack - h eaded S nak e ; Z wart- kop l an g . .

S y n n y m s— E l p m ph u s c p
o i
a U i hi
o orp is a en s s r ec s ca en s .

C o l o ur Y ll o w o p l r ddi sh br wn b v wit h o wit h o ut bl c ki sh

— e r a e e o a o e, r a a

v rt br l li n y ell o wi h w hi t b en t h ; upp r surf a o f h d

e e a e, s e ea e ce ea

d n p e bl c k wit h o r wit h o ut
an a y ll w i h c ro -b r b h i n d
a , a e o s ss a e

th p ri t l h i ld s th bl k f t h n p d sc ndi n g to t h
e a e a s e ,
e ac o e a e e e e

S i d s o f t h n k ; s id s f h a d y ll o wi h th e sh i ld s b o rd ri n g
e e ec e o e e s ,
e e

th y bl e ek e, ac .

Av rag l ngt h 1 fo o t
e e e — .

D i tr buti n
s i E t er n p rt s o f C p C o l o n y O r ang F r S t a t e B sut o
o —
as a a e e ee a

l n d Z ulul a n d Tr an sv aa l S o ut h r n R h o d i a E a st Afri c
a e es a .
FIG 5 4 A ) Th il d k t p rig h t f pi tur i S trip d S h p t k r ( Str p G
e co e sn a e o po c e s a e c aa s e e ee or es tree te
S p t k r) Av r g l gth f t G r y p l b r w l ur b v w th r d rk br wh
. . .

c h aa s e e e a e en 2 ee e or a e o n co o a o e, t o or ee a o n

bl k dg d b d h d xt di g t t l h ut r p i g th r u g h y O ft fi y ll wi
. .

ac e o al t eo e as s n o e e en a ne e o s
e an s on ea e en n
li ru i g l g b kb U pp r h p d l w r p rt wh t T h i k ntr G r
‘ .
,
a s i e n sna e i n ce e, a a ss o r

W h ip S k Av r g l gth 3 f t T i l bri ttl il y br k Th w h l rg r

ne nn n a on ac o ne. e an o e
S dS k
.

an na e, o r na e. e a e en ee a e , ea s ea s. e t o a e

k d m ll S p tt d S h p t k ( 3 6 ) S p tt d S h p t k r Av r g l gt f t
.

sn a e c aa s e e e a e en 2 ee
es an s a o n e are o e c aa s e ers o
G r yi h p l h l ur b v bl k - dg d br w m r ki g T i l h th r d rk tri p
.
.

e a n s. a as ee a s es
e s or a e o v e co o a o e, ac e or o n .

2 9 K 1
1 30 TH E SN A KE S O F SOUTH AFRI CA .

TH E S C H AAP S TE K E R S ,
G RA S S S N AKE S ,
AND S AN D S NAKE S .

The S c h aapstekers or S h eepstic kers are well known to all

, ,

South Afri can colonists Their favouri te hau n ts are t he grassy.

stunted shrub -covered districts dry plai n s and veld On the

-
, .

K aroo they are co mm o n They are frequentl y found o n t he .

gra z i ng grou nds and about the sheep kraals dr awn t hi t her by ,

t he m ice l iz ards beetles larv ae and o ther li v i ng creatures whi ch

, , , ,

accu m ul ate i n and about the excre m ent of S heep and cattle .

N ow a n d agai n a villai nous Cobra or Ri n ghals gets irri tated at , ,

t he presence of sheep feeding o n his hunti ng g rou n ds a n d bi tes ,

o ne or two The cobra i s a crafty fellow and ca n t ake good care

.
,

o f hi msel f A fter doi ng all the da m age he ca n a mongst t he sheep

.
,

he retires discreetl y to his hol e or i nt o th e t angled bush The , .

farm er or his herds man co m es along finds t he dyi ng sheep an d

, , , ,

seei ng S c h aapstekers about i mmedi atel y concludes they are t he ,

guilty parties hence t he na me Schaapsteker which m eans ,

S h eepstic ker .

The y are delicat e snakes a n d do not thri ve well i n capti vi ty , ,

u nless the con di tions u nder which they are kept are such as they
were accusto med t o i n t he wild state .

The S c h aapstekers G rass Snakes and Sand Snakes will rarel y

, ,

atte m pt to bi te u nless roughly handled or t rodden upon More .

over bei ng B ack -fanged Snakes t heir bi te i s not m uch to be

, ,

feared unless t he y t ake a full m outhful of bare flesh a n d are

'

, ,

allowed to ret ai n their hold for a few seconds i n order t o worry

t he flesh A bi te fro m any of t hese Back -fanged Sn akes through
.

t he sleeve or trouser would i n most i nst ances n o t develop any , ,

poiso n ous sy m pt o ms at all Even i f a barefooted person should .

t read upon a Schaapsteker and it bit h im t he chances are that he

‘

, ,

woul d only be slightl y poisoned for t he first i nsti n ct of a bi tten ,

person i s to j u mp aside or i nst antly shake the snake o ff so i t

, ,

i s appare nt that i n m ost cases o f bi tes by ordi nary B ack -fanged

S nakes t here is li ttle real risk
,
.

Mysnake collector Mr Ja mes Willia m s has such a conte mpt

, .
,

for t he m that he so meti m es bri ngs me a pocket -full and pulls ,

t he m ou t wit h h is bare hand one by o ne No w and t hen , .

he i s bit ten He i nst a n tly sucks the wound and makes a couple
.
,

o f slight cuts over the punctures and rubs i n a few per manga n at e
cryst als So meti mes he feels a slight headache for an hour
.
132 TH E SNA K ES O F SOUTH AFRI CA .

The B ack -fanged Snakes know n as the G rass Snakes and ,

Sand Snakes ( P sa mr nophis) are i f an yt h i ng less ve n o mous than , , ,

the above -named Schaapst eker Half -si zed speci mens whe n .

allowed t o bi te fowls produced onl y slightl y poisonous e ffects

,
.

When full -si zed S peci mens were allowed t o bite fully and worry ,

the flesh for a few seco nds the fowls di ed usually i n fro m eigh t , ,

t o twelve hours A furt her s eries of experim en ts confi rm ed

.

t hes e res ults Som e of which are recorded in t he A dden da at t he

,

en d of t his book .

A B ATT L E — AND THE RE S U LT .

O n e day I i ntroduced a L i neated Schaapsteker Snake tw o fee t ,

three i nches long i n to a c a ge cont ai ni ng an Olive House Snake

, ,

whi ch was two feet five i nches i n length The latter began .

t o exa m in e the i ntruder wi th hi s black forked tongue whi ch ,

h e vi brated i ncessa n tly He was e v i dently worki ng hi m self u p

.

i n to an excited con di tion Prese n tly he m ade a light ni ng -like

.

grab and i nst antly lapped his j aws over the head of t he Schaap
,

steker He gri pped ten aciously but m ade no atte m pt at con

.
,

st ri ction The V icti m realizi ng hi s danger coiled lashed and

.
, , , ,

struggled m ightily A fter tu mbli ng over and o v er a n d tyi ng

.
,

a n d u ntyi ng the mselves i n a seri es of k not s t he Schaapsteker ,

began t o weaken The House Sn ake sti ll kept t he sa me gri p

. .

His j aws had no t shi fted i n the l east He m ade no at te m pt .

t o get the head of his victi m further i nto h is m outh .

A fter hol di ng o n thus for over an hour he proceeded slowly ,

to swallow the n o w li m p Schaapsteker I ti med h im a n d fou nd

, ,
.
,

he took four and a half hours before t he en d of his vi cti m s t ail ’

disappeared down his throat The n he yaw n ed half a dozen .

ti mes Openi ng the cage door I li fted hi m care fully ou t an d

.
,

placed hi m i n cotto n wool i n a cosy li ttle box and left him to hi s ,

slu m bers for he was n o w torpi d and helpless I peeped i n a t

, .

hi m every da y but beyo nd raisi ng his head and sticki ng out hi s

, ,

tongue at me he m ade no atte m pt to m ove I n five days ti me

, .
’

he began to revive an d m oved around at ti mes ; but he h ad no t

,

yet co m pleted t he digestio n o f his vi cti m for o n feeli ng his ri bs , , ,

I could detect the re m ain s of the Schaapsteker i n h is digestive

tract However i n seven days ti me t he Schaapsteker h ad
.
,
’
1 34 TH E SN AK ES OF SO U TH AFR I CA .

been co m pletely digested and t he , now plu m p and sleek House

Snake beca me as active as ever .

TH E R ED -L I P P E D H E RA L D S NA K E R OO D E -L I P SL ANG
OR . .

( L eptodiru h ota rn bceiu ) .

This i s o n e _o f the best -k nown and m ost wi de -spread sn akes

i n A fri ca I t is found fro m the Cape ri ght away through the
.
,

conti nen t to the northern st ates of A fri ca .

I t i s known i n t he Eastern Provi nce of t he Cape Colony as the

Herald Snake being na m ed such by Mr J M L eslie who was
, . . .
,

t he first t o discover i t i n these parts I t was na med i n honour of .

the E a stern P rovin ce H era ld .

The Herald Snake haunts gardens i n the vi ci ni ty o f houses ,

t aki ng refuge u n der pieces of ti mber old tubs rubbish et c I t , , , .

usually ve n tures out about sun down and mav frequently be seen ,

on g arde n paths and publi c ro ads o n m oonlight nights I f .

atte mpts be m ade at capture i t will bi te fiercely I f trodden , .

upon i t will i nstantl y bi te I ts fangs however are set far back

.
, ,

i n the j aw and are co mparatively s mall so i t i s seldo m an y

, ,

serio us har m results fro m a bi te The food o f t hese snakes .

consists of mi ce s m all g arden toads li zards and i nsects Th e

, , .

average le ngth o f t he Herald Snake i s abou t two feet I t i s .

oli ve -brown i n colour so meti m es u ni for m but usually the upper

, ,

parts are fl ec ked wi th ti ny whi te dots i n appearance li ke flies ,

’

eggs These are very apparent when the S ki n i s distended The

. .

under —parts are whi tish Two broad bands o f s hi ny purplish

.

bl ack ru n fro m t he snout to the base o f the head where they ,

j oi n The upper lip i s a bri ght coral red or orange red N o

. .

o ther South African snake has these red streaks along the upper
lips and they co nsequently serve as a sure means of iden ti
,

fi c a tio n .

I t i s o ne of the b ack -fanged snakes wi th t he ve n o m gl ands i n ,

the transi tio n st age I have experi m ented on fowls and rabbits
.
,

bot h by forci ng i t t o bi te t he m and also by poundi ng the gl ands

,

i n water a n d i nj ecti ng the m u n der t he ski n The ani m als i n .

,

all cases showed sign s o f poisoni ng to a greater or lesser degree

, ,

accord ing to the S ize of the snake and th e season The bi tten .

ani mals i nvari ably recovered after appeari ng more or less lethargi c
for a day or two .
1 36 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

was bi tte n m oped for a da y a n d a half but recovered ,

even tually .

W hen allowed to bi te t hrough ordi nary trouser cloth and i f ,

n o t perm i tted to hang on t he fangs of Herald Snakes an d

,

S c h aapstekers i n m ost i nst ances failed to penetrate the flesh It is .

not because the fangs are not su fficiently long The reason i s .

t hat wit h b ack -fa n ged s n akes t he poiso n fangs are at t he back
of the upper j aw I t i s therefore n ecessary for t he s n ake t o
.
, ,

ensure a mouthful before he can succeed i n d rivi ng the fangs

full y ho m e .

Persons must n ever t ake liberties with any of these b ack

fange d snakes U nder ordi nar y co n di tions the m o m entary bi t e
.

o f most of this fa m il y of serpe n ts is not likel y t o have an y seriou s

results especi ally so i f the pu nctures be scarifi ed and rubbed wi th
,

per m angan at e of pot ash I t m ust be re m e mbered however that

.
, ,

i f allowed to bi te and hold on they will work su fficient veno m ,

i n to the flesh to cause se rious sy m pto ms of poisoni ng and eve n ,

death .

Al though the ve n o m o f a snake m ay not be in suffi cien t

qu anti ty t o destroy life by i ts di rect action upon nerve centres
or blood i t i s quite li kely that i t m ay be the i ndirect cause o f
,

death by setti ng up a st ate of sepsis or ordi nar y blood-poisoni ng ,

.

Those addi cted more or less to the habi t of drinking alcoholi c

li quor are strongly pre disposed to co n tract blood -poisoni ng and ,

di e as the resul t of t he i nj ection of even a fractio n al dose o f

snake veno m i nto their t issues .

TH E B OOM S L AN G OR T REE S NAKE .

( Disp h olidus typ us .

)
A C AN N I B A L .

This i s the snake whi ch recent eve nts have m ade fa mous i n
South A frica Recently one bi t an assi st an t in our Museu m
.
, ,

wi th nearl y deadly e ffect ; the n another i n our collection

o f living s nakes deli beratel y swallowed another o f i ts own
species al most as big as i tsel f
,
These i nci dents caused heated .

discussions everywhere as i n the first place the Boo m slang has

, , ,

been regarded as a no n -veno mous snake and secondly i t has , , ,

hit herto been be lieved t hat w hen snakes swallow each ot her i t
 A CAN N I BA L . 1 37

is o f the nature of an acciden t -as for i nstance when two , ,

snakes sei ze and atte m pt to swallow a frog rat or other prey , , ,

nei ther ca ri ng t o let go the bigger snake nat urally engulphs ,

the s m aller I n the case of the Boo m sla n g re ferred to the act
.
,

was deliberate i n every sense of t he word .

So m e live frogs were i ntro duced i nto the cage contai ni ng fi v e

of t hese tree -snakes one of whi ch m anaged bV superi or agili ty
, , ,

F IG 58 —A C an n ib l a B o o ms l g an Phot gr p h d fr m l if
o a e o e at th e P o rt E l i b th Mu u m
za e se
ft k g th r m uth ful v i ti m
. . . .

He is in th e ac t o a in an o e o of h is c .

to capture and swallow several of the frogs m uch to the annoy

‘
,

an c e o f o n e of i ts fellows The l atter worked i tself i nto a st ate

.

of great exci te m ent and at tacked i ts co mpanio n viciousl y seizi ng

, ,

i t i n various parts of the body Eventuall y i t g ri pped the other .

firml y by the neck a n d gradually worked i ts head forwards u ntil

i t reached the other s j aws whereupon i t began deliberately to
’

swallow i t wi th a succession of spas m odi c gulps acco mpanied by ,

heavi ng forward m ove m ents

,
.

After a lapse of twe n ty mi n utes i t had swallowed one half of

-

the struggli ng wri thi ng v i cti m I the n had i t re moved and photo
,
.

graphed and duri ng t he process so i ntent was i t upon the work

, , ,
1 38 TH E SNA K E S OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

i t had i n hand t hat the swallowi ng process went m errily o n and

, ,

the photogr aph shows i t i n th e act of raisi ng i ts j aw i n order t o

t ake another mouthful Bei ng desirous of preservi ng t hese
.

S peci m e ns as e v i dence o f t he occurre n ce I re moved a li ttle ,

tobacco -j uice wi th a feather fro m a di rty pipe and passed th e

feather betwee n the j aws of the Boo m slang .

Al m ost i n st antl y a curious vibratory t hrill passed through the

s nake fro m head to t ail the m uscles relaxed and t he sn ake l ay
, ,

a li feless m ass wi thi n two m i nutes of t he i n troduction of t he

tobacco -j uice de m onstrati ng t he rapid prussi c -aci d -li ke actio n
,

of t his poiso n u pon the vi tal fu n ctions .

T h i s Boo mslang was a st ri ped black and y ellowish -green

,

m ale m easu ri ng four feet ni ne i nches whilst the vi cti m was a

, ,

fe m ale thre e feet eleve n i nches long .

W HAT N AT U R A L I S T S S AY .

The Boo m slang is pl aced i n the B ri tish Museu m Cat alogu e

of Snakes b y G A B o uleng er i n the fa m il y Colu brin w series
. .
,

Op isth og lyp h a sub -fa m ily Dipsadorn orph in w

,
The defini tion o f .

the Opisthoglypha i s a divisio n of snakes wi th on e or m ore of

t he posteri or maxillar y teeth grooved Most i f not all are .
, ,

regarded as poisonous to a slight degree suffi cie ntly so onl y for ,

paralysi ng thei r pre y before deglutitio n .

No w t his i s a very i mportan t poi nt to bear i n mi nd v iz one

, ,
.
,

o f t he Opi sthoglypha has been classified i n m any t ext -books o f

sci ence as practically a n on -veno mous sn ake or o n e not at all ,

dangerous to m an .

Sir Andrew S mi th i n hi s Z oolog y of South Africa re marks

, ,

As t h i s s n ake i n our opini on i s not provi ded wi th a poisonous

, ,

flui d t o i nstil i n to wou nds w h i ch these fangs m ay i nflict they ,

m ust consequently h e i ntended for a purpose di ffere nt to those

whi ch exist i n poisonous reptiles Their use see m s to offer .

obst acles to the retrogressio n ( retention ) of li vi ng ani m als such ,

as birds etc while they are onl y partly wi thi n the mouth an d
, .
,

fro m t he circu mstances o f these fangs bei ng di rected backward

and not ad m itti ng of bei ng raised so as to for m a n angle wi th the
edge of the j aw the y are well fit ted to act as powerful holders
,

when once t hey pe netrate the ski n and soft parts o f t he prey
whi ch their possessors m ay be i n the act of swallowi ng .
1 40 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFR I CA .

Subsequent experi ment s by my self bear out thi s opi nion and , ,

m oreover u nder the microscope a sti cky colourless fluid i denti cal
, , , ,

with that found i n the sheath was observed i n the structure of ,

t he glands and was pressed out upon the m icroscopi cal slide w i th
,

the ti p of a lancet S m all pieces of these glands were cut up and

.

i nserted under the S ki n of rabbi ts and slight pressure applied ,

for an i nstant Wi t hi n fifteen m i nutes the rabbits were dead

. .

F 1G 59
— H d ea of a l g ( D i ph lid ty p ) h wi g
B o o ms an s o us us s o n th e p i
o so n f g
an s. Th e
tr i u u ll y t h l g t
. .
,

c en e o ne s s a e on es .

One was st ricken wi th co m plete paralysis wi thi n five mi nutes of

t he i nsertio n of the frag men t of gland .

B O OM S L A N G S A R E H I G H LY V EN OMO U S .

These and other experi m ents mentio ned i n det ail a few pages ,

further on conclusively prove these gl ands t o be capable of

,

secreti ng a very vi rulen t veno m and that the glands produce the ,

gl ai ry sticky fluid wi thi n the sheaths enveloping the fangs The .

 A MAN B I TTEN . 1 41

poison glands are co m paratively s m all a fi ft h the size of th o se

- —

of a Pu ff Adder That t he y secrete a ve no m potent and virule nt

.
, ,

i n proportio n to t heir S i ze does no t ad mi t of a doubt D r , . .

Cal m ett e clai m s t hat the fangs are

si m ply used for t he retention o f
the pre y such as birds which
, ,

would otherwise escape Thi s is .

partly but not wholly so When

,
.

a Boo mslang seizes a live bird i t ,

g ri ps with great t enaci ty The .

bird struggles franti cally for a

m i nut e or two and is then over ,

co m e by the potent actio n of th e

veno m i nj ected through the sn ake s
’

grooved fangs I t then leisurely.

proceeds to swallow t he bird ,

feathers and all Boo m sl angs .

n ever constri ct their prey .

A MAN B ITT E N .

Du ri ng Nove mber 1 9 0 7 we , ,

had occasion to transfer our col

lection of live sn akes t o thei r
n ew apart ments and M r Willi am s
F I 6 — Th i i M Wi ll i
.
,

was carryi ng a large m al e Boo m G J m m 0 s s r a es a s,

b itt by B m l g r f rr d
. . .

wh w o as en a oo s an e e e
t t Th p rt l ur d ,

t i th o e ex
sl ang whe n i t suddenly buried i ts b l k w r th p rti f h i b dy ac
n

e e e
.

o
e
o ns
a
o
s, co o
s o
e

w h r th b l d fl w d t th r u g h t h
,

teeth i n the m uscles of hi s bared w ll f th b l d v l d m a

e e
s o
e
e
oo
oo
o e
esse s , a n
ou o
ac c u u
e

forearm j ust below the elbow l t d i th ti u m g d r k p ur p l a e n e ss es , c a us a e

,
p t h wh i h w r v ry mu h w ll a c es , c e e e c s o en

j oi nt I t gri pped wi t h great d i fl m d Th r i g h t y d th an n a e e e e an e

urr u di g ti u w r i mm l y
.
.

s o n n ss es e e e n se

power and held on firm ly We w ll di fi guri g W i lli m f s o en , s n a s

’
a ce
,
l m t b y d r g i ti I f t th .

a os e on eco n on n ac e
p r t d t rri bl d v r t
.
,

disengaged i ts j aws and I sug m an ese n e a e e an ne e -o

b f rg tt ig h t B l d d fr m
,
e- o o en s oo ooz e o
h i m uth H m rrh g
.

gested treatin g the wound but d s o an n o se ae o a e

l t k pl i h i t m h d
.
,
a so oo ace n s s o ac an
he would not hear of such a b w l H i r v ry w l i ttl h rt o e s s ec o e as e s o
f m i r ul u It w vid tl y d
.

o ac o s as e en ue
t hi ng and believing as I di d at h i vig r u t i tuti th r ult
.

t o s o o s co ns on, e es
f v r y b t mi u h bi t
, ,

o e a s e s
the ti me that i t was practi call y
o a s .

a non —poi sonous sn ake I di d not i nsist The wound s marted

, .

a little and he went on working Wi thi n an hour a throb

, .

bi ng headache had m ani fested i tself acco m panied by oozi ng o f ,

1 42 TH E SN A KE S OF SOUTH AFRI C A .

blood fro m the m ucous m e m bra n es of the m outh followed by ,

vo mi ting .

Mea n whi le the wound was also slowl y oo z i ng blood an d the ,

muscles i n the vi ci n i ty were so mewhat swolle n He was the n .

t ake n to Dr Bruce who declared him to be suffering n u m is

.
,

takably fro m the effects of vi rulent poison whi ch was seri ously , ,

affecti ng the blood a n d m ucous m e m branes D uri ng the night .

Willi a m s con di tion gradually beca m e more alar mi ng and he

’

was t aken t o the Provi nci al Hospi tal the followi ng day i n a
st ate of u tter c ollapse He steadi ly grew worse an d blood
’

.
,

oo z ed conti nuously fro m all t he m ucous surfaces viz the mouth , .

,

nose sto mach bl adder an d bowe ls The n t he blood began to

, , , .

accu mulate in t he tissues and caused large bl ackish -purplish ,

swolle n patches u n der the ski n One eye an d i ts surroun di ng .

tissues bot h forear ms for two -t h irds t heir length a portion o f

, ,

t he abdo me n hi p and thigh were all charged wi th extra

, , ,

v asated blood presenti ng a dreadful sight

,
Other parts ih .
,

clu di ng portions of t he back left eye a n d cheek were slightly , , ,

discoloured .

The ve n o m of the Boo mslang e vi de n tl y co nt ai ns a poison

whi ch acts upo n the e ndothe li al cells li ni ng the capillari es Thi s .

actio n i s particularly characteristic of t he poison of t he Crotalin w

( Rattlesn akes ) a n d i s m ost m arked after poisoni ng by the
,

South A m eri ca n vi pers of the genus L ach esis an d S African ,

.

adders .

Flex n er has given t he n a m e Iue morrh ag in s to t he co n

s titu en ts of poiso n s possessi ng this ac tio n and regards the m as ,

speci al c yto lisin s for endothelial cells .

B ETWEEN L I F E AND D EATH .

Wi lli a ms rapidly grew worse after the second da y i n hospi t al ,

severe abdo mi nal pai ns setti ng i n and i nability to retai n even

water i n the sto mach Fro m this ti me he rapi dl y grew worse
.
,

and o n the eveni ng of the t hird d ay after being bi tten I wen t to

the hospi tal acco mpanied by Mr Willi a m Arm strong JP who
,
.
, . .
,

took what he believed to be his dyi ng deposition t he doctor ,

declari ng h im to be i n an extre mely cri tical condi tion which ,

might r esult i n deat h before the morni ng He lingered on i n .

1 44 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH A FRI CA .

qui te we ll as far as h is heal th was concerned and I was surprised ,

t o hear a few days afterwards that hi s deat h was att ri buted to

t he bite of the Boo msla n g I had always bee n under the i m pres
”
sion i t was a case o f ordi nar y blood poiso ni ng
- .

I have m ade very careful i n quiry i nto t h is case an d i t see ms ,

the ge ntle ma n at first showed no very apparent signs o f co n stitu

tio n al disturbance but subsequently sy m pto m s set i n very si milar
,

t o t hose exhibi t e d by Willi a ms viz oozing of blood fro m t he gu ms

, .

and extravasatio n o f bloo d i n to the tissues o n various parts o f

t he body t hen death This would see m t o i n di cat e that i n thi s
, .

case there was a s m aller dose o f ve no m di scharged i n to the

wou nds t ha n was the case wi t h Willi ams whi ch took a longer ,

peri o d to m ani fest i ts e ffects Medical men who saw the gentle
.

man before he died declare hi s sy mpto m s were by no means those

of ordi nary blood -poisoning The m e di cal m an who at tended
.

hi m i n fo rm s m e there i s no doubt at all abou t t he fact t hat he

died o f the e ffects of the ve n o m o f the snake which bi t h im .

I closely cross -questio n ed Wi llia ms and he admitted t hat ,

wi thi n half a n hour o f bei ng bi tten he felt a curious restless , ,

di zz y a n d langui d feeli ng but refused at the ti me to own i t thi nk

, , ,

i ng i t to be due to so me other cause and belie vi ng so full y th a t

,

a Boo mslang was perfectly harm le ss However i n Willi am s

’
.
,

case the sy mpto ms were such as t o leave no possibi li ty o f a doubt

t hat he su ffered directly and u n mistakabl y fro m so me extre mely
potent ve no m an d local m edical o pi nio n was u nani mo us on t hi s
,

l atter poi n t .

TH E EX P ERIMENT S .

I t n o w beca m e i m perative to de monstrate whether Boo msl angs

were reall y ve n o m ous or not as t hi s i ndividual case o f Willia ms
,

would not by an y m ea n s h e accepted by sci e n tific men as proof

posi tive N aturalists and others han dle these snakes and m ake
.

pets o f t he m u nder t he beli ef that t hey are no n -ve no m ous and , ,

moreover i n the public i nterest this question had to be deci ded

,

for all ti m e especi ally so as the Bo o m slang i s o n e of the co mm onest

,

o f South Afri ca n s n akes .

The following are the results o f the experi m ents

A large brown fe m ale Boo m slang was hel d b y the n eck
an d i nduced to bi te the bared thighs o f t hree fowls in q uick
 T HE E X PE R I M ENTS . 1 43

succession The first fowl died i n thirteen mi nutes t he second

.
,

i n fifteen mi nutes t he third i n three hours and four m inutes

, .

A variegated in ale Boo mslang bi t t he bared th ighs of two

fowls withi n the space of one mi nute The first fowl died i n ni ne .

mi n utes the second i n forty -fi v e mi nutes

,
.

A fowl bitten slightly lived two da y s and di ed the wound ,

oozi ng blood and the m ucous m e mbranes of the m outh bei ng

,

i nfla m ed and congested .

A m ale ( greenish -yellow and black ) Boo mslang bi t a fowl

on t he thigh I ki lled the snake and i nj ected so m e of i ts blood
.

i nto the vi cti m NO curati ve effect followed

. The fowl di ed .

i n twelve mi n utes .

A fe m ale Boo m slang bi t a fowl o n the thigh I killed the .

snake and i nj ected contents of i ts gall i nto t he fowl whi ch d ied ,

in eleven hours .

A n other fowl was bitten and i nj ected with the seru m o f the
blood of the snake that h it i t N o curat ive e ffect ; i t died i n .

fourtee n minutes .

A fe m ale Boo mslang bit a duck o n t he thi gh Progressive .

exhaustio n ; slight oozi ng of blood i n mout h ; rapi d heart s ’

actio n paralysis death i n seve n teen mi nutes .

A seco n d duck was bi t te n b y the sa me s n ake i mmedi at ely

after the first one Same s y mpto m s ; died i n thirt y -fi v e minutes
. .

A m ale Boo mslang bi t a duck o n t he neck Wit hi n three .

m i n utes i t fell on i ts back co mpletely paralysed ; i t re m ai n ed

s till for another five m i nutes ; struggled feebl y when touched .

Died i n ni neteen mi nutes .

A m ale Boo msl ang bi t a large cock fowl on t he co mb .

Blood oozed fro m the cock s nostrils one m i nute after bei ng ’

bitten I t began to m ope then s u ddenl y sprang four feet straight

.
,

up i nto the air and fell a dead m ass three mi nutes after being ,

bitten .

The veno m gl a n d of a m ale Boo msl ang was rubbed up wit h a

li ttle water and i nj ected wi th a hypodermic syri nge i nto a vei n i n
a live and active Cape Jackal The ani m al died before the needl e .

could be withdrawn I t perished as qu ickl y as i f shot through

.

the head with a bullet The veno m bei ng i nj ected i nto a vei n
.
, ,

reached the heart al most i mmedi ately and i nstantly paralysed ,

i ts action .
1 46 TH E SNA KE S O F SOUTH AFRI CA .

C ONC L U S IVE LY P R OV E D .

These experi m e n ts were repeated over a n d over agai n wi t h

all s izes and bot h sexes o f Boo mslangs I n all cases death .

occurred wi thi n twenty m i n utes Of the first bi te t he fowls and

ducks whi ch were subj ected to t he second bi te fro m the sam e snake
usually lived fro m fiftee n m i nutes to two hours not a si ngle fowl
recovere d .

The fowls an d ducks see med to suffer li ttle or no pain beyond

i rrit atio n at t he seat of puncture for a mi n ute or two Wi thi n two .

or three mi nutes the y showed u nm istakable signs of collapse

and wi t h a spas m odic j erk or two would suddenly expire .

A few higher ani mals of greater vi t al tenacity were also ex

perim en ted wi th and the characteristi c slow oozi ng of blood
,

fro m t he fang -punctures an d mucous surfaces was noti ceable as ,

was t he case wi t h Wil li a ms The ani mal s i n every case gradually

.

grew worse a n d after about twelve hours were chlorofor m ed

, ,

it bei ng evi dent t hey were S lowly si nki ng u nder the potent effects
of that subtle de ath -deali ng ve no m
,
.

EX P E R IMENT S TO S AV E H U MAN L I FE .

So m e folks will regard these experi m ents as cruel but t hey ,

were conducted i n order t hat hu man li fe might be saved for i n ,

no other way coul d I have rapi dly and conclusively de monstrated

to t he pub li c that t he Boo mslang i s no t o nl y veno m ous bu t ,

exceedi n gly so I can go further and clai m that t he veno m of the

.
,

B oo m slang is stronger i n i ts death -deali ng power to that of the

dreaded Cobra ( Na ia fl a va) and Ri ngh als (S epedo n h wmuch ates) .

I forced these s nakes ( Cobr a an d Ringhals ) to bi te several fowls

by bari ng t he thig h and holding th e s nakes hea ds betwee n ’

finger a nd thu mb close u p agai nst the flesh .

I n all cases I m ade t he s nake give a second bi te to m ake

absolute ly sure a lethal dose h ad bee n i nj ected The fowls all .

died i n fro m five to twenty mi nutes — the average bei ng fifteen

m i nutes. I n most cases f o wls bit ten t wice o n the bared thigh by
Pu ff-Adders ( B itis arietun s) s urvived fro m four up to twelve hours ,

so m e recoveri ng co m pl etely The m aj ori ty bi tten by N ight

.

Adders ( Ca usu s rh o mbea tus) were very sick for a couple O f days ,

the n recovered o ne or tw o dyi ng after twelve hours

, .
1 48 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFR I C A .

received several accou n ts fro m well -k n own far mers a n d two by ,

medical men of n ati ves bei ng bitte n by Boo m sl angs whi ch wi t h

, ,

the exceptio n of two Of the cases t er mi nated i n death , .

A n i nstance was related to m e by a gentle m a n who i s a kee n

n aturalist He says he was quite unaware t hat the Boo msl ang
.

w as ve no m ous I n fact he was i ncli ned still to be scepti cal

.
, ,

owi ng t o an experie nce which he had wi th t his species o f s n ake .

Bei n g anxi ous to capt ure o ne alive o ne da y he pursued a l arge ,

Boo mslang of t he variegated variety whi ch escaped up a s m all ,

tree There bei ng no other trees near t he snake ascended to

.
,

t he top and on h is approach showed fight I n at te m pti ng t o

, , , .

sei z e i t the reptile bi t hi m severely on t he forefinger G raspi ng

, .

t he s nake by the n eck he quickly u nhooked i ts s mall recurved,

teeth w hi ch were e mbedded i n his ski n N o sy m pto ms of poiso n

, .

i ng set i n although his finger bled a lit tle fro m the vari ou s
,

pu nctures He regarded t his as proof that the Boo mslang was

.

non -veno mous The fact o f the case was the snake in i ts
.
, ,

haste m ere ly gri pped the finger of the m an wi th the fro n t portion
,

of i ts j aw s and did not succeed i n getti ng i ts fangs i nto a suitable

,

position to dri ve ho me before i t was dragged Off the flesh .

B OOM S L ANG S AND T HEI R H A B IT S .

The word Boo m slang i s Dutch and m eans Tree Snake , .

Boo m tree and Slang snake ,

.

Boo mslangs vary consi derably i n colouration as will be noti ced ,

o n reference t o the descri ption of the colouratio n of this species

O f snake give n at the begi nni ng of t hi s chapter i n t he list of the ,

snakes of the back -fanged di vi sio n .

The round and long t aperi ng body O f the Boo mslang i s

speci ally adapted for glidi ng s w i ftly and silently t hr ough the
foli age of t rees Li ke other s n akes Boo m sl angs t end t o vary i n
.
,

colourati on accor di ng to their e nvi ron m e n t and habi ts I n .

dist ri cts more or l ess bare of forests and wooded kloofs Boo m ,

sl angs are gradually t aki ng t o a terrestri al mode of li fe N o t .

being able t o gai n suffi cien t food i n the trees and shrubs t hey are ,

co m pelled t o t ake to t he ground an d hu nt frogs li zards ground , ,

birds a nd various other creatures I n conseque n ce o f this m odi

, .

fi c a tio n of e nvi ro n men t and habits t heir colour u ndergoes a ,

change eventually developi ng i n to blacki sh Olive or light

,

purplish brown which i s e m i n entl y sui table blendi ng perfectly

, ,
 B OOMS L AN G S AN D TH E I R HAB ITS .

with the earth dead leaves branches

, , , stones etc over and
, .
,

through which they hunt their prey . When the ski n of a

young Boo mslang is di stended m ost of t he scales are seen to

,

be tipped with bluish whi te which has a very beauti ful appear
,

ance These spots are however not always present

.
, ,
.
1 50 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

The favourite food of the Boo msl ang co n si sts of cha meleons ,

birds an d their fallow y ou ng and e ggs The lat ter are swallowed , .

whole the powerful gastri c j uices of t he snake dissol v i ng the

,

S hell . They oft en descen d t o t he groun d an d hunt for ot her

S pecies of snakes liz ards an d frogs , ,
.

My captive Boo msl angs often swallowed pi g eons eggs which ’

,

re m ai ned i n their sto m achs i nt act so meti m es for twelve t o ,

twe n t y -four hours I n one i nst ance a snake swallowed two .

pigeo n s eggs whi ch re m ai ned u nbroken i n i ts sto m ach for

’

three weeks The reptile bei ng i n poor condi tion at the

.
,

ti me i ts gast ri c flui d was evidently too weak t o dissolve the

,

shell Whe n the eggs were re moved after the death of the snake
.
,

I n oticed t he shell had bee n so m ewhat roughened by the action

O f the aci d fluids of the sn ake s sto m ach
’
.

Ch am eleons other t ree li zards caterpillars and vari ous, , ,

larvae are sought after an d e aten by Boo m sl angs So closely .

’
does the colour of these reptiles ski ns blend wi th the foliage that ,

I have known birds to hop upon thei r bo di es mi staki ng the m for ,

branches These sn akes can i m it ate the branches Of a tree t o

.

perfection The body i s con torted and twisted am ongst the

.

leaves and is perfectl y rigi d For hours a Boo mslang will lie
, .

a m ongst the leaves and twigs i ts l arge u n wi nki ng e y es keenly ,

o n the alert I f an unwar y bird S hould approach wi thi n stri ki ng

.

’
dist ance t he forepart of the snake s body i s shot out as swi ftly
,

as a stone fro m a catapul t and nex t i nst an t the bird struggh n g . . ,

i s i n i ts j aws I n a mi nute or two the vi cti m ceases t o m ove

.
,

for t he deadly veno m has paralysed i ts nerve centres Then .

the snake assu m es a co m fortable posi ti on and swallows i ts ,

prey .

Whe n a Boo m sl ang is see n b y birds i n the vi ci n i t y o f thei r

nests t hey beco m e i nte n sely alar med and exci ted flyi ng rapidl y
, ,

to a n d fro hoppi ng fro m twig to twig flutteri ng t heir wi ngs

, ,

a n d m aki ng various other exci ted de monstrations Hearing th e .

noise o ther birds co me along and j oi n in t he e ffort to scare away

,

t he i ntruder The s nake i s i n n o way alar med

. I t re m ai ns .

as still as a statue i t s head drawn back and i ts body at an angle ,

sui table for a rapi d and long for ward t hrust Presently one .

o f t he birds i n wild exci te ment approaches wi thi n stri ki ng

, ,

dist ance I nst antly with u nerri ng aim i ts body i s launched

.
, ,

fort h an d a bi rd loses i ts li fe .
1 52 TH E SNAK ES OF SOUTH AFR I CA .

of groun d . When alarm ed t hey m ake o ff with great rapidit y

int o t he n earest cover or glide up a t ree an d are inst antly los t t o
,

sight in t he foliage So m et i m es t hey van ish down holes or int o

.

crevices O n t he bare gro u n d or a m ongst low shru bs an d grass

.

t hey can easily b e overt aken an d capt ured but once t hey get ,

i nt o t he t rees it is hopeless t o t ry t o follow t he m .

One dav I was ri di ng over the veld when a Boo mslang of ,

yellowish -gree n and black colour darted across my path and

t ook shelter in a s m all thor n tree abou t five feet i n height ,

sparsely covered with n arrow feather -li ke leaves I could see , .

through the s mall tree quit e easily for i t was o nly about three or ,

four feet i n di a m eter I wal ked rou n d and roun d the bush an d
.
,

exa m i ned i t u p and down for so me mi nutes wi thout seei ng a

trace of the snake T h en st arti ng at the botto m I ex am in ed
.
, ,

every twig an d followed each bra n ch t o i ts end Eventually .

,

hal f-way up the tree I saw the snake ,

I ts body was con .

to rted a n d twisted at exactly the angles at which the branches

and twigs j utted ou t The yellow -gree n of the ski n blended
.

perfectly wi th the leaves th e e ffect bei ng considerabl y,

heightened by i ts black u neven cross m arki ngs

,
Approach .

in g withi n two feet I eyed i t for a ti me and not once

, ,

d uri ng that ti m e did it m ake the slightest move ment Whe n

‘

I atte mpted t o capture i t by putti ng a bi t o f string wit h

a n oose at the en d round i ts n eck i t got angry and sought , ,

to i nti midate me by pu ffing out t he throat making i ts head ,

look t wi ce or m ore i ts n atural si ze .

After bei ng captured and kept for so me hours i n a dark bag ,

m ost Boo mslangs will per mi t t he mselves t o be freely handled

without S howi ng an y di spositio n t o bite However i f one should .
,

suddenly touch t he face or bare hand or arm with i ts nose i t ,

so m et i m es bi tes and holds o n till you forcibly re move i t I f

,
.

h a n dled carefully and gen tly they will rarely bi te ,

.

The sex of a Boo m slang can be determi ned w ith so m e degree

o f certai nty by the colour I used to thi nk t hat the fe male o f
.

t he yellowi sh -green v arietv was not so yello wi sh as the male ,

b ut rec en tly I have exa mi n ed a l arge series of the m and find ,

t he m all to be m ales All t he chocolate coloured ones so far

.

exa mined have been fe males O ver on e hundred of t hese have

.

b een dissect ed at t he Port Elizabet h M useu m .

I n capt i vity Boo mslangs will readily eat frogs Toads

,
.
 BOOMS L AN G S AND T HEI R HAB ITS . 1 53

t h ev will not touch . Many refuse all food and h ave to be fed
,

arti ficially b y sy ri ngi ng the beaten -u p conte n ts of fowls eggs

1 54 THE SN A K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

down their throats an d then putting t he m gently down else ,

t hey wi ll vo mi t th e food The best wa y i s to hold the snake

.

i n your h and for five mi nutes or so after fee di n g i t and t h en l ay ,

i t very ge n tl y dow n i n a warm cage .

Dead frogs and bi ts of raw meat m ay be pushed gent ly i nto

th e snake s thro at and worked dow n wi th the fingers
’
.

Boo m slangs oft e n descen d t o the grou nd t o l a y thei r eggs ,

i n a St arli n g s nest in a hole in a bank or a m ong the t an gled

’

roots of a forest t ree At other t i m es t he eggs are pl aced i n

.

’
t he hollow i nt erior of an ol d t ree or i n a desert ed woodpecker s
n est .W a r mt h and m oisture are n ecessary for the i ncubation
.

o f t he eggs On hat chi ng out t he young Boo mslan gs al most

.
,

i mmedi ately t ake t o an arboreal li fe and lead an existe n ce

e n tirely i ndependen t of t h ei r parent .

So me Boo msl angs s eldo m descen d t o t he groun d whil e ot hers ,

are m ore or less t errest rial in t heir habit s This depen ds upon .

t he foo d supply an d n at ure of t he en viron m ent For so me con .

siderable ti me I h ad a B oo mslang ali ve which was i nterm edi ary

betwee n the variegated green an d t he dark -brown vari eties Thi s .

speci me n was blacki sh above through w hi ch traces of greeni sh ,

yellow were vi sible in places The blackish ness o n the b ack .

shaded Off o n the sides an d abdo m e n t o yellowi sh green Th e .

speci me n was a fe m ale and l ai d thirteen eggs du ri ng the m onth

,

of October .

O n several occasions bro wn Boo msl a ngs have lai d batche s

of eggs v a ryi n g i n n umber fro m a do z en t o twe n ty-three ,

cont ai ni ng a yellowish flui d wi th no sign of i n cubation ,

h avi ng already begun The eggs are lai d during mi dsu mm er

. ,

usuall y October N ove mber and D ece mber On m any occasion s

, ,
.

I have noticed the Boom slangs whi ch I h ave kept i n captivi ty , ,

swallow do m estic pigeons eggs whole These eggs are n ot

’
.

,
E
crushed i n the throat as i s the case wi th the gg eating Snake
-

( D asyp eltis) They lodge i n the sto mach and re mai n there u ntil
.

the gastric j uices dissolve the shell and release the Contents whi ch ,

so m eti mes t akes several day s D elicat e shelled eggs are c rushed
.

in t he m out h an d th e cont ent s allowed t o flo w down t he t hroat .

C O NC L U S I ON S .

The Boo mslang i s a m e mber of the Opisthoglyph a or Hi nd

fanged snakes whi ch have hi therto bee n regarded b y so me
,
 C H A P TE R V I .

D I V I S I ON I I I . P R OTEROGLY P HA .

( Th e F ro n t f g
- a n ed S n a kes
) .

S U B -FAMI LY IV . H Y D RO P H I NE .

TH E Sea Serpents belong to the di vi sio n of s n akes k n ow n as the

Proteroglypha so called because they have fangs i n the fron t
,

part of t he upper j aw These fangs whi ch are set i n the anterior

.
,

m axillary bone are deeply chan nelled or grooved the si des o f

, ,

the chan nels S howi ng a tendency to unite and for m a co m plet e

perforated or hollow tooth S i mil ar to t he hollow fangs of th e
Vi per family These are t he typical poison fangs I ndepe n den t
. .

FIG 65 — ea H d a n d n ec k of th e p i u Bl k
o so n o s ac an d Y ll w S
e o ea
k A f ri C t ( H yd
. .

S na e of th e c an o as rus

of the fangs there i s a set of s m all soli d teeth also set i n the fron t ,

part of the upper jaw .

The sub -family H v dro ph in ae are all Sea S nakes There are .

about fi fty-h y e species or ki nds k nown .

S ea S n a k es h a v e s m a ll sc a l es o n t h e u n d erp a rt s o f t h eir b o di es L and .

S n a k es o n t h e c o n tr a ry h a v e br o a d s h i eld s ru nn i n g rig h t a c r o ss fr o m s id e
, ,

to s id e .
 HAB ITS OF S E A SN AK ES . 1 57

All are highly veno m ous an d inhabit t he ocean except a S i ngl e ,

species ( D istira samp eri) whi ch i s o nly found i n a fresh -water

,

lake at L uzon i n t he Philipp i nes

,
.

The Sea Snakes can be disti nguished fro m all other snakes by ,

the flat tened oar -like tail whi ch is used as a rudder and propeller
, ,

for they have no fins .

Sea Snakes shed thei r ski n s very frequently bu t the Old S ki n ,

FIG 66 — S kull s an d pio so n f g

an s of B l k
ac an d Y ll w S
e o ea k
S n a es ( H ydrus pla turus ) Th re e

f g
. . .

a re t wo an s in e ac h ja w ( B rit M us . . Cat S n a kes )

. .

peels Off i n pieces and does not co me awa y entire as is t he case

, ,

wi th their terrestri al cousi ns .

H A B IT S OF SEA S NAKE S .

Although living i n the water they breat he air Their nostrils ,

.

are situat ed on the top of the snout Most species are brilliantly .

and beauti fully coloured Their food is fish and other m ari ne .

creatures Although most species are helpless and perish i f ca s t

. ,
1 58 TH E SNA K ES O F SOUTH AFRI CA .

up o n shore t here are so m e which m ake freque n t i nland excur

,

sio n s so meti mes to considerable di stances over t he land usuall y

, ,

at night when the veget atio n is moist Sea Snakes are m ost
, .

abundant i n t he Tropical portio n s of the I n di a n Ocean and

Wester n Pacific So me species congregate i n great S hoals an d
.
,

swarm i n t he cracks an d crannies o f ocean rocks which are sub

m erged at high t ide I f poked wi th a stick they bite vi ciously .
,

after the m an ne r O f veno m ous land snakes .

S U B -F M A I LY H Y D R O P H I NZE .

T h e va rio u s G en era a n d S pec ies f

o S ea S n a kes belo n g t o th e a bove s u b- f a mily .

Th ey a re a ll v ery ven o mo u s , p ossess i ng

g roove d f g
a n s a t th e a n teri o r en d

of th e u pper ja w .

G E N US H Y D R U S .

Th is Gen u s is re pres en ted by o n ly o n e S pecies .

K EY TO TH E S P E CI E S .

R o str l d p a br o a d o a littl e br o a d r t h n d p ; fr nt a l l rg
a as ee s r e a ee o a e,

at l t a l o n g as th n o ut
ea s th s p a ri t l o tw o p d e s or e e a s, ne or re an

t w o o t h r e p o st c u la s r o o t w o ub o u l
e so m ti m es pro nt r ne r s c a rs e ese
t em p r l s s m ll a d n u m r u s ; s v o ig h t upp r l a bi l s c o d
o a a n e o e en r e e a s, e n

in o n t c t wit h t h
c pr efr o n t l f o urt h fi ft h ; o r f o urth a d fift h
a e a , ,
n

u su ally nt eri n g th y ; c h i n h i ld m ll d i n di ti n c t ; 4 5 to
e e e e s e s s a an s

4 7 ca l s r u n d t h e b o dy s m o o t h i th e f em l
s e o d y o u ng l a t er a l s , n a e an

a d v en tr a l
n r o ug h wit h o e t w o t h r e sm ll tub rc l s i th
s , n , ,
or e a e e n e

m al e .

I H Y D R US P L A TU U S Bl ack an d Yell ow S ea S nake

.
R . .

S y no n y m A g is pl t u H yd u s bi l r
s— P l m u bi l r
u u P el a ur s r co o e a s co o a

ni u s pla tu ru s .

C o l o ur M rki ng s v ry v a ri bl
— a e a e .

A Y ll o w wit h br o wn bl a k -edg d c ro b nd bl k b r s b tw n
. e , ,
c e ss a s ac a e ee

t h c r o ss b n d s e t h e s id s f t h e b llya , on e o e .

B A n t ri r t h ird o f t h
. e b o dy wit h bl ac k d o rs l s trip ; furt h r
o e a a e e
b c k a s ri o f tra ns v er d o r s l r h o mb s o th e b ac k a d bl ac k
a e es se a n , n
p o t s o t h id es n d b lly
s n e s a e .

C D r l r gi o n bl k ; s id s a d b lly y ll o w with a l at era l s ri s

. o sa e ac e n e e , e e

o f bl c k p o t s w h i c h m y b p rtly o n fl uen t i n t o a trip t a il

a s a e a c s e
with d o r l d l t r l p o t s sa an a e a s .

D D o r l r egi o n bl c k v n tr a l r gi o n br o w n t h
. sa t w o s p r a t ed by
a , e e ,
e e a
y ll w l a t r l s trip t il p o tt d i th e pr di ng
a e o e a e a s e as n ec e .

E B l a k a b o v ; s id s
. c f b lly y ll o w th
e t w o c o l ur edo n o t o e e e o s
bl en d T h r i di s ti nc t li n e o f d m a r ca ti o n T a il p tt d
. e e s a e . s o e
i t h pr
as di n g
n e ec e .

F Y llo w wit h a bl k v ert br l trip br o k n up i n t p o t s p o st

. e ,
ac e a s e, e o s e
i ly r or l t r l Sp t s t h b o dy o t il no a e a o on e r a .

G Y ll w wit h a v rt br l b a n d
. e o , d p ts o th t a il p l br o w n
e e a an s o n e a e
r livo O e .

Av r g l ngt h
e a ef t e — 2 ee .

D i tributi n
s C t o f S o ut h A fri c ; I ndi a n O c ea n an d Tr o pi c l
o —
o as a a
P ifi c ac .
1 60 TH E SNA K ES O F SOUTH AFR I CA .

I coul d warn h im i t had bi tten hi s hand but I i nst antly ligatured ,

his arm sc arifi ed t he wound rubbed i n per mangan ate of potash

, , ,

a n d i nj ected seru m He recovered . .

This S pecies o f Sea Snake is black above an d bright y ellow ,

beneath the two colours bei ng disti nctly separated— the li ne of

,

de m arcatio n bei ng very pronou nced So me speci mens h ave a .

profusion of bla ck spots over the abdo m en and the t ail i s m ott led ,

whi tish and black The average length is two feet t o two feet
.

si x i nches .

The poison apparatus o f all t he Sea Serpents i s highly speci al

iz ed like t h at of the Cobra
, .

I have frequentl y fou n d these sn akes cast upon the shore of

Algoa B ay or i n pools left a m ongst the rocks by the outgoi ng
,

tide They have also been recorded fro m Durba n B ay Si m ons

.
,

town False B a y and Table B a y I h ave several ti mes tri ed t o

, , .

keep these snakes ali ve i n an aquari u m but the y always died ,

after a few days I have n o doubt however that they would

.
, ,

li ve and thri ve i n a properl y constructed aquariu m i f the water

was kept at about the te m perature the y are accusto m ed to .

Hydrus platu rus i s di v i ded i nto seven varieties owi n g to the ,

di fferences in colouration i n the di fferent localities i t i nh abi ts .

The one m arked V arietv E i s the ki nd we find at Algoa Bay ,

.

S O UT H A FRICA N T ERRE S T R IA L F R ONT-F AN GE D S NA K E S .

COB RAS MAM BAS CO RA L SNA K ES G A RTE R SNAK ES

, , , ,

E TC .

S U B -FAMI LY V . EL A P IN E .

The sn a kes of t his sub -fa m ily are all highly veno m ous .

Thi s i m port an t sub -fa mil y of Colubri ne snakes i nclude t he

most dreaded of all snakes vi z the Cobras and M a m bas . .
,
.

There are about one h undred a n d forty species known which ,

are scattered over the Southern part of N ort h A m eri ca Cen tral ,

and Sou th A m erica Afri ca and Southern Asi a t o Australi a

, ,
.

These highly -veno mous snakes belong t o t he di vision known as

the Proteroglypha havi ng fangs set i n the fron t part of the u pper
,

j aw i n the bones known as th e anterior m axillary bones The

,
.

fangs are usually deeply grooved or chan nelled I n so m e S pecies .

t he sides of t he grooves S how a tendency t o uni te and for m

 A PS S H O W I N G TH E D I S TR I B U T I O N OF T Y P I CAL VE N OMO U S S N A K E S
M .

FIG 6 8 D i tr ibut i
— 1 f th C lu b ri
s f mi l y f k i A fri S uth r A i t Au tr l i
on o e o ne a o sna es , v z ca, o e n s a. o s a a
C tr l d S uth Am ri Th tru C b r ( N y N m) i h bi t A fri S uth r A
. . . .
,

en a an o e ca e e o as a a or a n a ca, o e n s ra
d th M l y Ar h ip l g ly
.

an e a a c e a o on
Th p rt l ur d bl k h w th di tributi f th Vip r th rwi k w th A dd r
.

2 e a s co o e ac S o e s on o e e o e se no n as e e
f mi l y f k
.
,

a o sn a es

3 Th p rt l ur d b l k h w th d i tributi f th P i Vip r t wh i h h R ttl k

.

e a s co o e ac s o e s on o e t e s o c t e a es n a es

b l g ( C t li )
.

e on ro a ne
N w Z l d i h l y u try i th m i tr pi l r gi wh i h k d t ur
.

e ea a n s t e on co n n e se - o ca e o ns in c sn a es o no occ
Th r k i M d g r f th Agl yp h k d b t
.

e e a re sn a es d D ip d m p h
n a a a sc a o e a an sa o or i ne in s, u no
P r t r gl yp h
o e o f t f g d ka or ro n ~
an e sn a es .
1 62 TH E SNA KES O F SOUTH AFRI CA .

hollo w fan gs I n so m e this unio n of the two edges of the channel

.
,

i s well adva n ced havi ng firmly uni ted i n places These snakes
, .

all possess a highl y-S peci a lized poison apparatus .

Most S pecies of the E lapin w are vivi parous .

There are fourtee n species or kinds of s n akes belongi n g t o

the above sub -family which i nhabi t South Africa south of the
Z am besi .

I O F TH E G E NE R A
S Y NOP S S
'

G E N U S NA I A M a xill a ry ext en di n g b ey o n d th e p l a tine with a p a ir o f

.
— a ,

l a rg e gr o o v d p o i so n-f n gs n d o e to t h r ee sm ll f a i tly -
e gr o o v ed
a , a n a n

t eeth n ea r its p o st e ri o r ex tr m ity m n dibul a r t eeth a n t ri o r e a ,

e

t h e l o n g es t ; h e d n o t o r but sligh tly di s t in c t fr o m th e n c k ;

a , ,
e

ey m o d er a t e o r t h r l rg wit h r o u n d pupil
e r n o s tril b tw een
a e a e, e

t w o n asa l s a d th i n t r na sa l ; n o l o r l B o dy c yli n d i c l
n e e ea . r a

sc a l es s m o o t h wi t h o ut pit s di sp o s d o bli qu ly in 1 5 t o 5 ro w s ,
e e 2

( o mo r
r th n c k) ; v n tr a l s r o u n d d T il m o d er a t e ;
e on e e e e . a

su b - c a u da ls a ll o gr ea t r p rt in tw o r o w s r e a .

G E N US S E P E D O N — M xill ry ext en di ng f rwa rd s b ey o n d th p l a ti n

. a a o e a e,

wi th a p a ir o f l g e g v d p o i so n f ng ; o o t h er m x ill ry ar ro o e a s n a a

t e t h ; m a ndibul a r t eet h a nt eri o r l o n g es t H ea d o t di sti nc t

e , . n

fro m n k c nth u s ro str li s di s ti n t eye mo d er t w ith r o u nd

ec a a c a e
pupil no t i l b t w n tw o n sal s a d th i nt r n l
s r e o l o r ea l
ee a n e e a sa n .

B dy s lig h tly fl a tt en ed ; sc a l es o bli qu

o k eel ed with o ut pit s e, , ,

i n 1 9 r w ; v en trals r o u nd d T ai l m o d ra t e su b -c au dals
o s e . e

i n t wo ro w s .

G E N US As p i D E L AP s — M ax ill a ry ext endi ng f o rwa rd s b eyo n d th e p a l a ti ne

.
,

with a p ir o f l rg gro o v ed p i so n f an gs ; n o o th er m xill a ry

a a e, o a

t e th ; m a n dibul a r t eeth a n t ri o r l ng s t H ea d sli gh tly

e ,
e o e .

di sti nc t fro m nec k ; ye m o d er t e w ith ro u n d o v erti c a lly e a r

e llipti c pup il ; r s tr l sh i ld v ery l rg e d ta c h ed o th e sid es ;

o a e a ,
e n

no s tril b etw een t w o o r t h r ee n asa l s a d th e i n t er nasa l ; o ,

n n

l o r ea l B o dy c y li n dri c a l ; sc a l s o bliqu e smo o t h o r k eel ed

. e ,

wit h o ut pit s i 1 9 to 2 3 r ws ; v n tr a l s r o u nd d T ai l sh o rt
,
n o e e .

o btu se S u b -c a u dals in t w o r o w s
. .

G E N US E L A P E CH i s — M a xill a ry b o n e ext n din g fo rwa rd s a s f a s th e

. e ar

p l a ti n with a p air o f l rg e gro o v d p o i so n f ng s fo ll o w d by

a e, a e a , e

t w o t o f o ur m a ll t eet h ; m n dibul a r t t h a n t ri o r l o n g est

s a ee e .

H ea d n o t di sti n t fr o m nec k ; ye s m all with r o u nd pupil ; c e

n o s tril b tw n tw o n sa l s n o l o r l B o dy c yli n dri a l s l es
e ee a ea . c ca
o bliqu s m o t h wit h o ut pit s in 1 3 t o 1 5 r o w s
e, o V n tr l s r o u nd d
, ,
. e a e .

T a il v ry sh o rt sub -c a u dals all o m o st in t w o r o w

e r s .

G E N US H o mo R E L AP s —M ax illa ry ext n di n g f o rwa rd s b ey o n d th e p l a ti n e

. e a ,

wit h a p a ir o f l rg e p o i so n fa ng s pt rygo id s t o o th l ss ; m a ndi

a ,
e e

bul a r t eeth f w u b - qu l H a d s ma ll n o t di sti nc t fro m n ec k

e ,
s e a . e ,

ey v ry s m ll wit h r o u n d pupil ; n o s tril in

e e a s i n gl e n asa l ; n o a

l o rea l B dy c yli n dri c a l ; sc l e sm o th with o ut pit s i 1 5

. o a s o ,
n

ro w ; v entral r o u nd ed T a il sh o rt ; s u b - ud l i t w o r o w s
s s . ca a s n .

No p o tfro n t a l b n e ; pr fr o n t l wid ly ep r a t ed fr m
s o h e a s e s a o ea c

o th r e d in c o n t c t wit h th
an p ri et a l s ex c ludi n g th fr n ta l
a e a ,
e o s

fr o m th e o rbit a l p rip h y e er .
1 64 TH E SNAK ES O F SOUTH AFRI C A

T h ird , t h ird a d fo urt h upp r l bi a l s n t eri ng th e

or n e a e

ye
e S ixt h upp er l bi l l a rg s t a d i c o nta t
. a a e , n n c

wit h p o sto c ul s 2 3 sc a l es c r o s n ec k ar Naia fl av a s a

Us u ally six upp er l bi l s R tr l o e a d a h a lf a s a a . os a n n

br o a d a d ep T h ird upp er l a bi a l d eep est s ixth

s e .
,

n o t in c o n t a c t wit h p o st o c u la ; 2 3 to 2 9 s c l es rs a

a c r o ss n ec k Naia n igricollis .

1 . NA I A H A I Eg yptian o Ban ded Co bra ; K o per K apell

E . r .

S y no n y ms— C lu ber h ie C st o di du s N j h je a era es c an a a a .

C o l o ur— Y ll o wi sh o r o liv to d rk br o w n o bl c k a b o v e u ni fo rm o r
e e a r a ,

with d rk r o ligh t er s p o t s ; l o w r p rt s y ell o wi sh w ith a

a e r e a ,

br o w n bl c k b n d o t h e n ec k o d a rk br o w n to bl ac ki sh
or a a n ,
r

h d so m ti m bl c ki sh
ea e es a .

C o l o ur ti o n v ri es a f o ll o w s
a a s

A B ro w n a b o v e y ell o wi h b en ea t h with o r w ith o u t br o w n s p o ts

.
, s , .

B D rk br o w n a b o v
. a wit h y ll wi h sp o t s d a rk br o w n b en ea t h e, e o s .

C B l a ckish br o w n b o v e a n d b en a t h
. a e .

Av r a g e l engt h 5 f t
e — ee .

D i st ribu ti o n N t a l ; Z ulul n d ; Tr nsv aa l ; R h o d esi a ; D elag o a B ay ;

—
a a a

No th w a ds t o P l sti n e
r r a e .

2 . NA I A ANCH TJE Anch ieta s Co br a Anch ieta s K apell

IE .
’ ’
.

C o l o ur B r o w n to bl a k i h b o v e ; e d o f S n ut a d sid s o f h ea d
— c s a n o n e

y ll o w ; y ll w o p l br w n i h b nea t h wit h o with o u t

e e o r a e o s e , r

br w n sp o t s a d with a br o w n o r bl ac k c r o ss-b n d u nd r th e
o ,
n a e
n ck e .

Av r g l n gt h 5 f e t ; a tt i ns a l ngt h f s v n f eet
e a e e — e a e o e e .

D i tributi o n— N o rt h W st Rh o d es i a ; S o ut h -W e t Afri c a
s An g o l e s a .

NAI A F LAVA . Cape Co bra ; Gee l K ape ll ; Br uin K ape ll S poeg K ape ll
( S puug i
Sy no n y m s— Vipe fl N j iv N j ig ra a va a a n ea a a n ra .

C l o ur C o l o u r v ri a bl e T h r a fi e di sti nc t v a ri eti s
o — a . e e re v e

( ) U n if o r m g a m b g e y ell o w u su a lly wit h a f w sc l es

1 o e a l r d
c o ou e
r eddi h -bro w n s .

( )
2 R ddi sh -br o w n a d y ell o w t h
e fo r m er pr ed o min ti n g n , e a .

( 3 ) V y d a rk u m b er a ppr o ac h i n g to bl ac k
er A f ew sca l es . l ur e d
co o
ello w

Eig h t liv br w n wit h

.

( 4) o ti ng e o f dull y ell o w S o m e a e du n
e o a . r
l o ur with sh a d e o f o liv e y ll o w
co a e .

(5 ) S h i n y purp li sh -bl ac k Fo full r d esc ripti o n se ac c o u n t o f . r e e

C p C o br a a e .

Av r g l n gt h — 5 f eet ; a tt a i n s a l engt h o f n ea rly 7 f et

e a e e e .

D i tributi o n
s Wh o l e o f C a p Co l o n y ; S o uth W st Afri c a B l a c k
— e — e .

v ri ety d o es o t o c c ur in E ast er n p rt s o f C p C l o n y
a n a a e o .

NAI A N I G R I CO L L I S Bl ack-necked Co bra ; Z wart—nek K apell ; M fesi

.
’

( Z ulu) .

S y no n y m Vip h je era a .

C o l ur C o l o u r v ri bl e a s f o ll o w s
o — a a ,

A B r o w n o r o liv e b o v e so m o all o f th e sc al s bl ac k-edg ed th e

. a , e r e ,

k in b tw e n th c al es bl c k ; y ll o wi sh b n t h th v ntra l s
s e e e s a e e ea , e e
p kl d s ec dg d wit h br w n
e bl c ki h ; l o w r s urf ac e o f
or e e o or a s e

n c k wit h bl c k r s b r
e ( M s mbiq e v i ty ) a c os a s . o sa u ar e .

B U if r m br o w n b o v
. n o y ll wi h b n e t h ; l o w r s urf a e o f n ka e, e o s e a e c ec

bro w n in th e a dult ; y o u n g wit h a bro a d bl ac k ri n g r o u n d th e

n ck e .
 PROTE RO GL Y P HA O R FRON T-FAN G E D SNA K ES . 1 65

C . rk o li v e t bl k a b o v l o w er surf c e f h e d d n k bl k
Da o ac e a o a an ec ac
s u b -c d ls a d p st ri r v en tr l
au a bl k th r m i nd r bl c k
n o e o a s ac , e e a e a
a n d y ll o w e .

A v r g l n gt h 5 t o 6 f et ; a tt i ns l n gt h f v r 7 f t
e a e e — e a a e o o e ee .

D i s tributi o n All o v er S o ut h Afri c a x pti n g th S ut h r n p rt o f

—
,
e ce e o e a s

C p C l n y No th w ds to S n g m bi a a d U pp r Egypt
a e o o r ar e e a n e .

G E N US S E P E D ON .

Th is Gen u s is re presen ted by on e S pec ies .

S ca l es tro n gly k l d with o ut pit s

s ee e , ,
in 1 9 o s ; r w
v n tr l s 1 1 6 — 1 5
e a n l en tir 0 a a e . S u b -c a u da ls
33 44
—
. S epedo n h aem a c h a tes .

r . S E P E D O N H zE MA C H A TE s Th e Rin h a s o r S p n S na e ; R n h a s . g l itti g k i g l
S an l g .

y y
S n o n m s— Co lu ber h wrn a c h a tes ; Vipera h w rn a c h a tes N a a h wm a ,
‘
j
c h a etas A spidela ps h eern a c h a tes .

C l ur l k b v p tt d v ri g t d
o o —
B ac a o e s o e a e a e irr gul rly b rr d wit
or e , a a e h ,

p l br w
a e o y ll wi w it br w p tt d it bl k
n o r e o sh - h e ; o r o n s o e w h ac ;
bl k b
ac t u u lly wit
en ea h s a w iti
h o n e o r tw o h ,
r b d
sh c o s s an s o n
th n k e ec .

A Jt bl ac k b v
. e d b l o w wit h a w h it r ss b n d o th t h r o t
o e an e , a e c o a n e a .

S o m ti m t h e w hi t e b n d i en tir ly a b sen t
e es l nly ligh tly a s e , o r e se o s
d ev l p d e o e .

Av r a g l ngt h 2 f t 6 i nc h s t o 3 f t S m ti m gr w t 4 f t
e e e —
ee e ee . o e es o s o ee
i l n gt h n e .

D i tributi o n
s C p C l n y ; N t l ; Z ulul n d ; O r ng F r S t t ;
— a e o o a a a a e ee a e

B as ut l n d ; S o ut h —W s t Afri
o a ; ot r rd d fr o m R h d i e ca n ec o e o es a
n rt h f Z m b i
or o o a es .

GE N U s ASP I DE L AP S .

Two S pec ies in S o u th Af ric a

i ld S k ( A p id l p .
Sh e na e s e a s
t t ) R t l h i l d v ry sc u a us o s ra S e e

l r g d d t h d
.

th
K E Y TO TH E S P E CI E S
a e an e ac e on e
id I t l prtd s es n ern as a s se a a e
by th r tr l A r tr l
.

e os a os a

o nt t b h i n d th e r o str a l ; t hi rd h i l d
. ,

In te as ls i
rn a n c ac e s e

an d f o urt h upp r l a bi l n t ri n g th ye ; e a s e e e e
s l e ll sm o o t h v n tr al s 1 4 6 1 7 6
ca s a A pid l ps lu b i u s
e — s e a r c .

In ternas l p r a t d by th r o str l ; f o u rt h
a s se a e e a
upp r l bi a l nt rin g th y ; s l es
e a e e e e e ca on
p t ri r p rt o f b o dy k l d v n tr l s
os e o a ee e e a
1 1 —1 A spidela ps s c u ta tu s
5 35
r .
AS P I D E LAP S L U B I C U s Coral S nake ; R . K o raal S l an g .

S y n n y ms N t ix lu bri
o —
; C l b a r ca o u er la to n ia ; E laps lu bric u s ; N aj a .

lu bric a .

C o l o ur r ng—
O a wit bl k nn uli w i
e o r red h ac lig tly ngul r
a h c h a re s h a a ,

b k
o n th ebl k ac b l w
; a ac b ar e oti bl k
t h e eye ; so m e m e s a ac

r b tw n
c o ss b a r y e ee bliqu b n d
t h e e es a n d a n ot pl e a o n th e em e ,

upp r urf e s d ti n tir ly bl k

ac e o f h ea s o m e m es e e ac .

Av r g l ngt
e a e ef t inh— 1 oo 6 f t c h es t o 2 ee .

D i tributi n
s t pr vi n
o — Bo h C p C l ny
o c es o fr ng F r
a e t t
o o ; O a e ee S a e
'

ut W t Afri
So h - esR d i Z b i R gi n
ca ; h o es a ; a m es e o s .
1 66 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

2 . AS P I D E LAP S S c U TATU s S h iel d S nake ; S chi l d S l an g . .

S y n o n y m s— Cyrtopsis s u t tu N i ful - f ul c a s a a a a .

C o l o ur P a l e gr eyi h -br o wn a b o v e wit h tra nsv r se d a rk sp o ts o r c r o ss

— s ,
e

b a n d ; h d an d b o ut t w o i nc h es o f th e n ec k bl ac k ; c h i n
s ea a

a d t h r o t w h it e s p a r a t ed by bl ac k irregu l a r bl o t c h es
n a , eu n d er
p rt s wh iti sh
a .

Av er a g e l ength r f o o t 6 i nc h es to 2 f eet
— .

D i tributi n— C a p
s o as t fr o m Gr aa ff R ei net ; B ech u nal an d P o
e, e a r

te to at c N t l O ra ng e F r e S ta t e Tr a nsv a l D lag o a B ay
r e a a e a e

S o ut h er n R h o d es i a P o rtugu ese E as t Afri c a .

G E N US E L AP E CH I S .

Th ree S pec ies in S o u th Af ric a .

KEY TO TH E S P ECI E S .

Po rti o n of r o str l vi sibl e fr o m b o v

a o t h lf a e, n a
as l o n g a s it s di s t a n c e fr o m t h fr o n t al e ,

wh i ch h i ld is a littl e sh o rt er t h a n th e
s e

p a ri et a l s di a m et er o f ye l s t h n it s e es a

di t n c e fro m th e n stril i th e dult S c al es

s a o n a .

i 1 3 ro w s
n S n u t br o a dly r o u n d ed
. o E la pech is gu en th eri .

FIG
H d - d k f th - C r l S k ( A pid l p l b )
7o — ea an n ec o e o a na e s e a s u n cu s
C l ur r l d r g d b d d with bl k A r th r
. . .

o o co a re or o an e re an e ac a e
l rg h i l d urvi g b k fr m th
, , .

a e s e c n ac o e n o se .

S c l s in 1 3 r o w s
a e P o rti o n o f r s tr l vi ibl e
. o a s
fro m a b o v s l o n g a s it s di t nc fro m
e, a s a e
th fr o n t l w h i h h i ld is m u c h sh o rt r t h n
e a , c s e e a
th p a ri et al s ; di a m t r f y l ss t h a n its
e e e o e e e
di sta nc fr o m th n o stril i t h e a dult
e El p c h is s u n deva llii
e n a e .

S n u t o btu ely
o p o i n t d P o rti o n o f r o str l
s e . a
vi ibl e fr o m b o v a t l east h a lf a s l o n g as
s a e,

its di s t n fro m t h fr o n t l w h i c h sh i ld
a ce e a , e
is m u c h s h o rt er t h a n t h p a ri et a l dia m et r e s e
o f eye qu l t o its di s ta nc
e a fro m th e no stril E l pech i dec o t ri e a s s e .
 THE SNA K ES OF S OUT H AFRI C A .

bl ac ki sh wi th whi ti sh c r o ss b a r s o li nes f o r med by th e edg es

or r
o f s o m e o f th e sc a l es l o w er p a rt s d irty wh i t e o r bro w n i sh gr ey , ,

o r bl ac ki sh .

A v er a g e l en gt h 1 5 i n c h es —
.

D i tributi o n— Tr a n sv
s l No th w a ds to Tr o pi a l Afri a aa r r c c .

E L A P E CH I S S U N D E V AL L I I S un devall s Garter Snake ; K ousband S lang

’
2 . . .

S y no n y m s— E l ps s u de w llii E l ps o id
a u d llii n r a a ea s n eva .

C o l o ur— R ddi sh br o wn b o v e w ith y ll o w ro ss b a n d s th e s l es

e a e c ,
ca
o n w h i c h a e e dg e d wit h r eddi sh -bro w n ; upp er lip o ut r w
r ,
e ro
o f s c a l es a n d l o w r p rt s y ll o w , e a e .

Av er a g e l en gth 1 f o t 6 i nc h s — o e .

D i s tributi o n Griqu a l a n d ; B asut o l an d ; N t l

—
a a .

E L A P E C H I S D E CO S TE R I D e Co sta s Garter Snake ; K ousband S lang ’

. .

S y no n y m E l pso idea d cost i

— a e er .

C o l o ur D a rk gr ey a b o v e e c h sc a l edg ed wit h bl ac k ; o ut er o w
—
, a e r
o f sc a l s d l w e r p rt s w hi t e
e an o a .

Av r g l n gth 1 4 i nc h
e a e e —
es .

D i s tributi o n Z ulul a n d V ryh eid D i s t i c t D elag o a B a y P o r t ugu ese

—
r
E a s t Afri c a .

G E N US H O M O R E L A P S .

S u n dev all s
'
G rt r
a e Tw o S pec ies i n S o u th Af ric a
Sna e k .
.

K EY TO TH E S P ECI E S .

V ntr al s 1 6 —2 9
e 0 0 su b -c au d a ls 2 6 - 2
4 H o mo rela ps la c teu s .

V entra l s 2 1 9 2 2 6 — s u b -c a u d a ls 2 5
—2 8 H o morela ps do rs a lis .

1 . H o mo R E L A P s LAC TE US South ern Garter Sna e ; K ousband S ang

. k l .

y
S n o n m s— y Col b l u er a c teu s Cerastes la c teu s E la ps la c teu s Vipera
la ctea E la ps h ygew A spidela ps la cteu s .

C l o ur C o l o ura ti o n v a ri bl bu t v ert br l li n e c o ns ta ntly brigh t

o — a e, e a
d y ll o w o
re ,
r ng v en if c r o ss d by bl a c k a nnuli h d
e ,
r o a e, e e ea

bl c k wit h y ll o w o o r ang e m rki ng so m eti m es wit h t w o

a ,
e r a s,

y ell o w d o t s c l o se t o g eth er b eh i n d th e fro n t l sh i ld a e .

A Y ll o wi sh -w h it e with m o r e o l ss r egul a r bl ac k b a r s o a nn uli ;

. e r e r

b lly bl c k r wit h a o n ti n u o u s o r i nt erru pt ed bl c k strip e

e a ,
o c a .

B As in t h e pr ec edi n g but v en tr a l u nif o r m w h i t e

.
, s .

C B l k wit h small r o u nd y ll w sp o t s f o r m i n g v a ri o u s m a rking s ;

. ac , e o

s ri s o f l a rg e o r a n g
a e p o ts l o n g th e spi n mo r o l ess c o
e e s a e e r n

flu en t i n t o a b an d v ntr l s bl k a t th e b se y ll o w b h i nd e a ac a ,
e e .

D B l ac k ea c h sc l e wit h
.
,
y ll o w do t a o r ang o c itri ne v rt br a l
a a e n e r e e

s trip e v n tr l s bl k at t h e b s y ll w b h i n de a ac a e, e o e .

Av ra g e l ngth 1 f o t 4 i nc h es
e e — o .

D i tributi o n B o t h pr o v in c s o f C a p e C o l n y ; N a t a l ; Griqu a l an d
s — e o
O r ng F r S tat
a Tr a n sva al
e ee e .

2 . H O M O RE LAP S D O R SAL I S Stri ped Garter Snake Streep K ousband S lang . .

S y no n y m E l ps d s lis — P il ph i do s l s
a or a cec o s r a i .

C o l o ur— B l k b o v e wit h a y ll o w v ert ebr l strip e ext endi n g t th

ac a e a o e

tip o f th e sno ut ; l o w r p a rt s a d t h r o ut r r o w s o f sca l es e n ee e

w hi t e .

Av er g l en gt h
a e 1 fo o t — .

D i tributi o n— E s t r n P r vi n
s f C a p e C o l o n y ; O r an g e F r e S t t ;
a e o ce o e a e

V ry h eid D i stri c t N a ta l Tr nsv aa l a .

 PROTERO GL Y PHA O R FRONT -FAN G ED SN AKES . 1 69

G E N US D E ND RA S P I S .

Two S pecies in S o u th Af ric a .

K E Y TO TH E S P EC I E S .

S c a l es in 1 9 t o 2 3 r o w s in th e mi ddl e o f t h e b o dy
s ec o n d and t h ird upp er l a bi a l s m u c h
d p er t h n t h e fir st ;
ee a 8 upp r l a bi l s ;
e a

upp r a n t ri r t m p o r a l
e e o e n o t l o n g er t h a n

th e l o w r e D en dra spis an g u stic e

ps .

F IG 72 — Th S th
e se ZG t
a re S k ou e rn a r er na es ( H o mo rela ps lac teus ) T h y v ry m r
e a o le or e ss
th i r m rki g b t th r g r dw iddl f h b k i l w y
. . .

in e a n s, u e o an e o r c o a l-
re d li n e o n th e m e o t e ac s a a s
p r t Av r g l gth
ese n f t
e a e en , o ne oo .
1 70 TH E SNAK ES OF SO U TH AFRI CA .

S ca l es r o ws 9 upp r l a bi a l s ; u pp er
in 2 5 . e

a n t eri o r t emp r l twic e a s l o ng as th e

o a

lo w r e D en dra spis ma mba .

1 . D E N D R AS P I S AN G U S TI CE P S Mamba o r Tree Co bra .

S y n o n y m s— N j gu st ceps
a a Ch lorcech is a g us ticeps
an i D en d a spis n r

i n termediu s D in o ph is a n g u stic eps .

C o l o ur Gr — een v ol b ki u if r
i e o r la c sh
, l dg d
n o m o r s o m e o f t h e s c a es e e
,

w t bl k y l
i h ac ; p l gr
e lo wish or b a e t een ud l l
en ea h ; ca a s c a es
i ld
a n d sh e bl k dg d
s not ac - e e .

A . if r d rk liv
Un o m a o bl k
e or b v ll i w it b
a c i sh a o e t
Y e o w sh - h e en ea h . .

B . if r l f gr
Un o m b v
ea - een a o e di g i t l g t r g
sh a b l w
n n o i h e reen e o ,
.

p i brig t gr i blu
S o m e s ec m en s a re h ee n sh - e .

Av er g l gt a e en f t At
h — 6 t o 9 ee l gt f t
tai ns a en h o f 1 3 ee
. .

D i s tribut t l
io n— Na a ulul dZ Tr v l
an ut r
a n s aa d i
S o h e n R h o es a
W t fri es ut C g,
t C tr l fri
A c a s o h o f th e o n o E a s a n d e n a A c a .

D E N D R AS P I S MAMB A Goug h s Mamba

’
2 . . .

C o l o ur— D ark o li e g reen a b o v e blui sh -gr een b el o w s kin b etween th e

v ~
, ,

sc a l es v e ry d a rk pu pl r e .

D i stributi o n— Tr a ns v aa l .

TH E C A P E C OB RA ( Naia flava) .

AL S O KN OWN As THE G EE L SL ANG B R U IN SL ANG Z WART S L AN G , , ,

S P OE G SL ANG .

The C ape Cobra i s co mmo n all over the Cape Col ony Farther .

n ort h i n N at al Tra n svaal and m ore n orther n part s of South

, ,

Afri ca the B anded or Egyptian Cobra Black -n ecked Cobra and

, , ,

An c h ieta s Cobra t ake i ts place

’
.

The Cape Cobra i s u n iversally feared a n d well i t mi ght be , ,

for i t i s a h ighl y veno m o us bold and courageous s n ake Whe n , .

m olested i t i n st antly faces i ts foe wi th body reared a n d hood ,

expanded I f torm e n ted i t works i tself up i nto a furious rage

.
,

a n d will n o t hesi tat e t o att ack i t s a ggressor D uri ng t he pai rin g .

se aso n the m ale i s parti cul arly aggressi ve an d will boldly face ,

and ofte n chase any o ne i ntru di ng i n to i ts hau nts As a general .

rule whe n molested the Cobra wi ll rear i n a t hreate n i n g m an n er

, , ,

a nd sei zi ng i ts opportunit y glides off a mongst the grass under

, , ,

growth o r i n to crevi ces or holes I f chased i t will always rear

, .

a n d face i ts e ne m y W he never he gets wi thi n a few yards of i t .

A frien d once ve ntured i nto a kloof in S earch of wi ld flowers .

H e was suddenly co nfro nted by a large yellow vari ety of Cape

Cobra He lost his nerve and ran The Cobra followed and he
. .
, ,

not bei ng able t o make mu ch progress i n the t a n gled bush w as ,

o vert ake n and bi tten We saw him staggeri ng t owards the .

I 72 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

direct i n to a vei n ki lled an other monke y i nst a n tly Th e mon key .

w as dead before the syri n ge n eedle could be withdraw n .

C HA S ING A C OB RA .

One day I ca m e across an adult Cobra i n the bush I fol lowed .

i t up through the t angled u ndergrowt h but ever y ti me I go t ,

wi thi n st ri ki n g dist ance i t veered roun d a n d showed fight .

Fi nally I got i n a blow but i t e vidently onl y slightly wounded

,

i t for i t i nst antly swerved an d wi th exte nded hood m ade a

, ,

quick dash at me I ai med a w ild rando m blow which mi ssed and

.
,

n ext i nstant it was upon me I felt a thud agai nst m y leather

.

gai ter and before i t could st ri ke agai n I s m ashed it

, .

Exam i ni ng my leggi ng I found the fangs had scored the leather

, ,

but had not pe n etrated i t The spot where i t st ruck was.

bespattered wi th ve n o m .

A T E R RI FY ING EX P ERIENCE .

Cobras frequentl y cli mb trees i n search of birds eggs and their ’

young .

A friend who like m yself was studyi ng n ative bi rds and

, , ,

accu m ul ati n g facts about the colour si z es et c of their eggs was , , .

, ,

out with m e o n a n expedi tion Spyi ng a Sparrow Hawk s n est .

’

i n t he top m ost branches of a great f ree he cli mbed up to see i f ,

there were eggs i n i t Re achi ng the n est he peered over i ts

.

edge when to his horror a Cobra reared therefro m and with a

, , , ,

fierce hiss lunged at h is face I n hi s e n deavour to avoi d the .

blow he lost his hold a n d came crashi n g down through the

bra n ches to the gro u nd and lay stu n ned and blee di ng However
,
.
,

he got o ff very lightly wi th a broke n ar m and a m ulti tude of cuts

and abrasions For m any nights afterwards he would start up
.

i n hi s sleep wi t h a te rri fyi ng c ry an d a bl anched face The .

sudden appari tion of the Cobra had evidently m ade a s tro n g

mental i mpression which was slow to wear o ff .

C O B RA S V AR Y I N C O L O U R .

C ape Cobras vary Considerably i n colour causi ng much ,

con

fusi on i n the publi c m i nd . Although so diverse in colouratio n

 B ROWN COB RA . B RUI N KAPE LL . 1 73

they are all of the one species The reason for t he diversity of
.

colourat io n in t hes e snakes is evidently not ent irely due t o t heir

environ m en t an d food supply for I have foun d all t he variet ies
,

livin g u n der t he sa m e co n dit ions Fro m S elbo rn e A ddo in t he

.
, ,

U it enhage D ivision for inst ance I have procured C ape Cobras

, ,

which represent every variat ion of colour known t o exist in t hes e

rept iles
.

V ARIET Y A .

YE LL OW C O B RA G EE L K A P E LL . .

Bright yellow so m eti m es ti n ged wi th reddish

,
I n so me of .

the i ndi v iduals a few of the scales are rich u mber brown givi ng ,

the reptile a S peckled appearance So m e adult speci mens whi ch .

F IG . 73 — A
. Y ll w C p C b r
e o a e o a .
( Ph o t by W
o . C . S ull y )
c .

I have exami ned an d measured were over si x feet i n length and , ,

b ri ght yellow without any darker marki ngs

, .

I n you n g speci m ens there i s a ri ch shi ny C hest nu t or u m ber

brown patch so meti m es di vi ded on t he throat This ei ther
, , .

beco m es very i ndi sti nct or fades fro m view when the snake reaches
maturi ty although I have found i f the scales be re moved it i s
, ,

still clearly Vi sible beneath When kept long i n captivity the

.

Y ellow Cobra i n vari abl y beco m es m uch darker and more like ,

the Brow n vari et y The eyes are reddish brown The young
. .

Cob ra has a la rge chest nut patch on its t hroat .

V ARIET Y B .

B R O W N C OB RA . B R U IN K A P E LL .

B right u mber -brown changi ng to duller brown

,
So me .

i ndividuals are mottled wi th lighter tints of a gamboge -ye llow

 1 74 TH E SNA K ES O F SO U TH A FR I C A .

colour I n captivi ty the colour usually fades to uni form red di sh

.

brown and t he shi ny gloss is not S O apparent

, .

V ARIET Y C .

Lightlive brown wi t h a yellowi sh t in ge Ski n between

O , .

the scales ligh t yello w A few odd scales a ri ch u m ber brow n

.
.

( This v ariety is unco mm o n ) .

V ARIET Y D .

B L AC K C OB R A . ZWAR T K A P E LL .

Shi ny purplish black The livid purplish ti nge is m ore pro

.

n o u n c ed on t he under parts This vari ety is sai d t o possess

.

t he power of spitt in g but t his C obra is fre quent ly confuse d wit h

,

t he bl a ck vari ety of Ringhals which is kn ow n t o discharge

showers of veno m fi n ely sprayed an d t h e b el ief t hat t h is Black ,

C obra sp it s is probably erron eous .

V ARI ET Y E .

Dark m ahogany wi th a blacki sh ti nge . Speckled spari ngly

wi th yellow ( This vari ety i s unco mmon )
. .

TH E C O B RA ’
S H OO D .

The Cobra does not expand i ts hood by pu ffing out the ski n
'

wi th air as most people believe I n the regio n of the neck the

, .
,

ribs are elongated lengtheni ng t o t heir m axi mu m length the n

, ,

graduall y shorteni ng formi ng a S ort of crescent o n e ach si de of the

,

neck The ski n of the neck i s loose and flabb y When t he snake
. .

i s at rest the ri bs are depressed the S ki n fall s i nto folds and no , ,

hood i s visi ble I f t he reptile be i rrit ated or alarmed t he head

.
,

and fore portio n of the bod y is reared the ri bs i n the n eck -region ,

are raised whi ch i n turn elevate and spread t he S ki n and we see

, ,

”
the hood I t is evi dently i nte nded by N ature to ai d the
.

Cobra i n f righte n i ng o ff i ts ene m ies Wi th hood expanded and .

brigh t gliste n i ng eyes and s ki n reari ng a mongst the stubble and ,

ready to stri ke t he Cobra is t ruly a terri fyi ng sight

,
.
1 76 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFR I CA .

reari ng the fore part of i ts body perpen dicul arly above the
ground , and expanding the ski n of its neck i n t he we ll -k now n
manner of Cobras you m ay be perfectly sure i t is one of the
,

Cobras , and that i t is a ver y highly veno mous serpent .

TH E P O I S O N A P P ARAT U S .

Th eCobra has strong poiso n fangs i n the upper j aw— one on

each side wit h duplicat es . These fangs are deeply grooved down

F IG 75 — T i pi tur h w th l g t d rib
h s c e s o s e e on a e s o f th e n ec k o C b r wi th
f a o a
u l tt h m t B y m f th l g rib u l th
. .

t h e m sc e a ac en s. ea n s o e se on s a n d m sc es e
d p r d Th h d i th rig h t
h o o is S ea . e ea s on e .

their fron t surface I n so m e i ndivi du als t he si des o f the channels

.

m eet and for m hollow fangs The grooves or C han nels are for the .

con veyance of the veno m fro m the poison glan ds i nto the wounds
m ade by the fangs The bi te an d the co mpressio n an d co ntraction
.

of t he poison gl ands i s si multaneous .

The fangs o f Cobras are set i n fro n t of the u pper j aw i n a bone ,

called the anterior m axillar y Thi s bone i s n o t very m ovable . .

O n the co ntrary wi th t he Vi per fa m ily of sn akes it i s m obile and

, ,

hi nge -l ike i n i ts m ove m e nt s .

 CAN N I BA L COB RAS . 1 77

C O B RA AND M U NGOOS E F IGHT .

O n ce whilst resti ng u nder so me t h ick foli age one hot su mmer s ’

da y a n d heari ng a rustli ng noise I peered c arefully through the

, ,

dense curtai n of leaves a n d saw i n the gl ade about t en yards

dist an t fro m where I w a s a G rey Mungoose ( M ung o s cafi er) i n
,
‘

co m bat wi t h a large Brown variety of C obra The snake was .

erect wi t h hood expanded keenly watchi ng every m ove men t O f

, ,

i ts e ne my and so quick was i t t hat the Mungoose failed to get

,

i t at a di sadvantage Suddenly t he wily Mungoose C hanged i ts

.

t actics a n d instead of m aki ng fei nts i t began circli n g round t he

, ,

Cobra wi t h quick S pri ngy m ove m e n ts The snake t urned rou nd

, .

and round faci ng i t s ene m y bravely bu t eventually i t ei ther got

, ,

giddy or the muscles ceased t o act for i t toppled over a n d before , ,

i t could recover t he Mungoose leapt upon i t a n d crushed i ts head

,

and n eck between i ts S harp -toothed j aws I t the n chewed off .

the head ate i t and began to di ne off t he body

, , .

B I LL Y , TH E M E E R CAT
I once had a t ame M eercat k n own to my friends as Billy .

Thi s fearless li ttle fellow woul d devour any s n akes I threw to hi m .

Several ti m es I threw live snakes down i n fron t of h im whi ch he ,

i n st antly pounced o n an d devoured So quick were hi s m ove .

me n ts t hat he eve n overcam e and killed a fair -si zed Ringhals

Cobr a which I placed before him H e ran straight at it sei zed .
,

i t by the head crushed i ts craniu m betwee n hi s j aws and bi t i t

, ,

severely along the vertebr ae of the n eck Then he ate the head .

and a porti on of t he neck The skin of t he M eercat is t ough an d

.

t he fur den s e con sequently it is rare for a snake to drive its fangs
,

fully hom e .

C ANN I B AL C OB RA S .

I f the M a m ba i s lord of the arboreal real m s assure dly the ,

Cobra reig n s supre me over terra fi rrn a He i s ever read y for a .

fight He fears n o foe but m a n Eve n m a n has good cause to

. .

be wary whe n t ackli ng h im He will i nst antly face hi s ene my

.
,

read y to deliver a t h rust wi th his cha nn elled fangs which i f , ,

dri ve n ho me leave behin d the m a flui d so poten t t hat t w o

,

drops will kill the strongest m an Swiftly and powerfully it .

TH E SN A K ES O F SOUTH AFRI CA .
1 80 TH E SNA KE S OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

a low order an d t hey like m ost other reptiles S how litt le or no

, , ,

solicitu de for t heir young or a ffect ion t oward on e anot her I ndeed .

t he C ape Cob ra will not hesit at e t o m ake a m eal of t he youn g of

even its o wn species The baby Cobras sally forth and scatter to
.

t ake up the struggle for li fe all alone A fierce struggle i t i s too .

,
.

He i s beset and enco m passed arou nd by ene mies Creatures whi ch .

would flee fro m an adult Cobra bol dly at tack and eat hi m up .

Even hi s pare nts i f be subsequen tly crosses thei r path know him
, ,

not and devour h im Snakes of other species at tack and over

, .

power h im Food perchance is scarce and wi nter i s fast

.
, , ,

approachi ng I f a certai n am ou nt of fat i s n o t lai d by i n hi s

.

i nte ri or he knows untaught that the chi lls of wi nter wi ll freeze

,

hi s sluggi sh blood and destroy h is li fe He perh aps i s successful .

, ,

F IG 77 . .
-
H o w to h o ld v
a en o mo u s sn a k Th p i m
e. e s ec en is a C p C bra e o a ( Na ia fla va) .

( Da r k -b r w v ri ty )
o n a e .

i n his hunti ng excursi ons a n d sleek and , ,

fat he retires i nto the
,

i n nermost corner of a crevi ce hole or , ,

u n der so m e decayi n g
leaves to sleep out the wi n ter
,
Even . here he i s not safe .

C arnivorous an i mals and rats find him out and devour him .

A C OB RA IN A S CH OOL R OOM .

So m e ti m e ago when a lady pri nci pal was i n the middle of

,

a school lesson she heard a slight rustli ng noise near her elbow
,
.

G lanci ng down she was horri fied to see the head and forepart o f
,

a yellow variety of Cape Cobra i n t he act of cli mbi ng up her

ch ai r Vacati ng t he C h ai r wi th more haste tha n digni ty she
. ,

j oi ned the crowd o f coloured school -C hildren who were m aking

 DEATH FROM COB RA B ITE . 1 81

for the door The n ews soon spread a n d wi thi n half an hour an
.
,

ar my of M ala y s Chi na men and folk of ever y shade of colour

, , ,

fro m whi te to ebo n y black had g athered rou nd the buildi ng , ,

a n d were exci tedly discussing the situation Not one had the .

boldness to enter The Cobra held the fort until a European

.

arri ved on t he scene with a shotgun Cautiously pee ri ng i n at the .

O pen doorwa y he observed the sn ake endeavou ri ng t o C li m b a

,

parti tion He entered the schoolroo m and blew i t to pieces wit h

.

a C harge of shot The rem ai ns were brought t o m e for iden tifi c a

.

t i on The Cobra measured fi v e feet eleven and a hal f i n ches

. .

The superstitious parents of the C h il dren refused to allow the m

to return to the school declaring that the Cobra s m ate was sure
,
’

to be so mewhere in hi di ng under the floor or else where i n the

building and t hat i t would issue forth to avenge it s m ate Th e
, .

school pri ncipal was i n a dile mm a The School Board Secretary .

ad v ised her to co me to me Sending a m essage t o Mr Willi am s . .

,

the s n ake catcher I asked h im to go alo ng an d search eve ry part

,

of the school He di d so but found no widow Cobra or any other

.
,

ki nd of s n ake I n stead he discovered a horde of rats which was

.
, ,

stro n g C ircu mstanti al evide n ce t here were n o snakes i nhabi ti n g

the cellars of the school Thi s i nspectio n reassured t he parents
.
,

who allowed t h eir children to return .

T hi s i nci dent occurred in Port Eli z abet h .

D E ATH F R O M C O B R A B IT E .

A sad case occurred near G raaff Rei net of the death of t he

wife of a well -known farm er fro m the bi te of a Cape Cobra .

She was walki ng i n the vegetable garden and h appened to tread ,

upon the tail of a Cobra whi ch i n stantl y bi t her o n th e ankle .

One of t he fangs punct ured an artery an d the blood spurt ed ,

out i n j ets I n fi v e mi nutes ti me she was bli nd and wi t hin

.
’
,

t en m i nutes was in a st ate of co m plete collapse She died i n .

fort y m inut es fro m t he t i m e t he sn ak e b it her S hortly after .

death the whole body t urned bl uish -bl ack This w as due t o .

mo rtifi c atio n which rapi dl y sets in aft er deat h caused by t he ,

poison dest royin g t he ant isept ic propert ies of t he blood When .

sn ake veno m ent ers t he circulat ion direct as so m e of it did i n ,

t his inst ance deat h oft e n occu rs wit hin t en m i nut es A po s t

,
.

m ort em inst ance ca m e un der m y not ice of a m an who di ed five

m in ut es aft er being bit t en on a v ein on t he back of t he han d .
1 82 TH E SN A K ES OF SOUTH AF RI CA .
FIG 79 A Ri g h l S pi tti g S k Wi th h d xp d d S h g v bi rth t 8 y u g I
— 2 A
( 7 ) n a s or n na e, oo e an e e a e o 2 o n n
l ur th y r mbl d h m th r N t wh i t b d r th r t f p r t T h i wh y th
. . .
.
. .

co o e ese e t e o e o e e an a c o ss oa o a en s is ese
k ll d R i h l
. .

s na e s are ca e ng a s

) Th l rg bl k Ri g h l r f rr d t i t xt Th i k i fi r d gg r iv It i l iv i
.

( 2 7a e a e ac n a s e e e o n e s sna e s e c e an a ess e s a e n

k g th P rt E l i b th Mu u m
. .

a sn a e ca e a t e o za e se .
 H OW ONE WAS CA PT U RED . 1 85

i n colouratio n only The typical ki nd i s bl ack above wi th

.

i rregu lar cross m arki ngs of brown The abdo men i s li vi d black .
,

wi th so meti mes a few of the S hields whi te The throat i s banded .

wi th one two o r m ore whi te or yello w i sh bands across the n eck

, ,

hence t he na me Ri ng h als which i s a D utch word m eani ng ,

-
Ri ng n eck *
A peculi ari ty of t he Ri nghals is that the abdo m en
.

is very shi ny and the back dull rough and di ngy

,
A nother , , .

vari ety i s te rm ed the Z wart R i nghals whi ch means Black ,

Ringhals The colouration i s en tirely black often wit hout any

.

trace of the white collar or transverse brown bands on the back .

I n so m e of t he speci m ens a few odd shi elds on the abdo m en are

blotched wi th whi te Thi s black vari ety att ai ns a greater lengt h
.

a n d t h i ckness tha n the for mer .

I kept a l arge speci men under careful observation and ,

i mmedi atel y i t shed i ts old ski n I re moved i t fro m i ts cage and

ex ami ned i t i n a strong light and cou nted over half a doze n of ,

t he wavy brow n m arki ngs across i ts back Wi thi n a week .

,

however t h ese faded fro m Vi ew This goes to show the typical

, .

Ri nghals i s the one wi th the wavy brown m arki ngs a n d that the ,

black o ne is a modification or variety havi ng lost i ts brown ,

marki ngs due doubtless to cli m atic con di tio n s

,
.

A t hird variety which is co mmon in t he Transvaal is unifo rm

, ,

brown above wit h s everal broad m ore or l ess irregular patches , ,

of wh it e on t he t hroat .

How C A P T U RE D
ONE WAS .

M r Go dlo n to n at Fort Beaufort Cape Co lony captured a

.
, , ,

m agni ficent speci m en of the Black Ri nghals I t m easured fo u r .

feet eleve n i nches He cam e across i t on hi s farm I t lay

.
.

bas ki ng in the su n at the entrance to a hole down whi ch i t glided ,

o n observi ng hi m He su mmoned assistan ce and after t racing

.
,

the hole for over seven feet he came across the snake about a ,

foot fro m t he s urface of t he ground He pi nned i t down wi th a .

forked sti ck an d seizing i t by the neck betwee n h is finger and

, ,

thu mb thrust i t i nto a biscui t ti n and despatched i t alive to me

,
.

I t l o oked qui te a gi an t i n co m parison wi th t he ot h er Ri nghals

in the cage For the first couple o f weeks i t fiercel y resented the
.

visi tors who peered at i t through t he plate glass of t he cage .

Fro m ti m e to ti me i t would send a S hower of veno m at the m .

I n s o m e s p ec i m en s t h i s w h it e t h r o a t b a nd is a b s e n t .
1 86 THE SNA K ES O F SOUTH AFRI CA .

which bespattered t he glass For so m e ti me i t was so fierce the .

,

assistan t was obliged to be exceedingly careful whe n O pening t he

door to re new the water i n the dri nki ng vessel for t he snake ,

would ei ther dart at h im or se n d a shower o f veno m i n t he ,

direction of hi s face .

How W E P H OT OGRA P H E D T H I S R INGHA L S .

Fi ne speci m e n that Ringhals i s sir quoth my assistan t , .

Y es rat her ! We m ust have a photograph of h im before he

,

loses his fire an d energy So I su mm o n ed my snake photo .

grapher a n d departed o n e fi n e m orni ng for t he adj ace n t veld

wi th our Ri n ghals i n a box .

The ca mera was rigged up We donned our goggles graspe d .

,

each a stick with a fork at t he e nd an d t he n released the snake , .

Out he darted and on seei ng us wi th a fe rocious series of hisses he

, , ,

faced about an d stood at bay A m ag ni fice nt S ight he was wi th .

,

his glit teri ng black eyes shi ny under surface and fully expanded
, ,

hood The n the fun began That sn ake conceived a speci al

. .

hatred for the ca m era Evi dently he considered i t t o be a m ore

.

formidable e ne my t ha n ourselves He had O fte n seen our species .

before and watched the m scuttle o ff whe n he reared and hissed .

“
The ca m era was an unknown foe I say U llyet t ! I wa n t .
,

hi m t aken as large as possible N o ' that won t do G e t .

’
.

”
‘

closer But sir won t he bi te

.
, ,
Never you m i nd about
’

t hat We will keep hi m o ff

. But we did n t Whe n Ulyett s .
’
.
’

head was hi dden under the ca mera cloth t he snake suddenly ,

dropped his hi therto raised head an d body o n to the ground ,

and m ade a charge at the photographer s legs L ook out ’

.
,

U llyett I called U llyett spri nted back wi thout loss of ti me

. .

The n t he snake changed his t actics I nstead of m aki ng short .

rushes at us he bespat tered us wi th his veno m which he sent

, ,

out i n showers finel y spra y ed We di d not mi nd for our eyes

, .
,

were safel y protected Ullyett was rather nervous after such a

.

narrow escape of being bi tten Every ti me he got h is ca m era .

near enough the snake m ade un pleasant de monstrations I

,
.

began to grow weary of i t all The t roubleso me thi n g was deter .

m i ned not t o allow us to obtai n a good photo o f i t L ook here .

,

U llyett I have a n i dea

,
Just foc us your ca mera on this sp ot
.
,

”
an d have i t ready to t ake a snap shot When the ca m era was .
F IG 80 —
( 2 8 A) pl t gl 4 by 4 f t b p tt r d Wi th v m p t by B l k
Th i s is a s h ee t o f a e a ss ee es a e e en o S a a ac
Ri g h l F w k t w ft r ptur i t t h w r f v m t v ry vi i t r Th r i
. .
,

n a s or a ee or o a e ca e, se n a S o e o en o a e e s o e e s
u g h v m g l t ki ll pp r f gl wh fr fr m v m
.
.

en o m
e no ( 8 ) Th
on ass o 1 0 0 en 2 8 e a ea a n c e o a ss en ee o en o
N t h w tr p r t i t i Th u mul t i f v m gl i t p pi tur i gr t th t
. .

o e o an s a en s e ac c a on o en o on ass n o c e s so ea a
lth u g h v r l k tum p f tr b h i d th i g f th m Wh
. ,

a o h se e a sna es b
are o n t e s o a ee e n no n c an e se e n o e en
tu ll y l ki g t th gl t b di ml y di r d Th i k g w i th
.
,

ac a h
oo n a e as s , t e c o n en ts c an e sce n e s sn a e ca e as n e

ld P rt E l i b th Mu u m
.

o o za e se .
 RAPI D SE CR ETI ON O F VEN O M . 1 89

One day I cam e across a Ri nghals out on t he vel d He .

i nstan tly reared and re m ai ned on the defensive I kept out o f .

reach o f any veno m he might spit at me an d adopting the Mun ,

goose plan began ci rcli ng arou nd h im As I m oved he turned

,
.

and faced me but after so me ti me his brai n grew di zzy wi th

,

the rapi d revolutions and Observi ng h im wobble I shielded

, , ,

my face with my hat rushed forward and captured h im

, .

H OW THE Y S P IT .

Various are the theories in regard to the nature of the fluid ,

and the manner i n whi ch i t is ej ected or spat out by the Ri ng

hals all of which are m ore or less i n correct I have had ex c ep
, .

tio n al oppor tuni ties for C losel y studyi ng sn akes and t heir habits ,

havi ng kept live snakes i n captivi ty for m any years i n N at al and ,

at the Por t Elizabeth Museu m .

I have scores of ti mes purposely irri tated our cap ti ve Ringhals

snakes and C losel y observed the m anner i n which the y ej ected
,

the fluid The flui d is n ot saliva as generall y supposed bu t pure

.
, ,

ve n o m ej ected i n two strea m s fro m t he poison fan gs Whe n the .

snake struck the glass i n the act of S pi tti ng ( see Fig the .

veno m was ej ected fro m the fangs i n two strea m s whi ch ran
down the glass but i f a couple or m ore feet awa y the veno m
, ,

would be sprayed i n a fine shower T hi s sprayi ng of the veno m .

i s acco m plished by the expulsion of air fro m t he lung sac ,

si mult aneously wi th the ej ection of the veno m fro m the fan g s .

The ai r i s expelled very forcibly and is acco m panied by a short ,

bu t loud h iss The m uscles which squeeze t he glands are

.

speciall y m odifi ed for expel ling t he veno m in s m all oft -rep eat ed
j ets an d the poison glan ds are un usually large
, .

R A P I D S EC R ETI O N OF V EN OM .

The veno m is evi dently secreted at a ver y rapid rat e w hen the
snake is enraged for I observed t hat a large Black Ri nghals dis
,

charged fi v e showers o i veno m wi t h i n as man y mi nutes For the .

first day or two of a Ri nghals capti vi t y i t spi ts at every one who

’
,

approaches A si ngle sn ake covered a sheet of plate glass four

.

feet b y four feet all over wi th veno m i n a day .

The veno m o n exposure rapi dl y hardens cracks i rregularl y , ,

and assu m es a straw -yellow colour When first ej ected i t is .

al most colourless an d is of the consi stency of glyceri ne

,
.
1 9 0 TH E SN A K E S OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

EX P ERIMENTS WITH THE V EN OM .

On m any occasions I have scraped t he ej ected ve n o m fro m

the gl ass of t he Ri nghals cage and i nj ected i t i nto ani mals I t
’
.
,

i n every case proved fat al to the m ki lli ng the m o ff as rapi dly as

i f the snake had bi t te n the m Veno m whi ch had bee n o n t he
, ,

glass i n a dry st ate for two years was foun d t o be qui te as

poisonous as fresh veno m I f t he ve n o m was kept moist for .

a short t im e it deco m posed and lost i ts toxi c or poisonous ,

properties .

AN A S T O N I S HING F ACT .

The Ri nghals is well aware of i ts spitti ng power and i ts value ,

as a weapon of defence which i s proved by t he i n tellige n t wa y i n

,

whi ch i t goes about the busi ness .

I have experi mented m a n y scores of ti m es a n d k n ow for ,

cert ai n the Ri n ghals always directs i ts ve n o m at the face of i ts

foe I t is un n ecessary t o go i n to det ai l as to all my m ethods
.

t o ascertai n this fact .

I t see ms wonderful that t he sn ake shoul d possess the in stin c

tive knowledge t hat unless t he fl ui d e n ters the eyes i t i s i n n ocuous ,

for i t has n o e ffect whatsoever upo n the u n broke n ski n Thi s .

s pi tti ng power has undoubte dly bee n evolved as a n extra we apo n

’
o f defence the serpe n t s obj ect being to bli nd i ts foe an d the n
,

m ake i ts escape .

Th e Black -necked C obra (Na ia n igrico llis) or M fesi als o ’

possesses t he power of spitt in g .

TH E E FF ECT U PO N THE EY E S .

The first e ffect of the entry of the ve no m i n to the eyes i s

i ntense s marting quic kly followed by i nfla mmatio n a n d parti al
,

or tot al bli ndness I f t he eyes are pro m ptly an d e ffici ently

.

treated the i nfla mm ation subsi des and sight i s recovered The
, .

eyes should be well washed without delay wit h m ilk wat er or , , ,

b ett er still wat er slightly coloured wi th permanganate of potash

, ,

an d oli ve castor or so me other bla n d oil dropped i n

, , I f no .

m ilk o r water be obt ai nable t he saliva shoul d be t inged pu rpl e

,

wit h a speck o r two of th e potash and rubbed i nto the e y es Be .

1 92 TH E SN A K E S OF SOUTH AFR I C A .

FIG 81 — If y w t ( 9 A) ou an
ptur v mu
. .

t o ca e a en o o s
sna k li v d if i t b
e a e, a n e
t ti v t b
o o ac d e o e n o o se
th pi i t d w by p r
en n o n ess
,

i g
n f r k d ti k
a o h e s c on t e
b k f it
ac k Ad
o s n ec
v r full y lid i g
.

an ce ca e S n
y ur h d d w th ti k
o an o n
,

e s c
u i l y r h th p
n t ou eac e re
t il S i i fi rm l y by
e e ze t
t h th r t b tw y ur
.

e oa e ee n o
fi g r
n d th u m b
e an a s see n
h r e e Wi th th th r e
,

o e
d g r p it t i l t
.

h an as s a o
p r v t it i l i g r u d
e en s co n o
,

n
h
t e ar m It i d g r u s an e o s
ll w
.

t oa m
o f k a v en o o us s n a e
t d th i
o fo if i t h ul d s, or s o
m g
an a e j r k it h d to e s ea
fr i t wi ll bi t th h d
ee , e e an
or m p rh p m y
ar e a s an
ti m b f r i tes , b
,

e o e c an e
c ast w y Th a d a e s eco n
pi tur ( 9 ) h w m r
.

c e 13 s o s o e
l rl y h w t g p
c ea o o ra s a
sn a k W h h l d i th i
e en e n s
r i t i q uit p w r
.

m an n e s e o e
l I th i i t
,

ess th
n s ns an ce e
k i Bl k v ri t y
.

sn a e s a ac a e
of Ri g h l 5 f t i
n a s, ee n
l gth wh i h h d j u t
en c a s
b een ptur d A bi t ,

ca e e
fr m th i r p ti l w ul d b
.

o s e e o e
f t l wi th i v ry h rt
a a n a e s o
sp f ti m It i w
ac e o e. s no
a uv i th e P rt E l i n e o za
b th Mu u m I
e se n n o c as e

d w r m v th f g
.

o e e o e e an s
of th k e Wh sna es en
r quir f g f
.

w e e y e an s o r an
sp i l purp w
ec a o se , e ex
tr t th m Th b u i
ac e e s ne ss
d gru v
.

is a an e o s o n e, e en
wh gr t r i en ea ca e s e xer
i d St i ppi g f
c se g t r n an s ou
r u g h m r wi t h
.

in a o an ne
a p i r f i r u u ll y
a o s c sso s s a
r ult i i j ury t t h
es s n n o e

m ut h o d j w wh i h an a c
i du b
n ce s a d th s cesse s , a n
,

e
sn ak l gu i h e d an s es an
di es .
 A R I N G HA L S FE I G N S D EATH . 1
93

TH E R ING H AL S G IV E S B I RT H 1 0 YOU N G .

The Ringhals gives bir th to young which are of the sa me ,

colour as the ad ult vi z black wi t h wav y brow n cross -bands

, . .

O ne i n the Port Eli zabeth Museu m gave birth to as m a ny as

twen t y -eight I m mediatel y after bei ng born t he young i f
.
, ,

i rri tated rear expand t heir hoods and at te mpt to bi te Their

, , , .

poison glands are active and capable of secreti ng veno m The ,

.

bi te o f a bab y Ringhals t w o hours after birth will kill a fowl .

The n u m ber of young given birth to by a large fe m ale Ringhals

varies fro m about thirty to over sixty Si xty -t hree i s the largest .

nu m ber I have known The young are produced at Port .

Eliz abeth during t he m ont hs of Jan uary February an d M arch , , .

A R INGHA L S F E IG N S D E ATH .

Ringhals are the o n l y snakes I know which actually feig n

death .I have killed captured and kept i n captivity nearly , ,

all the other South Afri can snakes but have never see n any ,

at te m pt to feig n death i n thi s way except with t his species o f ,

s n ake That the Ri nghals does S O I am certai n Mr Wi lli a ms

. . .
,

of Boo m slang fame captured an adult Ri nghals When handli ng

, .

i t the snake suddenl y becam e li m p I t was placed o n the

, .

ground an d i mmedi ately turned over and l ay o n i ts back We

, .

m oved o ff and hi d Prese n tly i t turned over on i ts abdo m en

.
,

cautiously raised i ts head looked round and then began m ovi ng , ,

o ff .We capt u re d i t a n d agai n i t feigned death We presently

, .

placed i t on the grou nd upon i ts back an d o nce m ore ,

secreted ourselves After t he lapse of five or ten mi nutes t he

.
,

snake agai n showed S igns of li fe turned over looked around , , ,

and t hen endeavoured to escape This clever ruse however i s .

, ,

not always resort ed t o Oft e n the Ringhals wi ll fight bi tterly .

to the l ast and i n captivity he 1 3 ever ready for a fight A

,
.

series o f photograph s o f a Ringhals si mulating deat h are shown

elsewhere in t his book .
*

A m edi cal correspondent wri tes me as f o llows

’
I n a fat al case of Ringhals bite where the patient coul d not ,

swallow I used whisky subcu taneously ( under the ski n ) which

, ,

only rallied the i nsensible patient s pulse for a short ti m e bu t '

A ft r b i ng i
e ptivity w ek
e n tw t h e Ri n g h l u s u lly Sh m
ca a e or o a s a a s

d t h w h n h ndl d bu t will i n t n tly bit if nyt h i ng ft b br ug h t

ea e a e ,
s a e a so e o in

nt t wit h its n e w h n gripp d by th n c k wit h fi ng r d t h u m b

co ac os e e e e e an .

0
1 94 TH E SN A K ES OF SOUTH AFRI C A .

hypoder m i c i nj ection s of o ne -t enth grai n doses of strych ni ne had

a better and more l asti ng e ffect as he see me d on the poi nt o f
,

recoveri ng consciousness After twenty -eight hours treat ment

.
’

and t hirty -o ne hours after the bite paralytic congestion o f th e ,

lungs supervened an d carried h im Off i n an hour t o the surpri se

, ,

o f the asse mbled English Dutch K ahr and Hot tentot bystan ders
, , , ,

who all averred that t he Ri nghals was not poi sonous I had n o .

”
seru m otherw i se I m ight have saved the man
,
.

TH E D EA D LY M AMB A .

( D en dra sp is ang usticeps ) .

I MAM B A B MNY AMA O R BL ACK M AM B A : I MA MB A E L U H L AZ A O R

G REEN M AM B A ( Z U L U ) .

I n N atal the most dreaded of all snakes i s the Black Ma mba ,

and a report of one bei ng in the neighbourhood se nds a thrill o f

fear t hrough people li v i ng i n t he vi ci ni t y A nd well i t may .
,

for duri ng the pairi ng season these snakes are very aggressive ,

and will at ti m es boldly at t ack an y one courageous enough to

venture i nto their haunts They often prowl aroun d the habi ta
.

tions o f man drawn t h i ther by the presence of chi ckens rats an d

, , ,

mi ce I f attacked they will S how fight an d so qui ck are their

.
,

move m ents that the aggressor m ust have all his wi ts abou t h im ,

an d be well ar med else t he C h ances are he wi ll lose hi s li fe

, .

B L ACK AND G REEN M AM B A S .

There are two vari eti es of the M amba O n e i s vivid leaf .

green the other i s olive or brownish -black However these

, .
,

S hades vary so mewhat I noticed those procured fro m t he t h i ck

.

tangled woodlands i n the m oi st valle y s were brigh t leaf-green

a bove wi th a paler shade of green or yellowi sh -green below
, , .

On the contrary I noticed the G reen M a mbas whi ch frequented

, ,

localities m ore exposed to su nlight were of a darker bluish ti nt , .

A picture fro m t he photo of the skull o f a G reen M a mba whi ch I ,

killed after keepi ng i t alive for a couple of m onths i s show n ,

elsewhere i n this volu me The characteri sti c Ma mba fangs are

.

clearly seen .

There i s no anato mical di fference between the two vari eties .

The G reen M a mba i s ofte n confounded by a m ateur n aturalists

wi th the green vari ety of the Boo m slang ( D isp h olidus typ us) or
the Eastern G reen Tree Snake ( Ch lorop h is n atalen sis) I have .

frequently kept G reen M ambas i n captivi ty for t he purpose of

 1 96 TH E SN A K ES OF SOUTH A FR I CA .

studyi ng their habi ts They are at first excee di ngly active and
.
,

evi nce a disposi tion to bite i f approached However they soon .

,

lose all spiri t an d will allow t he m selves to be freely h an dled

,

wi thout showi ng any alarm Those I kept i n capti vi ty were .

bright grass -gree n at first but gradually darkened in colour I , .

was unable to keep the m alive long e nough to ascertai n i f they

would eventual ly h ave changed t o Olive -brown or blackish The .

exi stence of a green vari ety of Ma mb a i s ei ther doubted or posi

tiv ely denied by most Colonists There i s no doubt at all of i ts .

existence I have exami ned m any Their poison fa n gs other

. .
,

t eeth an d scale for m ation were S i milar t o these disti nguishi ng

C haracters i n t he Black M amba .

I have never m et wi th t he green variety of M amba anyw here

but the coast al di stricts of N at al i n the de n se forests I n t he .

uplands of N at al and Z ululan d I have on ly see n the Black variet y .

A co ntroversy has been an d i s waged as t o whether t he , ,

G reen M a mba re m ai ns green all i t s li fe or gradually darkens i n ,

colour with age The so -called Bl ack M amba i s usually o live

.

bl ack i n colour varying i n i ts degrees of i ntensi ty So m e speci

, .

m ens are uni for mly dark olive or olive -black others have t he ti ps ,

of the scales edged with black G reen Ma mb as of all lengths up .

to eight a n d ni ne feet have been frequently observed .

On t he contrary Black M am bas have been killed whi ch

,

m easured thi rteen feet fro m n ose to ti p of t ai l I t i s al most a .

daily occurrence for Black M a mbas averagi ng eight to ni ne feet ,

i n length to be killed i n N at al Z ululand an d Transvaal

, , ,
.

G reen M ambas are always found i n the forests clu m ps o f ,

t angled creeper covered bush and wooded valleys

- *
The Bl ack ,
.

Ma mba i s ofte n found in m ore O pe n si tuations and wanders far ,

afield a n d even penetrates t he dwellings o f man I t i s quit e a

, .

co m mon occurrence for Black M ambas to be found i n the t hat ch

o f ol d farm buildi ngs or a mongst the refuse near b y drawn t here
, ,

by the presence of rats and m i ce I have several ti mes seen and .

killed Black M a mbas i n trees o n the outskirts of the forests or ,

o n branches overhangi ng beaten tracks where they lie watc h i ng ,

for rodents and other pre y but I found t he m m ore abundan tly ,

on the grou nd baski ng i n the sun o n the bare mpi ng sides o f

streams and dongas On bei ng alar med t hey rapi dly glided o ff
.
,

t o a hole i n to which t hey va n i shed

, .

T h ir f v u rit l ir s
e a o e a are th e h o ll o w i nt ri o r s
e o f o ld fo r est tr e es .
 B L AC K AN D G REEN MAM BA S . 1 97

Their habi ts V ar y accordi ng to t he nature of t he cou ntry .

I n those parts o f N atal Z ululand an d Transvaal which are , ,

covered wi th forests and where there i s an abu ndance of food , ,

t he Bl ack Ma mba rarely leaves the preci ncts o f hi s leafy ho m e ,

except for an occasional terrest ri al hunti ng excursion I n .

sparsel y -wooded districts or where the bush grows i n isolated ,

clu mps t he Black Ma mba scours t he neighbourhood for food

,
.

I t i s at these ti mes he is usually observed for i n his retreat ,

a mongst the branches o f t hick -foliaged trees i t requires a keen ,

and practised eye t o detect h im I n these si tuations hi s hidi ng .

place has frequently bee n revealed to m e b y the excited chatteri ng

of forest birds i ntent upon scoldi ng and i nti m i dati ng h im wi th
, ,

a View of getti ng h im to re m ove hi s dangerous perso n fro m t he

neighbourhood of their nests I t has n o t yet been satisfactorily .

ascertai ned what S hade of colour the young of the green variety
of Mamba prod uces I f the black an d the green varieties pai r.

i ndiscri m i nately t hen i t i s reasonable to assu me the young would

,

var y i n colouratio n so m e bei ng dark and others green However

,
.
,

i t has not to m y k n owledge bee n conclusively shown that t he

, ,

Black Mamba pairs wi th the G reen Ma m ba or whet her all t he ,

green ones are fem ales .

Mr W E Jones who collect ed M amb a veno m for research

. . .
,

purposes has freque n tly see n young Black M a m bas fro m eighteen
,

i nches to tw o feet i n length He says t hey are i nnocent ih . ,

o ffensive lit tle creat ures wi th a fine bloo m o n their tender ,

j et black s ki n s At t h i s ti m e of life t he y do not see m to reali ze

.

danger at least fro m the hu m an ani m al for t hey permi t o ne to

, , ,

i nspect t he m C losely while the y li e along a branch i ntently alert .

Doubtless they are pro m pted by t he i nsti nct which i m pels t he m

to li e i mmovable wi th t he obj ect of escapi ng detection .

A young Black Ma mba eighteen i nches long possesses veno m , ,

su fficiently strong to kill a large rat i n an hour .

For the first year they grow rapidly att ai ni ng a length O f ,

close upo n si x feet .

Mr Jones i nfor m s me he has killed M a m bas co ntai ni ng eggs

.

i n all stages of g rowth fro m t he S i ze of a pi n s head t o an i nch ,

’

and a half i n length The latter size do not nu m ber more than a
.

dozen or fourteen The eggs at t hi s stage S how on one si de a

.

black patch which i s the e m bryo i n i ts first s tage of f oet al

develop m ent .
1 9 8 TH E SNA KES O F SO UTH AFR I CA .

Mr Jones has coun ted over sixty eggs l arge and s m all i n a
.
, ,

singl e sn ake Ma mb as are very sociable several m ales and

.
,

fe m ales being frequen tly foun d i nhabi ting the sa me hollow i n th e

t ru nk of a tree a crevice a mong boulders o r a hole i n a b ank
, , .

Mr Jones tells me he has found as m any as half a dozen pairs

.

i nh abiti ng t he s am e hole He s ays t hey have no obj ection t o

.

residing beside th e true Cobras as he h as often found Black ,

Ma mbas and Cobras ( Na ia n ig ricollis) sharing t he sa m e retreat .

I have fou n d t he m at t i mes wit h ot her S pecies of snakes in t he

b roken an d aban doned hills of Ter m it es W hit e A nt s

Ho w AND WH Y THE Y C HANGE C O L OU R

THE OR Y —
A .

The fe m ale M a mb a lays i ts eggs i n hollow t ree t runks

an d i n hol es in b a nks i n the dense bush where t he young , ,

when h atched will h ave fewer n atural ene m ies than i f i n

,

m ore ope n locali ties The young t ake to the trees and would
.
, ,

m ost likely haun t the woodlands un til nearl y adult whe n the
, ,

s tr uggle for existence beco ming keener they or m any of the m , ,

woul d wander further afield for food which h ad hi therto been ,

chiefly birds their young and eggs cha meleons and o ther t ree
, ,

liza ds On leaving t he dim moist and shady forest and

r
.
, , ,

ve n turing o ut i n to t he ope n cou n try t he strong acti nic rays of ,

ligh t fro m t he su n would very soo n cause the V i vi d gree n pig men t
of the S ki n to assu m e an Olive ti n t which would subsequently ,

darken and beco m e the characteristi c colour of the Black M a mba .

I n M a mba i n fested forests in Z ululand where Black M a mb as

abound there are m any O pen b are spaces u pon which Black
,

M a mbas b ask i n the hot sun This habi t of lying exposed to the
.

strong rays of sunligh t m ight have been a contributing cause t o

the determ in ation o f their colour .

G reen especi ally the more vivid shades is rapidly acted upon
, ,

by strong white light The fresh ski n of a G reen M a mba i f placed

.
,

in a s trong ligh t will rapidly C hange to blue or Olive then to

, ,

olive -bl ack I f dried in a dark place rolled u p and packed away
.
, ,

i t will retai n i ts green colour .

I t is state d t here are m ales and fe m ales a mongst the green

and black vari eties o f M a mb as a nd that eggs h ave been found i n
,

b oth varieties .

The questio n of colouration in sn akes is a very puzzling one .

We find Mole Snakes ( P s eudaspis ca n a) of several colours So me .

are un iform shiny black o thers are reddish -brown brownish

, ,
200 T H E SN AK ES OF SO U TH AFRI CA .

or pu rplish -brown O thers are yellowish green st reaked lat erally

.
-

wit h black O thers again are uniform green

. The degrees of , .

light and shade cli m ate colouration of the surroundi ngs and
, , ,

n ature O f the diet see m the m ost likely factors i n deter m ini ng
,

this variety i n colour I t is the m ale wh ich d i ffers m ostly i n

.

co lourat ion i n t he case o f t he Boo m sl a ng .

A D I FF IC U L T P R O B L E M .

Th e diversi ty of O pi nion is very great as to whether the G reen

M a mba ch anges colour when i t attains t he full adult stage M any .

colonists assert m ost positively that the G reen M a mb a has n ever

been known to at tai n a length over ni ne feet and that n o Black ,

Ma m b a has ever been seen of a lesser length than eigh t feet .

So m e say the gree n variety C hanges colour others assert the con ,

trary while others clai m to h ave seen and killed young speci m ens
,

of both varieties H owever I usually found on i nquiry that m ost

.
,

of the O pinions were put forth without any actual knowledge .

Other persons confused di fferen t species o f sn a kes w ith the Ma mba .

A well -known gentle m an living at Sta m ford Hill Durban , ,

wri tes t o m e as follows M a m b as are generally found am o n gst

roots and rubbish especially the exposed roots of the ba mboos
, ,

which h ave been grubbed round and left after h aving been cu t
down Those I have seen have been fro m eighteen i nches
.

upwards and when disturbed will attack at once They m ake

,
.

straight for you .

M at thew Bedlington E s q of the Berea Durban says , , , ,

So m e eighteen m on ths ago I saw a young Black M a mb a abou t

five i nches i n length Colour glossy black eyes disproportion ately
.
,

large and very gli ttering Agai n only a few m onths ago I killed
, .
, ,

a young Black Ma mb a length seven i nches Abou t the sa m e ,

.

t i m e tw o Black M a mbas were killed length eight feet each I ,

.

h ave no t seen or heard o f a G reen M a m b a exceeding eigh t feet ,

”
while Black M a mbas of twelve fee t and u pwards are co mmon .

The late M r C told me that he was once out shooting

.

attended by a K a fi r when t he latter w h o happened to be so m e

,

distance i n front ran back shouting Ma m ba Baas

,
an d M r ,
.

C saw the snake C hasing t he native but owing to the , ,

m an s position h e was un able t o shoot The Ma mba reared

’
.
,

u p and s t ru ck the Kahr at the back of his neck and he shortly ,

afterwards died I m erely men tion this i nciden t as proof of the

.
 A D I FFI CU L T PROB L EM . 2 0 1

stat em en t that a Black Ma mb a will ch ase a person (The .

gentle man referred to was a pro m inen t ci tizen of Pi netown ,

N atal ) .

M r W A L u t m an of D urban writes : I h ave had con

. . .
, ,

side rab le experience wi th Ma m bas i n m y various shooting ex

peditio n s being bit ten on one occasion by a G reen Ma m ba and

, ,

on several occasions I have killed Black M a m bas under si x feet

long I t is q uite true that the G reen M am b a when aged turns
.
,

colour but not anything like the colour of the Black M a mba
,
.

The colour is so mething l ike steel blue such as is seen on clock ,

spri ngs turning as the snake gets older to dark n avy blue but
, , , ,

only along the back the sides retai ning su fficien t green to dis ,

tin g u ish the snake The n atives assert that both the Bl ack and .

the G reen M a m ba o n at taining a cert ai n age develop a crest of

, ,

feathers on their heads For this I cannot vouch I have shot . .

both green and black the las t G reen M am b a that I shot

m easured nine feet two i nches and was j ust t urn ng steel blue at
i -
,

the back of its neck no S ign of feathers The last Black Ma mb a .

I shot m easured seven feet four i nches and was I believe l aying , , , ,

or had already laid eggs because i t chased me and i t w as only , ,

by a lucky shot that I was prevented fro m being bitten .

M r H W Bell -Marley of D urban who is a keen observer

. . .
, , ,

and who has h ad m uch experience of M a mb as says The first ,

signs of this sn ake losi ng his green coat is between eigh t and nin e
feet when i nstead of his bei ng brown he is of a greenish -brown
, , ,

colour which Soo n changes as he ages to black I think when he

, .

is eleven feet i n length he is what we m ight ter m an adul t or at ,

”
his largest di m ensions .

H W Ja m es Esq of Z w elle Estate Verula m N atal say s :

. .
, .
, , , ,

I have lived for m any years i n this part of N atal which is fully ,

supplied wi th M a mb as My paren ts h ave also resided here s ince .

the early S ixties I can certainly state both fro m hearsay and
.
,

also fro m m y o w n experience t h at M a m bas of the green variety ,

grow to a l arge size and I h av e m ysel f shot on e over ni ne feet i n ,

length and m y parents killed one i n the early days which when
, ,

m easured proved to be fifteen feet long , As regards Black .

M ambas a few years ago I found a newly-hatched lot of j us t one

,

dozen and as l ately as J anuary of this year

, when cu tting
cane killed one nine feet long and a few m inu tes l ater w ith in a
, , ,

”
V ard or two killed a young o n e of about tw o feet long
,
.
 20 2 TH E SNA KE S OF SO U TH AFRI CA .

A D I S TRICT N ATI V E C OMMI S S I ONER ’

S EV I D ENCE .

John L K night Esq Distri ct N ative Co mmissioner Distri ct

.
,
.
, ,

No 1 N atal writes m e the follo w i ng i nteresting and see mi ngly

.
, ,

convi ncing let ter : The individual habits and characteristics

of the Black and G reen varieties of M a mbas are so disti nct ,

nu m erous and m arked as to leave no m anner of doub t i n my

, ,

mi nd whether the G reen M a mb a ever changes and beco mes a B lac k

M a mb a The G ree n M amb a spends t he m ost of i ts li fe i n th e
.

boughs of trees and I cannot c all to m ind e v er h aving seen one

,

on t he ground un til killed On the other hand I have never

,
.
,

seen a Bl ack M a mb a i n a tree .

I have probably killed or seen ki lled as m any of each , ,

variety as any person in South Afri ca having lived in M amb a ,

country practically all my life I have killed or see n k illed .

, ,

Black Ma mbas measurin g about e ighteen i nches in length up t o

fully twelve feet and the only di fference i n colour is that th e full
,

grown creature is S lightly deeper bl ack .

On th e other hand I have had the sa m e experiences with ,

G reen M a mb as the l atter h owever never reaching so great a

, , ,

length as t he Black — say not m ore tha n eight feet to ni ne fee t .

I n t his case also the only di fference i n the colour bei ng that the
larger ones are a S lightly deeper gree n than the young ones .

When both black and gree n have rece n tly sloughed thei r ,

colour is brighter and approxi m ates nearer to the young of each

,

vari ety I h ave see n and had m any cases of M a mba bi te by

.

both varieties co m e under m y notice— the bi t ten consisting for

t he most part of n atives wi th a few Europeans and also ani m als
, , ,

such as horses and cattle When the bite has been by th e Bl ack .

Ma mba the resul t is al most i nvariably fatal When by the G reen .

M a mb a i t is seldo m i f ever fatal There is a so m ewhat mythical

, , ,
.

s n ake i n N at al and Z ululand known to the natives as I n dh lo n h lo , ,

said to have a feather i n its head Europeans believe this to b e .

only a very old Black M a mba whose head has beco me tinted ,

wi th a grayish powdery pig ment which at a distance gives the , ,

optical delus ion of a feather .

A Durban l ady whose father was an enthusiastic a m ateur

,

n aturalist a nd whose special hobb y was the collection of speci m ens

,

of sn akes preserved i n spi ri t and who n aturally was well acquai n ted ,
2 0 4 TH E SNA KES O F SOUTH AFRI CA .

the origi n of the belie f of the feather -crested snake I t would .

,

I suppose whe n the snake raised i ts head S pread i nto a file

, , ,

gi v ing h im the appearance o f wearing a feather The snake when .

casting his ski n had been u nable to rid hi m sel f of the neck -skin ,

and this had accu mul ated for years I t m ust h e so meti mes a .

source of great annoyance to the owner m aking h im V icious I ,

.

showed the natives this skin but they would no t b e convi nced ,

about i ts being an expl anatio n of the feather business They .

told me t heir fathers wouldn t kill the M a mba as i t would have ’

provoked the wrath of the m ig hty U m tag ati ( G od ) .

This expl anation of M r M arley s see m s to offer a fairly reason .

’

able explanation but i t is no t I think the one which accounts

, , ,

for this widespread belief a m ongs t the nat ives of the existence
of a Crested M a mb a .

M r W F Jones is a gentle m an who has lived for years i n

. . .

those parts of Z ululand m ost frequen ted by Black M a mbas H e .

has hunted the m daily for the purpose of collecti ng their veno m
for scientific purposes H e has been responsible for the deat h s
.

of m any hu ndreds He wri tes me as follows . I t m ay not be

generally k nown but Black M ambas have the power of apparently
,

i nflati ng the greater portio n of the body and neck The neck is .

not distended i n the m anner of the Cobra fa m ily but the sides ,

appear to b e co m pressed t ogether so that when seen straigh t on ,

t his section of the body presents the appearance of a n arrow

ridge When viewed sideways i t gives th e creature w ith i ts
.

very s m all head a grotesque appearance The full distension i s .

rarely resorted to I t m oves deliberately and even awkwardly

. ,

and qui te unlike i tsel f whe n the distension is co m plete an d i t ,

would be a very dangerous proceeding to m olest o n e at such

ti mes A nine to twelve foot M ani ba at this ti m e looks twice i ts
.

usual girth and is a s tartli ng obj ect Before there is ti me t o

,
.

recover fro m the surprise the sn ake has achieved i ts purpose ,

,

and vanished This is m erely a te m porary ruse to cover retreat

.

over ground exposed to the V iew of an i ntruder The mo m en t .

the snake is out o f S igh t the b ody assu mes i ts usual outli ne and ,

ei ther glides o ff rapidly or re mains perfectly still and intensel y,

vigilan t Undoubtedly the snake wishes you to believe i t has

.
,

gone t o ground and i t is safest that you should so believe and

,
,

cross i t no m ore for that day Though i t is a co m paratively .

rare occurrence for the Black M a m b a to assu m e this guise the ,

 K I LL ED B Y A B L AC K MAM BA . 2 0 5

fact m ust frequently have been observed by the Z ulu who has ,

m istaken t he se mblance of size for t he bodily reality This is .

su fficien t to account for the ex

aggeration they betray when
recoun ting their experiences o f
these reptiles .

M r Jones explanation see m s

.
’

to explai n satisfactorily the

origi n of the belief i n Crested
M ambas .

I have killed and been present

at the killing of m any but have ,

not been fortun at e enough to

witness the pheno m enon de
scri bed by Mr J OH CS H O“CV CI F I G 8 4 S kull d p i ‘
pp r tu f — an o so n a a a s o
g r v ri t y f M m b ( D d pi
7 . .

' .
,
a ee n a e o a a en ra s s

I not i ced that on e wh i ch I kept g tw p ) Th M mb h du pl i an us e s e a a as

t p ir f f g P gl d
.

ca e a s o an s o rso n an is
b h i d th y I t i td
.
0

I ll capt i v i ty when 1 rr1 ta ted s een e n e e e s c o n nec e

W i th th b f th f g by tu b
.

, ,
e ase o e an a e or

assu m ed th i s flattened appear du t c .

ance to a certain degree .

The Boo m slang h as a so m e w hat si m ilar habit When .

unusually excit ed i t dilates its throat considerably giving the

, ,

head a weird and uncanny appearance I n the Addenda at the .

e nd o f the book photo s recen tly t aken S how this won derful
,

pheno menon .

K I L LE D B Y A BL ACK M A MB A .

So m e of the favo uri te resting places of Ma m bas are the

branches of thick f oliaged trees Ent wining the m selves a mongst
.

the twigs they lie perfectly still They frequently select branches
.

of trees overhanging the K afi r paths w h ich wi nd through the

forests i n various directions These K afi r paths are m ade by the
.

n atives who always walk single file They are m erely tracks
,
.

worn by the feet of the natives Many a n ative has met his .

death by bei ng bi tten on the head neck or shoulders whilst , ,

passing under a branch i n the fo liage on which one of these

veno m ous snakes lay concealed .

One day when out buck -hunting I w a s leisurely riding along

, ,

a K afi r pat h in the outskirts of a forest when suddenly a black ,

streak shot out fro m a clu mp of stunted bush a few yards ahead ,

and next i nst ant I s aw i t w as a great Black M a m ba and that i t ,

h ad buried its fangs up t o t he hilt i n a burly Z ulu s bare shoulder

’
.
20 6 TH E SNA K ES OF SO U TH AFR I CA .

The n ative wi th a hoarse yell bounded i nto t he air fell

, , , ,

recovered hi m sel f and rushed away at full speed down the path
, .

M aking a detour to avoid t he s nake I ca me upo n the man t en ,

,

mi nutes l ater i n the throes of death , .

N aturally i n all cases death would no t have bee n so st artlingly

,

sudden but the man received a full bi te i n the shoulder-muscles

,

by a large and V igorous snake an d ru n ning at such great speed ,

the blood coursed wi th t re m endous rapidi ty through his blood

vessels and quickly carried the veno m to every part
, .

Another day hen out o n horse back away i n the wilds of

w -
,

N atal I not iced a m ove m en t i n a large tree overhead and detect ed

, ,

a G reen M a mba M ovi ng further away I sen t a ch arge of No 6

.
, .

shot at h im Down he tu mbled o n to the grass bu t al as my

.
,

favouri te terrier dog darted forward at the wounded s nake and ,

was i nstantly bitten i n the S ide I quickl y killed the reptile and .
,

attended to the dog bu t in spit e of every e ffort to save his life , ,

he di ed i n fifteen mi nutes .

The M am b a does not deliberately t ake u p a position i n a branch

overhanging a K a h r path with the i ntention of viciousl y biti ng
so m e u nwary passer-b y H e is ei ther there with t he purpose of .

sunni ng hi m sel f to escape fro m the terrible closeness of the fores t

,

air on a hot su mm er s day or wi th the Obj ect of watching out for

’

a m eal These K a fir paths are m uch frequented by s m all rodents

.

and forest birds and i t is these which the M a mb a is anxious t o

,

secure for a m eal N aturally i f lying concealed a mongst the .

,

fol iage of a low branch an d i i suddenly aroused fro m slu m ber or , ,

approached too closely or actually brushed against when he is ,

lying wide awake and i n ten t u pon watching for prey the Ma mb a
, ,

will strike .

The stroke is i nvari ably fatal for i t is received usually upon ,

the head n eck or shoulders

, ,
.

A favourit e position assu m ed by the Black M a mb a w hen

sleeping is a coiled -u p attitude u pon so me twigs with the head
, ,

tucked away u nder or between one or two folds of the body I n .

t h is posi tion i t will lie for hours relying upon i ts protective ,

colouration t o escape detect ion A t t hese ti mes i t m ay easily .

be approached and secured alive wi th a large butterfly net i f ,

t he branch should happen to be i n a si tuation easy of silen t

appro ach an d su fficien tl y n ear to the grou nd The slightes t
,
.

vibrati on of the branch or the cracking of a twig will cause it ,

2 08 T HE SN A KES OF SO UTH AFRI CA .

and a couple of trusty Z ul u ser v ants to go right i nto the wilds , ,

away fro m all civili z ation and li ve surrounded by N ature and , ,

stud y the ways of her o

.

S O great is the dread of the M a mba in the native m i nd th at ,

i f one be know n to i nhabi t any p articul ar local ity few i f any , , ,

n atives will venture t here I n fact a wide detour is always .

,

m ade As a general rule the m ore we learn about snakes and

.
,

their ways the less fear we have o f the m This is usually not so
, .

with the M a m ba The m ore on e learns of his ways the greater.

,

grows the dread of h im H e wi thou t doub t is the king of snakes .

, ,

in South Africa For quickness aggressiveness and the dea dly

.
, ,

n ature of his veno m he has no equal , .

After tw o or three encou nters wi th large Black Ma mb as I ,

learned to be wary I found that even a gun was not always a.

protectio n so quick an d sinuous were h is m ove m en ts A Black

, .

M am b a should never be attacked i n the bush or long grass I .

have frequently st artled M a m bas out o f a n ap on the K afi r pat h s

i n the bushy parts of N at al So m eti mes they would glide o ff .

an d away i nt o t he undergrowth but as likely as not the M a m ba ,

would slide up a shrub at the S ide of the path and re m ai n o n the ,

defensive I f a stone be t hrown at h im or if h e be wounded he

.
, ,

will as likely as not m ake straigh t at h is aggressor and with

, , ,

body raised bite h im ,

.

I on ce lost a Z ulu servan t i n this way H e had lost m ost o f h is .

superstitious fear of M a mbas having been with me o n m any ,

expedi tions and wi tnessed nu m bers o f these reptiles being ki lled

, .

Disregarding the advice of the other n atives he ventured up a ,

kloof i n search of a duiker buck which was seen to enter H e .

c a m e back foa m ing at the m outh and gasping out the word
, ,

M a mb a and pointing to the upper part of his thi g h he was

, ,

seized wi th terrible convulsions and died I mourned for long .

over this boy for he was so t rue so brave so si m ple so d evoted

, , , , .

For there is no savage upo n the face of t he earth to equal a real

u ncivilized Z ulu of the kraal type unst a ined and free fro m the ,

degrading and soul -blig h ting i nfluences of the lower s tratu m of

hu mani ty o ften i nhabiting towns .

The quickness o f m ove men t grace and ease with which the , ,

M a mba glides about i n h is n ative habitat is very lucidl y su mm ed

u p by Mr \V F Jones o f Z ululand
. . The Ma mba is essentially
.
, .

partial to trees and thorns m ak e n o di fference to the ease o f i ts

, ,
 A FA RM E R S E X TRAORD I NA R Y E X PE RI EN CE ’
. 2 0 9

m ove ments Our large dongas are m at ted i n places wi th a

.

dense network o f bra mble -like growths which extend search ,

in gly i n long sinuous branches which are studded with

, ,

for m idable thorns curved li ke t h e claws of a cat Whatever, .

road he elects t o t ake whether on the top or along and ,

through this cruel m aze of brake i t is the sa me to this graceful ,

creature To see a startl ed M a mba m aking for his ho m e along

.

the crown of one of these thickets is a m arvel of perfected

move m ent The s m all head wi th its full pro minent eyes the
.
, ,

long body partially raised and sweepi ng fro m side to side with a
,

forward throw so swift and sudden as to bewilder one i nto

,

believing that the creature is bounding along with ten -feet gaps
between the curves And as the t ail disappears into the dark .

cavi ty edging the donga there follows i mm ediate stillness and ,

peace But on the first sun ny day we steal along wi th a gun

.
, ,

charged wi th No 6 shot and m idway i n the passage ho m e .

,

this ti m e there is a sharp decisive pause We are using s m okeless .

powder and wi thout t aking the eye o ff the li ne of the b arrels

, , ,

the light ni ng tu rn of the head can be followed as i t darts viciously

back at the gaping wound halfway down the body Realizing .

its i m potence i t strikes hither and thi ther at leaf or branch

,
.

I n a few m o m ents we see the j aws opening widely the writhe of ,

the contorted b Ody showing the clean whit e bell y and w e know ,

that the end of so much beauty and m enace has co me .

A F ARMER ’
S EX TRA O R D INAR Y EX P E R IENC E .

M r T Braithwaite scur h ad ( says the Na ta l Witn ess) a

. .
,
.
,

most re m arkable experience a t his far m G racelands in Muden , ,

o n Wednesday last To have a sn ake u p the leg of one s trousers .

is a m ost u nenviable experience and to stand perfectly cal m and ,

still while i t re m ained i n such close proxi mi ty w as an act of

a m a z ing presence of m ind The story is best related i n M r .
.

’
Braithwaite s own words
I sent two n atives to clear an i rrigation furrow with sickles .

They returned after the l apse of about one hour and i nfor med me ,

that they were afraid to conti nue working there as they had seen ,

a large green M amb a i n the vicinity I took my D B and wen t .

.

back wi th the m .

We searched so m e ti m e without success the grass and o ther ,

2 10 TH E SNA K E S OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

herbage being very long an d luxurious when suddenly I fel t a ,

great co mmotion in my left trouser leg and knew at once that a ,

sn ake was there Another s nake at the sa me t i me darted away

.

fro m my feet .

The o ne i n my trousers went up as far as the pocket and

'

then turned downwards I could see by the S hape i t gave m y .

trousers and feel by i ts strength t hat i t was no s m all one

, , .

I kept perfectly still and called to a n ative who w as a safe ,

distance away to co me and catch hold of the snake s tail and j erk ’

i t out But he would no t co m e The snake t hen poked i ts

. .

green s nout and shining eyes out below my trousers On looking .

at i t I discovered that I was t reading on i t about a foot fro m t he

end of i ts t ai l .

I ge n tly raised my foot and t he reptile i mm ediately glided ,

away and so quickly that I c ould not ge t a shot although my

, ,
’

g u n was at the ready .

We afterwards fou nd and sho t o ne of the two s nakes a ,

greyish -green M a mb a abou t five and a half feet long but , ,

W hether i t was the one who had worn the m aister s breeks I ’

,
’

”
cannot say .

The following appeared i n t he E astern P rovin ce H erald ,

June 2 7 th 1 9 1 1 ,

Y OU NG S U RVE Y O R ’
S S AD D E ATH .

The m any friends of M r Claud Moller who so .

,

ably pl ayed full b ack for the G ardens Rugby Footb all Club ,

Capetown were grieved to hear Of his death fro m the bi te of a

,

M a mba The sad even t occurred so m e sixty m iles fro m Malapyre

.
,

Bechuan alan d and de tails o f the occurrence h ave j ust co me

,

to h and .

M r Moller left Capetown for Rhodesi a so m e two m onths back

.
,

o n a surveying trip as assistan t t o M r Hector M Shaw G overn

,
. .
,

ment L and Surveyor O n Sunday the 1 1 th i ns t he and M r

.
, , .

Shaw were sitting at a ca m p t able alongside of the wagon wri ting ,

letters Y oung Moller had j ust finished a letter to his mother

.

when he heard a shot fired close to the ca m p K nowi ng that the .

n atives were i n search of ano ther buck the ski n of which would ,

co mplete the required nu mber to m ake a kaross which he wanted ,

Mr Moller folded th e let ter wi th the re m ark to M r Sh aw :

. .
2 12 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

being so m eti m es several feet Off the ground When a bush fire .

is raging M a m bas m ay be seen escaping i n this way at a swi ft

pace Viewed at a distance they see m to be gliding over the
. ,

t ops of the long grass and l ow S hrubs Cases are on record of .

men being bi tten as high up as the thigh when m ounted on ,

horseback .

D I S TRI B U TI O N .

The M a mba ( D en drasp is angu sticeps) is abundant throughout

the wooded dist ricts of N at al Z ululan d Eastern Transvaal , , ,

British Bechuan alan d Rhodesia and West C entral and East , , , ,

Africa .

Another speci es of M a mba h as recently been discovere d i n

the Transvaal by D r G ough I t is na m ed D endraspis M amba
. . .

This m akes two species found i n South Africa .

N O TE M W A C m pb ll f th N a t l S ug r E t t s L td h
.
— r
. . . a e o - e a a s a e , .
, as
i n f r m d m t h t t w du lt G e M m b s w r r c n tly ( 1 9 1 9 ) kill d
o e e a o a r en a a e e e e e
w h il i t h ac t f c pul ti n g A l t h t Mr I nn i o f th e B r kill d a
e n e o o a . so a . s e ea e

B l k M mb
ac a d a Gr een M m b u n d r Si m il r ir u m t n
a an a a e a c c s a c es .
 C H A P TE R V I I .

TH E P R O TEROG LY P HA O R F R O N T -F ANGE D S N AKE S .

( S O L E NOG L Y P H A J
F A MI L Y V .
—
V I P E R I D }E .

A D D ER S V I P E R S
,
AN D P I T-V I PE R S .

TH E Viper fam ily of snakes wit h one or tw o exceptions are , ,

di fferent i n appearance to those of the Colubrine fa mily to which ,

FIG 85 —Th e il f -i
e s ze h ea d an d p i f g f th t ypi l vip r
o so n an s o e ca e o f S uth Afri
o c a , v iz

P u ff A dd r ( B m
. . .

th e e t ) s a n e an s .

the Cobra belongs They have fi a t heads usually more or less tri
.
,

angular bodies thick and plu mp a n d t ails short All are veno mous
, ,
. .

2 I3
2 1 4 TH E SN A KE S o r SOUTH A FRI CA .

Apart fro m the ou tward for m th e Viperine snakes di ffer fro m ,

the Co lubrin es i n t he form ation of the upper j aw bones The .

maxillary bones i n which t he fangs are set are m obile allowing ,

erection and depression of the poison fangs which are large , ,

recurved and hollow like the needle o f a hypoder m ic syri nge , .

B ehi nd the fro nt fangs several duplicate sets of fangs are stowed
away graded i n size down to m ere specks These are the Vi per s
,
.
’

reserve set o f w eapo n s I f the fron t active pair of fangs be

'

s h ed or lost accident ally th e first pair of the reserve set t ake their ,

place and beco m e con nected with the ducts co mmunicating

,

with the poison glands The supply of these reserve fangs is .

i ndefinite If those which are visible are re moved o thers develop

.
,
.

N U M B ER S AND D I S TRI B U TI O N .

-
There are abou t forty tw o species of Vi pers and sixty-four ,

s pecies of what are known as Pi t -Vipers The Vi pers i nhabi t .

Afric a Europe and Asia The Pi t -Vi pers are unknow n i n Afric a
,
.
,

but occu r all over Southern Asia Central and South A m erica , .

The Rattle -snakes of A merica are Pi t -V ipers They are term ed .

such because of a pair o f deep pi ts i n the fore part of the head ,

between the eyes and n ostrils The Pi t -Vi pers are classified .

under the Sub Fa mily Crot alin ae

-
I n South Africa we have .

t en speci es or ki nds of Vi pers .

Y N O P S I S O F TH E G E N E R A
S .

G E N US CAU S U s — H ea d di s ti nc t fro m n ec k c o v er ed wit h sy m metri c a l

.
,

s h i eld s ; n o s tril b e tw een t w o n a s a l s a n d t h e i n t e r na sa l ; l o r ea l

presen t ; eye m o d era t e with r o u n d pupil sep a ra t ed fro m t h e , ,

l a bi l by sub o c ul
a s S c l s sm o o t h o k e l d with pi l
a rs . a e r e e , a ca

pit bliqu e s, o th id es i 1 5 to 2 r o w s ; v n tr l s r o u nd ed
on e s , n 2 e a .

T il : sh o rt su b - au da ls i t w o ro w s o r i ngl e
a ,
c n s .

G E N US B I TI s —H e d v ry d i ti nc t fro m n c k c o v ered with s m ll im

. a e s e , a

b i te s al s ;
r ca ye m o d er t
c er a th er sm ll with v rti a l
e a e or a ,
e c

pupil p a r t d fro m th l bi a l s by s m all sc a l s ; n tril s

, se a e e a e os

dir c t d upw rd
e e upw rd s d o u tw a rd pi er c d i a s i ngl e
a s, or a an s, e n

d ivid d n l wit h d p pit

or e p c k t b v c l d by
a sa , a ee or o e a o e, o se a

v lvul r c
a t i
a s upr a n s l
, P o tfr o n t a l b o n e v ry l rg
re sc en r c a a . s e a e,

i c o n ta c t wit h
n th e c tO p t g o id w h i h h as n o ut r h k e er , c a e ,
oo

s h a p d pr o e S c l s k l d wit h pi a l pit s i 2 2 t o 4 I r o w s
c ess . a e ee e , a c ,
n

l t r l s al es i so m sp i s lig h tly o bliqu e v entral s r u nd d

a e a c n e ec es o e .

T il v ery h o rt u b -c u d l i t w ro w s
a s s a a s n o .

G E N US A TRAC TAS P I S —P 0 i s n f ng s no rm o u sly d v l o p d ; a f w t t h

. o a e e e e e ee

o thn p l ti n s no ne f t h pt ryg id H d sm ll o t di
e a a e , o e e o s . ea a , n s

ti nc t fr m n k c o v r d wit h l rg sy mm tri c l sh i ld N o stril

o ec , e e a e e a e s .

b tw n t w o n a l s ; o l o r l E ye m i nut wit h r o u nd pupil

e ee as n ea . e, .

P tfro n t a l b o ne a b sen t B dy c yli ndri c l S c l s s mo th

os . o a . a e o ,

wit h o ut pit i I 7 t 3 7 r o w s v n tr l r o u nd d T il sh o rt
s, n o e a s e . a .
2 1 6 TH E SNAKES OF SO UTH AFRI CA .

bliqu e d rk s tr k b hi n d t h y ; l bi l u u lly d a rk
an o a ea e e e e a a s s a
dg d ; l o w r p a rt y ll o w i sh w h it o grey u ifo rm r th
e e e s e e r ,
n , o e
sh i ld dg d wit h bl c k
e s e e a .

Av r g e l en gt h
e a f eet — 2 .

D i stributi o n— A11 v r S o ut h Afri c a N o rt h to Tr o pi c a l Afri c a

o e .

2 . CAUSUS D E F I I L I P P I I Snouted Nigh t Adder Snoet Nach t Adder ( Gesnoet

. .

Nach t Adder ) .

Sy no n y m H t d d fi llippii C u us ro t tu
s— e ero on e a s s ra s .

C o l o ur Gr y o bro w n a b o v v rt br a l r gi o n d a rk r wit h a seri es

— e r e, e e e e ,

o f l a rg e r h o m b id l o V-sh p ed d rk br o w n p o t s ; a l a rg e
o a r a a s
-sh p d d a rk br o w n m a rki n g o th e o iput t h e p o i n t o th
A a e n cc ,
n e

fro nt l ; a o bliqu d rk tr k b h i n d th ye ; upp r l bi l

a n e a s ea e e e e a a s
d ark dg d ; y ell o wi sh w h it e b nea t h u ni fo r m o r wit h s m ll
e e e , , a
greyi sh -br o w n p t s s o .

Av ra g l ngth 1 fo t 6 i n h s
e e e — o c e .

D i s tributi o n Griqu l a n d — N t l Z ulul n d Tr nsv a l S ut h er n

a a a a a a o

R h d e i a E a st d C entra l Afri c a
o s an .

FIG 87 — Th e p i u Nigh t D m Add r ( C

o so n o s or e on e a us us rh o mbealus)
Nt h r t ri t i ri gul r bl ki h m rk d
. .
.

o e th e c a ac e s c t an a ac s a on its h ea .

G E N US B I T I S .

S ix S pec ies i n S o u th Af ric a .

E CI E K E Y TO TH E S P S .

N o stril s direc t ed upw a rd s ; sc al s i 3 1 to 4 1 r o w e n s B itis a rieta n s .

N tril dir c t ed upw a rd s d o utw a rd s sca l es i 2 1

os s e an n
t 3 r w S upr c ul a r r egi o n o t r i d wit h
o 1 o s . ao n a se ,

t h o r n -lik e s
ou l s b -c d l w ll d ev el o p d ca e su au a s e e
d sm t h i b o t h s xe
an oo O ut r o w f l es
n e s . e r o sc a
m th s oo B itis peri ng ueyi .

S m a t h f r me r x c pt t h t ut r o w o f c l e
e as e o e e a o e r s a s a re
k l d ee e i
B tis a tro pos .

S u pr ul r r gi n r i d wit h o ut h o r n-li k sc l s ;
ao c a e o a se , e a e
b -c a d l w ll d v l o p ed
su u d s mo o t h in b t h
a s e e e an o
s x s e e B itis in o rn ata .
 N UM BERS AN D D I STR I BUTI ON . 2 1 7

S upr ao c ul r r gi o
u u lly with h rn-lik
a e l ;
n s a o e sc a es

b -c u d l
su i af m l m ll a d sc l e-lik
a s, n e a es , s a n a e,

mo r l edi ti n tly k l d
or ess Tw o mo re s c ee e or
m ma
.

supr ao rbit l h r n s a o B iti s co .

S upr o rbi ta l r gi o n wit h n ly

a h o r n lik
e r t sc al e o o ne - e e ec .

S o m ti m s it i e o t pr nt e s n B itis es e c a u da li s .

I B ITI S A E TANS Puff Adder Pof Adder

. RI . .

S yn nym Vip m
o i t s C bm l ch i Cl th o ri t
e ar e ans o a es s o a e ans E c h idn a
a rieta n s .

C l ur Y ll o w p l br w n
o o — e ra ng e b v m rk ed with r gul r
,
a e o , or o a o e, a e a

h vr o n- h p d d a rk br o w n o
c e s bl k b a r s p i n ti ng b kw rd
a e r ac o ac a s,

bl k wit h o r ng o y ell o w m a rki n g ; l rg d rk bl o t h

or ac a e r s a a e a c

o v eri n g t h
c c ro wn p r t d fr m m ll r i n t er o rbit a l bl t c h
e ,
se a a e o a s a e o

by tr n v r y ll o w li n ;
a a sbliqu d rk b n d b l o w
e se ed e an o e a a e , an

a n th r b h i n d t h
o e y ; y ll o wi h w h it e b n
e t h u n if r m o e e e e s e ea ,
o ,
r

with sm all d rk sp o t s a .

Av r g l ngth — 2 f t 6 i n h s to 3 f t Att i ns l ngth f 5 f et

e a e e ee c e ee . a a e o e .

D i s tributi o n All p rt s o f S o uth Afri c

— N o rth w rd s t h ro ug h Tro pi c l
a a . a a

Afri c t o Ar bi a a a .

2 . B I TI s P eringuey s Adde
P E R I NG U E Y I .
’
r .

Syn ny
o m — Vipem perin gu eyi .

C l ur
o o — Pa el bu f f orgr n i ee liv b v wit t r l n gitudi n l
sh o e a o e h h ee o ,
a

ri
s e es o f gr y e bl ki
or ac p tsh ut r
s o s ll r n l i ng
th e o e o ce a , e c o s ,
a

w it
h e ce n tr e ; dh ea ti wit
s o m e m es trid n t
h a p d d rk
e -sh a e a

ma irk ng r w n f ll w d by r
o n th e c o o o e l rg rki ng
a c o ss a n d t w o a e ma ,
s

iput w iti b n t wit

o n th e o c c h sh e ea h ll d rk p t
h sm a a s o s ,
.

Av r g l n gt
e a e e f t
h— I oo .

D si tributi n K l ri
o — a ah a ut W t Afri
S o h - es A ng lca o a .

3 . B u s ATR O P O S B erg Adder . .

S yn n ym
o C l b s—
t p C bm o ut p Vip m tropo C l th
er a ro os o a ro os e a s o o

a tro po s E c h idn a a tro po s .

C o l o ur r wn -B o gr yi h bro w n b v with f ur l ngitudi n l ri

or e s a o e, o o a se es

f l rg
o d a rk br w n bl c k d w h it dg d p t f rm d b y
a e o , a an e e e s o s, o e

th br ki n g up i n t o t w f th tw
e ea ri f u b ir ul r sp t o o e o se es o s —
c c a o s
o n ti n u u
a c i n t rrupt d w h iti h tr a k ru nn i ng b tw e n
o s or e e s s e e e ,

d divi di n g th
an p ts e h id f t h b ac k a d n th r
e s o on ac s e o e ,
n a o e

l o w er d o w n th s id s tw l rg d rk m rki ng s o th h d
on e e o a e a a n e ea ,

fr o m th n p t o b tw n t h y ; e a bliqu e ligh t d rk
e e ee e e es an o , ,
a

dg ed s tr k fr o m b h i n d th eye t th m o ut h ; b lly gr y
e ea e e o e e e or
bro w n p tt ed wit h d a rk er
, s o .

Av ra g l ngt h — 1 fo t 6 i n h
e e e o c es .

D i s tributi n B o t h pr o vi c
o — f C p e C o l o n y ; B s ut o l a n d ; Griqu a n es o a a

l n d O ra nge F r S t t
a N t l Z ulul n d Tr nsv a l ee a e a a a a a .

4 . B TI s I N O RN ATA
I Th e Cape Puff Adder . K aap Pof Adder .

S y no n y m — E h id s i m t c Vip m t p id s na Vip m i m t
no a a e a ro o e e no a a .

C l ur— V ri bl
o o a a e .

A D rk y ll wi sh -br w n b v wit h f i n t tr ac e o f d rk r m rki n g

. a e o o a o e, a s a e a s,

br w n i h -y ell o w b n e t h wit h f w d rk d t ; h d m rbl d

o s e a , a e a o s ea a e

wit h d rk br w n a o .

B B ro wn bo v
. with t w d r l ri s o f d rk br o w n bl a k -edg d
a e, o o sa se e a ,
c e
sp o t s .

C R ddi h br w n b o v m rk d as i B iti c m m
. e s o a e, a e n s o a .

Av r g l ngt h 8 i n h s
e a e e — 1 c e .

D i s tributi o n B o t h pr o vi n c es o f C p e C o l o n y
—
( V ry u nc o mm o n ) a . e .
2 1 8 .
TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

5 . C O RN U TA Hornsman Horned Adder Hoorn sman

Bm s . or .

y n n y m Vip m m m Vip m m t C t
S o s— t Cl th
e co a e ar a a era s es c o rn u a o e
t ; C t l ph ph y
c o rn u a era s es o o r s .

C l ur— Gr yi ho o r d di h br w n b v wit h d rk br w n p t ft n
e s or e s o a o e, a o s o s, o e
dg d wit h w h i ti h di p d i t h r
e e f u r l ngitudi n l ri s , s o se n ee o r o o a se es ,

wit h wit h u t ligh t p o t b tw n t h m ; h d wit h m r

or o s s e ee e ea o e or
l di ti n t y mm tri l m rki ng
es s s bliqu d rk tr k c s e ca a s an o e a s ea
fr m th y t th m ut h y ll wi h w h it
o br w ni h b n t h
e e e o e o e o s e or o s e ea ,

u ni f rm o p tt d with d rk br w n o r s o e a o .

Av r g l ngt h e a f t to f t 6 i n h
e e — I oo 1 oo c es .

D i tributi n s B t h pr vi n f C p C l n y i n ludi n g B riti h B h

o — o o c es o a e o o , c s ec u
l d S o ut h -W t Afri
an a an ( P rti l t n dy r gi n ) es ca . a a o sa e o s .

5A B T .CAU AL I S Horned Pull Adder ; Hoorn Poi Adder Al

I Is D ll d . . so ca e

Homsman .

S y n n y m — Vip m o ll t C ty ll t Vip m d li
e oce a a era s es o ce a us e ca u a s
C r t d li Vip m h id i
e a s es ca u a s e sc ne er .

F IG H r d Add r
8 8 — l—I e a d a n d n e c k o f th e o ne e ( B ins c a udah s )
A p ir r t r li k d dy
. . .

a o f e ec h o n - e s c a les o n t h e h ea Bo
r u g l ki g H d br d
.

o h -o o n a n d d m gy ea fl a t an d oa . .

C l u r— P l bu ff r ddi h r s ndy gr y a b o v with t w

o o a e ,
ri s f
e s o a e e, o se e o

br w n p t s wit h ligh t n tr s d fr qu en tly a v rt br a l ri

o s o ce e , an e e e se es

f n rr o w er p t ; t h s p t s m y b
o a dg d wit h y ll o w y ll wi h
s o s e o a e e e e e o s

w h it b n ea t h u nif o r m o r with m ll bl c ki h sp o t s t h s id
e e , s a a s on e es .

A v ra g l ngt h 4 i n h es
e e e — I c .

D i tributi o n
s E t rn P r vi nc e f C p Co l o n y ; O r ang e F r S t t a n d
— as e o o a e ee a e

Tr n sv a l S ut h r n R h o d si a ; S o ut h W est A fri c a ; An g l
a a , o e e o a .

6 . BIT G A B O N CA
Is Th e West Afri can Adder
I . .

S yn ny mo C t s— si i ; E h id g b i
era s es Vipem hi na co rn s c na a on ca r no

r C l th h i
ce o s B ii i hi o oo o r n o ceros s r n c er s .

C o l ur B r w n b v wit h v rt br l s ri o f l o n g t qu dr an gul r
o — o a o e, a e e a e es e a e, a a

y ll wi h o lig h t br o w n p o t c o nn t d by h u r-gl s h p d
e o s r s s ec e o a s s a e

d rk bro w n m rki n g s A s eri s o f r nti c

a a n gul a r d rk
a . e c e sc e or a

br w n m a r ki ng o e c h sid ; h d p l a b o v e wit h a d rk
o s n a e ea a e a

br o w n m di n line ; a d rk br w n b liqu b n d b eh i n d th
e a a o o e a e

eye wid ni n g t o w a rd s t h m ut h Y ll wi h b n t h w ith

,
e e o . e o s e ea ,

s m ll br w n a bl c ki h p t o or a s s o s.

A v ra g l n gt h 3 t 4 f t
e e e — o ee .

D i s tributi n Am to g a l d
o D a m ral nd
— S o ut h C en tr l Afri c a
a n an a a a .
2 2 0 TH E SNA K ES O F SOUTH AFRI CA .

G E N US A T R ACT A S P I S .

Tw S p c ie i S u th Af i
o e s n o r ca .

K E Y TO TH E S P EC I E S .

Ve n tra l s 2 2 1 —2 6 0 A lm c taspis bibro n ii .

V en tra l s 1 99 A tra c ta spis du erden i .

1 . A TRAC TAS P I S B O NI I Oviparous Adder ; Ri legg end Adder ( Ei er

IBR .
-
.
~

leggend slang ) .

S y no n y m At t pis i
s— m tu At t pi i
ra c a s g l i no a s ra c a s s rre u ar s .

C l ur D rk pu pl i h -br o w n a b v e y ell o wi h o p l br w n b ene t h

o o — a r s o , s r a e o a .

Av r g l engt h
e a e f t — 2 ee .

D i tributi o n
s C p C o lo ny Or ng F r S tat
—
a Griqu l n d N a t a l
e a e ee e a a
Z ulul n d Tr n s v a l S o ut h -W t Afri
a A n g o l a D la g a
a a es ca e o

B ay P rtugu E t Afri c o ese as a .

2 . A TRAC TAS I S D U E D N I Duerden s Adder

P R E .
’
.

C o l o ur— Cr m c o l ur d a b v lig h t r b el o w
ea o e o e, e .

A v r g l ngt h 1 f o t 6 i n h
e a e e — o c es .

D i tributi n
s N rth -E t K l ah ri
o — o as a a .

TH E P U FF A D D E R .

( B itis a rieta n s ) .

Z U L U : ibulu lu .

The Puff Adder is South Africa s typical vipe r being one Of

’

the co mmonest and m ost widespread snakes i n the sub -conti nen t .

I t is exc ee dingly veno m ous and dangerous t o man owing to its ,

h abi t of haunting the vici ni ty of dwellings e nticed thi ther i n ,

search o f rats m ice and chickens I t i s quite a co mm on occur

, ,
.

rence to fi nd Pu ff Adders actually crawling abou t the roo ms .

One day a lady at Wal mer adj acent to Port Elizabeth we nt , ,

to her ki tchen -dresser for a dish and there a mongst t he plates ,

was a large live Pu ff Adder Ai ded by her daughter she captured .

,

i t alive an d brought i t i n t ri u m ph t o me
, .

Once I was st ayi ng wi th a fri end for a few days one wi nter i n
N atal H e and hi s wi fe proposed a walk She retired to pu t
. .

o n her bon net whe n presently she rushed forth and fell i nto her
,

husband s ar ms i n a fai nti ng condi tion I t see m s t hat a venture

’
.

s o nie Pu ff Adder h ad gai ned access to t he house found the ward

'

robe d oor aj ar and no lid o n t he bon net box and forthwi th set tled ,

hi mself to hibernate for the wi nter i n the bonnet evi de ntly ,

congratulating hi msel f o n finding so cosy a pl ace Unlike t he .

m aj ori t y of other species o f snakes t h e adders are frequently ,

met wit h abroad o n warm m oonlight n ights .

 H OW TH E I R Y OUN G A R E BORN . 2 2 1

TH E H I s s OF TH E P U FF A D D ER .

I t can hiss loudly and m any a m a n has cause to be grateful

,

t ha t N ature has provi ded the Puff Adder with that m ode of warn
ing its ene mies .

The Pu ff Adder hisses by drawi ng air i nto it s sac -like lung

and forci ng i t out rapi dly t hrough the glot tis and nostrils These .

and m ost other snakes have only one active lung which i s i n t he ,

form of a long bag wit h a lining of cellular t issue .

TH E F ANGS .

The dentition of t he Pu ff Adder i s elaborate The poison .

fangs are long an d powerful They are hollow not grooved

.
,

like t hose of the Cobra fa m ily N aturally i f such large

.
,

fangs were fi x ed solidly i n the j aw like those of t he Cobra t he ,

snake could not close i ts m outh N ature has provi ded agai nst
.

this a n d furnished it wit h fangs with hi nges

, The fangs are .

set i n the anterior m axillary bo n e whi ch c an be m oved backwards

,

and forwards like a hi nge S O when t he m outh closes the fangs

.
, ,

li e along t he si des of t he upper j aw enveloped i n a protecting ,

sheat h know n as the m ucous capsule or vagin a dentis

, The .

s mall teet h i n t he back part of the upper j aw and i n the lower ,

j aw are for the purpose of helpi ng to hold the captured prey and
, ,

ai d i n forci ng i t down t he gullet They are soli d and har m less

.

teeth as far as veno m is concerned To render a Pu ff Adder

, .

harmless the front fangs and t he duplicat e set s must all be

re m oved as well as the ant e rior m axillary bone otherwise m ore
, ,

will develop i n tim e .

How T H E I R Y OU NG A R E B O R N .

Eggs are developed i nsi de t he body of the fe m ale Pu ff Adder .

These grow full size and i ncubate w i thi n the body They lie i n .

tw o long rows o n each side of the backbone Each e m bryo .

i s enclosed i n a thi n transparen t m e mbraneous sac in which t hey

are born Their active struggles however soon rupture t h is
.
, ,

sac and they crawl away and lead an existence qui te i ndependent
of the m other who pays no heed t o t he m The al m o st un iversal .

belief i n Sout h Africa t hat t he young bore t heir w a y out of t he

sides of t he parent is unt rue .
 TH E SNA KE S OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

The you ng Puff A dders average seven i nches i n length at

birth They are veno m ous as soo n as born and will stri ke fiercely
.
,

i f i rri tated Mice bit ten by the m di ed wi thi n a few m i nutes I

. .

have m ade t he m bi te full -grown rats which died i n half an hour , .

A frien d was bit te n o n the hand by a young Pu ff A dder a day or

two old His ar m swelled and t here was a good deal of con
.
,

stitu tio n al disturbance bu t he recovered i n a few days , .

Duri ng April of 1 9 1 0 five Pu ff Adders gave birt h to you n g i n ,

the Port Eli zabeth Museu m Three of the Adders brought forth .

the whole of the young alive The other two gave birth to m any .

fully -developed o nes as well as abou t a dozen only two -t hirds ,

F IG 90
—
( I ) Th e u ff Add r Th gg d v l p i id th
e gg o f a P k d li i tw l g r w T h y
e ese e s e e o ns e e sn a e, an e n o on o s e
I u b With i h b dy f th p r t ( ) A y u g P u ff Add r j u t b r b t l y p rtl y d v l p d
. . . .

nc a te n t e o o e a en 2 o n e s o n, u on a e e o e
fr t g g t i ll u b rb d Th mbry i v l p d m m br u
. .

In t h e m f h
on i s see n s o e o t e e s na so e e e o s en e o e In a e a neo s

( 3 ) A y u g P u ff A dd r full y d v l p d j u t b r It i t g g h g f th tr pr t
.

b g a o n e e e o e s o n. s s ru n o ut o e an s a en
m m br u h th i wh i h i t w b r I t h d i p r tru di g ( 4 ) A y u g P u ff Add r h lf
.
, ,

e a n eo s s ea n c as o n s ea s o n o n e a an
h ur ft r b i rth 7 } i h l g O h ur ft r b i rth i t bi t d d III fi ft
. .
,

o a e nc t Th
es t w on ne o a e a ra e ra as ea een
m i ut T h y d t t k f d u t i l h ki h d wh i h t k pl ft r b i t h
.
, .

n es . e o no a e oo n t e s n Is s e , c a es a c e so o n a e r .

m atured I have freque n tly noticed on dissecti n g Pu ff Adders

.

that the young are not always developed to t he sa me degree .

So meti m es the eggs fail to i ncubate I n this case they harden .

,

and are so m eti m es passed out I n other cases t hey re main i n .

the snake and their presence eventually kills her

, .

Pu ff Adders have given birth t o young a great m any ti mes

i n ou r sn ake cages at the old Port Elizabeth M useu m during the
months of M arch April and M ay This would lead us to co n clude
, , .

t hat t he develop men t of t he eggs a n d in cu ba tio n period wi thi n the

m other is about seve n months as the Pu ff A dders begi n co m ing ,

forth fro m t heir wi nter retreats mostly during Sept ember an d

 H OW TH E Y K I LL TH E I R PR E Y . 2 2 5

t he air i n the cage be war m t he y beco me sluggish refusi ng all , ,

food and die of st arvation Aft er swallowi ng a rat a Pu ff Adder

,
.
,

will rarely t ake food agai n for at least a m onth I have succeeded .

i n keepi ng Puff Adders alive for considerable periods by artifici ally

feeding t he m A n oiled glass t ube is slipped down t he reptile s
.
’

’
throat and the contents of fowls eggs are squirt ed down i nto the
sto mach by m eans of a syri nge The glass tube can be dis .

p en sed wit h and the nozzle,

of the syri nge i nserted i nt o t he
snake s throat A n easy plan is t o i nsert t he tube of a glass
’
.

fu nnel i nto the reptile s throat and pour t he li qui d food i nt o the
’

funnel I f i t does not run down freely i t may be worked down

. ,

’
by m anipulati ng the snake s t hroat with the fingers .

The cages in which sn akes are kept sho uld be well ve n tilated
an d t he air in t he in t erior shoul d not b e allowed t o fall below
°

7 5 Fahr .

T HE Y K I LL T HEI R P R E Y
Ho w .

A Pu ff Adder can swallow the l argest of barn rats with ease .

Whenever a live rat is i ntroduced i n to a cage cont ai ning Pu ff

Adders whichever of t he m is i n a m ood for feedi ng will wai t till
,

the rat approaches su fficiently close the n wi th a swin g i ng side , ,

stroke of light ni ng -like rapidi ty the fan gs are driven ho me , .

Although rats are excee di ngl y ni m ble the stroke i s so rapid that ,

the rode n t has no ti m e t o spri ng away Disengagi ng its fangs the .

,

s n ake keeps the rat i n V i ew but makes n o at te mpt t o capture i t , ,

evi dently well aware i ts Victi m is i ncapable of moving far away .

The stricken rat runs about at rando m i n a dazed sort of way for
a mi nute or two t hen the back legs beco me paralysed and the
, ,

victi m rapidly di es The i nstant the victi m ceases t o move t he

.
,

snake leisurely adva n ces i nvestigat es wi th its sensitive forked ,

t ongue a n d fin di n g the head forthwi t h begi ns the swallowi ng

, ,

process which i n t he case of a very large rat lasts half an

, , ,

hour or so .

Rats whe n i ntroduced i nto a cage cont ai ni ng veno m ous

,

s n akes show lit tle or n o fear O n several occasions I have

, .

allowed rats t o re m ai n with Pu ff Adders and other veno m ous

sn akes overnight and i n t he m orni ng di scovered one so meti mes
'

, ,

several snakes dead and parts of t heir bodies eaten t he rats

, , ,

sit ti ng i n corners or on the bra n ches i n t he cage quite content ed , ,

an d fast asleep Rats will even ki ll the fierce Cobra at ti mes

. .

Q
 2 2 8 TH E SN A K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

FIG 93
— I Add r br d p d th d f iv r dy f f rw rd th ru t
P u t] e a ce u an on e e ens e ea or a o a s

Th fi r t m v m t i th f tr i ki g Th h d t ri r p rt f th b dy i th r w
.
. . .

2 e s o t e en n d e ac o s n e ea an an e o a o e o s o n
b kw rd Wi th l i g h t i g r pid it y
. .

ac a n n a
Th wi th g pi g j w th k m k r pid f rw rd tr k
.

en a n a s e sna e a es a a o a s o e
3
If h d u d i d ri vi g h f g h m i th bj t i m d t h f ll th wh l l gth
.
.

e o es n o t s c c ee n n is an s o e n e o ec a e a e a s e o e en
4
f h i b dy i t hi pi tur
. ,

o s o , as seen n s c e.
 THE SE X ES . 22 9

o f the way of the ants of which I had alre ady very pain ful ,

experiences and sat down on a fallen tree to watch I n ab o ut

,
.

a n hour the an ts had cleaned every particle of flesh fro m the

’
snake s skeleton leaving i t beautifully whi te and clean
,
.

A T E RR I F Y ING EX P E RIENCE .

When out seeking for a Cheetah or Hunting L eopard which ,

had been carrying o ff the far m ers stock i n the neighbourhood ’

my two Dutch friends and I cast ourselves down upon the gra s s
under a t ree for the sun was very hot I was busy looking over
,
.

my notes and my friends were m editatively s m oking their

,

Hendrik don t move '

’
pipes when one hoarsely whispered
, , ,

Don t m ove an inch I say !

’
I glanced at his face I t was
,
.

deathly white Following his gaze a shiver of fear crept over

.
,

me for there with its head and a foot of i ts body up the

, ,

other Dutch man s trouser-leg was a Pu ff Adder ’

The other ,
.

m a n was a hardy old Boer who m I had seen i n m any a ,

tight fix but who never for an instant lost his nerve

,
He .

silently and with a swift m ove m ent seized the reptile s tail
, ,
’

gave a terrific j erk and sen t i t hurtling a score of yards away

, .

Then he picked up his gun sought out the sn ake an d shot i t , , .

P U F F A D D E R S V AR Y IN C O L OU R .

Pu ff Adders vary considerably i n coloration although the ,

shape of the m arkings is always the sa m e The n ature of the .

surroundings see m s t o deter m ine the shade of colour The pre .

vaili ng colour is dull brown with yellow an d black m arkings Just , .

after the skin —casting process they are at their best The m arkings .

are then bright yellow A large fe male Pu ff Adder which was .

,

captured a mongst so me town refuse near Port Elizabeth by Mr .

J Willi a ms had the usual brown ground colour but the m arki ngs
.
, ,

were all pure white instead of yellow There w as not a trace of .

yellow on the snake N u mbers of others s imilarly m arked h a ve

.

sin ce been captured .

TH E S E X E S .

I n the great maj ority of sn akes there i s no outward sign by

which the sexes of snakes may be deter mi ned A m ale snake .

may be distinguishe d by fir mly pressing the thu mb or finger on

the under part of the tail -region two inches below the ven t ,
.

Continue to press firmly and at the sa me ti m e slowly slide the ,

 2 30 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH A FR I CA .

finger or fingers up towards the ven t whereupon i f the snake , ,

be a m ale two roundish slender soft -looki ng appendages will

, , ,

prot rude the m selves I n average -sized snakes t hese are about .

two i nches long I f the snake be dead then instead of pressing .

, ,

the fingers as st ated cut open the skin o n the underpart fro m the , ,

ven t towards the tail Partly re m ove the ski n and lay the flesh .

bare I f a m ale these tw o vascular elongated bodies will be

.
, ,

observed lyin g side by side reaching up to the lower edge o f the ,

ven t These are the m ale generative organs

. I n the fe m al e .

they are lacking The an al scent glan ds of all fe m ale snakes .

are act ive d urin g t he m at in g season .

F ATAL ITIE S .

The nu mber o f deaths fro m t he bites o f Puff Adders is co n

siderable especially a mongst t he n ative population
,
European .

F IG 94
— 1 l Pu ff Add r
Ma F m l Pu ff Add r ( Adult ) 3 Y u g F m l P u ff Add r j u t
e e 2 e a e e s o n e a e
’
e s
b r 4 Y u g M l d i tt I h m l h t i l i m r l g t d ; th t f h f m l m
. . . . . . .

o n o n a e o n t e a e t e a s o e e on a e a o t e e a e co es
r th r b ru p t d Th d i t f r m t h v t t th d f t h t i l i g t r i t h m l
. . .

to a a e a en e s an c e o e en o e en o e a s rea e n e a e
t h i th f m l
.

an n e e a e .

chil dren are often bitte n and die Children are far more likely .

to be victi ms t han adults for the reason t hat when playi ng they , , ,

rush about excite dly and tread upo n Pu ff Adders before t hese
reptiles are able to e mi t their characteristic warni ng hiss When .

disturbed t he Pu ff Adder endeavours to escape observatio n by

,

coiling u p and lying still I f trodden upo n or i f the foo t be placed .

,

near one when i n such a posi tion i t i mmediately delivers a ,

powerf ul forward s troke The head is drawn b ack with a j erk .

to gai n more power for the forward thrust the mouth gapes .
,

e nor mously and i n the twin kling o f an eye the long curved
, ,

poiso n fangs are bu ried deep i n the victi m s flesh There is ’

. ,
2 32 THE SNA K ES OF S OUTH AFR I CA .
 THE N I G HT OR D EM ON A DD ER 2 33

TH E N IGHT OR D EMO N A D D ER .

( Causu s rh o mbeaius ) .

ZU LU I NH L ANGWANA .

The range of the Night Adder is very widespread i n South

Africa . Moist vegetation -covered localities are its favouri te
,

haunts I t is frequently found about and in the habitations of

.

ma n owing to i ts fondness for m ice which haunt dwellings

, , ,

especially old outhouses piles of wood an d refuse I t scours the , ,

.

kitchen garden i n search o f the co mmon garden toad M any a .

t i me I h ave surprised a Night Adder i n my garden i n N atal

al most choked with the effort to swallow a great fat toad too ,

large even for the distensible maw of a snake I found one of .

these sn akes dead one day with a large toad fir m ly wedged in ,

its mouth The reptile in its eff orts to swallow th e to ad had

.
,
~
,

evidently stretched its ski n so t aut t hat it was powerless to

disgorge the V icti m and so died of su ffocat ion The toad was ,
.

still alive but in a very feeble condition I put i t aside but i t

, . ,

died shortly afterwards Toads although susceptible to the .

,

veno m of snakes owing to their sluggish blood -circulation and

,

tenacity of li fe so m eti mes live for days after b eing bitten

,

by a veno m ous snake Frogs o n the con trary die al m ost .

, ,

instantly .

When the Night Adder finds hi mself in a house i n his

quest for m ice he seeks to conceal hi m self i n whatever place
,

is handiest Consequently where N ight Adders are c o m

.
,

m o n as in N atal i t is quit e an everyday occurrence t o find

, ,

the m in cupboards under beds chests of drawers an d various, , ,

other hiding -places in houses When turning out lu mber fro m .

ol d outhouses I have often killed a dozen or m ore N ight Adders

, ,

and m any scores of young ones .

I have always fou nd these sn akes to b e exceptionally in

o ffensive Unless hurt or irritated by rough handling or very
.
,

much f rightened they never atte m pt to bite Those which I

,
.

have kept i n capt ivity becam e so ta m e that if lifted up gently

they showed no disposition what ever t o bite .

On e day I was helping my men to renew so m e fenci ng posts

-
,

which those pests the White Ants ( Termites) had eaten up .

K neeling down I thrust my hand i nto a hole fro m which an old

,
2 34 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

post had been withdrawn and pulled out a handful of rubbish , ,

a mongst which a Night Adder w as coiled I t did no t at te mpt .

to bi te The one idea was to escape One of these snakes

. .

nearly go t its fangs into m y han d one day Riding across the .

veld I spied the cast ski n of a snake i n a tuft of grass

, Dis .

m ounting I exa mined i t and seeing that i t was unbroken I

, , ,

deter m ined to secure it .

I nch by i nch I disengaged it when si multaneously as I , ,

pressed so mething soft I heard a hiss A dark body shot ,

.

forward and with a thud i ts forepart struck the ground violently

, , ,
.

A N ight Adder was in the act o f casting its skin and when ,

I i nadvertently pinched its tail i t waxed wrathful I t ai med ,

.

s traight enough but my hand was not there for I had j erked
, ,

i t away quickly .

TH E V E N OM OF THE N IG H T A D D ER .

The Nigh t Adder is greatly dreaded the prevalen t belief being ,

that a bite fro m one of these sn akes will certainly prove fat al
unless an tidotal m easures are pro m ptly taken .

A fter a series of experi m ents o n ani m als I have fou nd that

i ts veno m al though poten t is not nearly so powerful as t hat of
, ,

the Cobra Ma mba Pu ff Adder or Boo mslang Ani m als bitten

, , , .

by N ight Adders usually recovered com ple tely after m oping for
t w o or three days L ocal swelling and m ore or l ess h aemorrhage
.

took place I n recen t experi ments I found that when a large

.

we ll -nourished Night A dder was allowed to bite the leg of a fowl

or rabbit and retai n its grip for two seconds the victi m died i n
, ,

fro m half a day to a day I n the m aj ority of the cases when .

the snake was allowed to bite fully but not to retain its hold , ,

the ani m als recovered i n a couple or three days A strong .

,

vigorous m an would no t be likely to die i f bitten by one of these

snakes i n the ordin ary way .

I n the E a stern P rov in ce H era ld February 1 9 1 1 the following , , ,

accoun t o f the death o f a well -k nown m a n i n these parts is

reported
Private telegra m s were received in town early yesterday
morning conveying the sad news of the de mise of Mr R C . .

Parkin o f Bluegu m Avenue one of the oldest and most respected

, ,

far m ers i n the district .

 2 36 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

I t appears that at about eleven o clock on Tuesday morni ng ’

Mr Parkin was bitten i n the thu mb by a Night Adder and follow

.
,

ing the usual course adopted in such cases he i mm ediately pro ,

c eeded to suck the poiso n out This see med to have the desired
.

e ffect an d to all appearance i t see m ed as though the puncture

,

had been a slight one .

L ater in the afternoon however his face an d hea d co m, ,

men c ed to swell up and Mr Parkin s condition beca m e exceed

’
.
,

in g ly alar m ing Every possible deterren t available was tried

.
,
’
bu t to no effect and death ensued at seve n o clock in the
,

evening .

I t is thought that so m e of the poison inj ected by the fangs

of the Adder sucked fro m the wound had re-entered M r Parki n s .
’

syste m by means of a scratch or bruise in the m outh or tongue ,

”
bu t this is m ere sur m ise .

On m aki ng in quiries I ascertained that M r Parki n s head

, .
’

and throat were greatly swollen and the muscles of the m outh , ,

eyelids and face were paralysed The throat continued to swell

, .
,

and he eventually died of suffocation I f an air-tube h ad been .

i nserted i n the windpipe below the swell ing his life m ight have ,

been saved as the swelling would gradually have subsided

, .

There can be little doub t that the deceased gen tle man was
su ffering at the ti m e fro m infla mm ation of so me portio n of the
lining m e mbranes of his m outh or perhaps t he teeth were decayed ,

or the gu ms ulcerated or o therwise i nj ured which allowed ,

so me of the veno m to be absorbed These parts are so in tensely .

susceptible t o the action of veno m t hat a very s m all quan tity ,

will cause extensive swelling of the mouth and throat I n .

m edical literature cases are recorded of men dyi ng of su ffocation

,

caused by extensive swelling of the throat consequen t upo n the

sting of a hornet wasp or bee which had been accidenta lly
, , ,

swallowed with so me beverage and i n passing stung the back , , ,

o f the throat .

I f sucking is resorted to i n cases of snake bi te whe n the ,

person is not sure his m outh is i n good condition he should pu t ,

a ti ny pinch of crystals o f per m anganate of potash i n the pal m

o f his hand spi t o n the m m ix and lick i t j ust pre v ious to applying
, , ,

his mouth to the wound The per m anganat e will kill any veno m
.

sucked up Of course i f per mangan ate is rubbed in to the

.
,

wounds and i f they are subsequently sucked there will be no

, ,
2 38 TH E SN AK ES OF SOUTH AFR I CA .

danger of the veno m being absorbed by the m outh for t he suck ed ,

up veno m will be m ixed wi th blood m ucous and perm anganate , , .

The presence of the lat ter wi ll render the poison harmless .

An acquaintance of m ine was bit ten on the little finger by a

N ight Adder H e i nstan tly u ndid a bootlace and ligatured the
.

finger at the base Sitt ing down he sc arifi ed the wound and
.
, ,

started sucking i t The snake bit h im at 1 0 a m i n his garden

. . .

At p m we found h im
. still sucking the wound He said .

that he had been sucking i t at short i ntervals ever sin ce being

bitten He was i n a state o f partial collapse which I attributed
.
,

to nerve shock bel i eving as he did t hat a bite fro m a Night Adder
,

was al most certai n t o ter m inate fat ally The following day he .

had recovered but the finger suppurated and refrised t o heal

, ,

for four m onths A year later i t agai n broke out and a large
.
,

dark scab form ed over the site where the s nake had b itten h im .

The ski n of the whole finger sloughed o ff and the wound healed , .

The following year i t agai n broke ou t and did likewise The .

t hird year t he sa m e thing occu rred bu t to a lesser degree Since , .

then there has been no recurrence of t he sym pto ms .

I n cases of bites by Puff Adders I have k nown the sa m e thing

often occur The popular belief is that this periodic ulceration
.

at the site of the bite wi ll conti nue u ntil the death of t he snake
which i nflicted the bite This of course is quite wi thout .
, ,

foundation The o rigin of this superstition can be traced t o the

.
'

natives who are fi rm believers i n it I have known K afi rs to

,
.

seek for days for the snake which had bi tten one of their friends ,

i n order t o kill i t so t hat t he wound would quickly heal

,
.

R E MA R KA B L E P O I S O N G L AN D S .

The typically veno m ous snakes have their poison glands

situated at the sides of their heads j ust beneath and behi nd ,

.
m -
the eyes The glands are al ond shaped The Night Adder is .

an exception to this general rule I ts poison glands are very .

long and lie on each side of the backbone of the neck -region
,

co m municating with the poison fangs i n the m outh by m eans of

the usual duct which is also unusua lly long
,
The i llustration .

shows this apparatus (F i g .

The N ight Adders are the m os t interesting of all South

African snakes to keep in captivi ty They are bright and active .
FIG 9 8 — I Nigh t or D e mo n A dd r ( C
e a u s us rh o mbeatus) a b ut t
o i
o se z e a t d
oa ( B u/o reg ula ris )
v i ti m ur d
. . . .

2 Th e c 15 se c e
k w rk vi ti m d
. .

3 Th e its w ay to its
’
. sna e o s c s h ea .

2 40
 THE HORN ED AD DER ,
OR HO RN SM AN . 2 41

also Doubtless the other species of the G enus Causus are also
.

oviparous .

TH E H O RNE D A D D E R ,
OR H O RN S MAN .

The Horns m an is a s m all adder with the characteristic

fl a ttish body and broad head of the Viperine fa m ily of snakes .

These vipers are usually about a foot to one foot six i nches i n
length .
There are two S pecies the only not able di fference
,

between the m being that the one known as B itis corn u ta has two
or m ore erect horn -like scales over each eye while the other , ,

which is known as B itis cau dalis never has m ore than one erect
,

horn -like scale ov er the eye The form er occurs chiefly i n the
.

sandy dist ricts of the Western Provi nce of the Cape Colony and
northwards to West Africa The latter is found i n both provi nces
.

of Cape Colony and extends to Rhodesi a an d West Africa They

,
.

have a habi t of burying their bodies i n the loose sand the head ,

only being above I n this posi tion they wi ll lie for hours often
.
,

for a whole day on the watch for lizards and other s m all creatures
on which they feed Being practically i nvisible when thus
.

concealed they are especially dangerous to t he b are -footed n ative

, ,

who is bitte n i mmediat ely he places his foot upon one unless he ,

luck ily happens to step right upon i ts head Even t hen t he .

chances are the snake will extricate its head in ti m e to deliver a

bite before the foot has been withdrawn These snakes are .

capable of inflicting a bi te which will cause deat h to a ma n .

However the chance of a fat al issu e is considerably less than i f

,

bitten by a Puff Adder or Cobra This adder gets its na m e of .

Horns m a n fro m the fact of i ts having o n e or m ore erect scales

on its eyebrows which look like ti ny horns
, .

Unless kept i n captivi ty i n a l arge cage out i n the open i n

which plenty of sand is strewn these snakes will not live as they
, ,

refuse to eat and die i n a S hort ti m e They are moreover very

,
.
, ,

susceptible to a change of environ m ent I have ob tained scores .

of the m (B itis cau dalis) fro m the K aroo and only succeeded in
keeping the m alive at Port Elizabet h for a few mont hs The .

at mosphere is evidently too m oist for t he m The dry sand y

'

wastes are their natural habitats *

.

H o r ned Add er s giv e birt h t o fr o m eig h t t o tw enty y o u ng— th e a v er a g e

is tw e lv e t o f o urt een S e v er a l b a t c h es h a v e b een b o r n in o u r c a g es in t h e
.

m o n t h s o f F e bru a ry a n d M a r c h .S e v e r a l s p ec i m en s o f B itis co r i i ta h a v e n

b een pr o c u r ed fr o m t h e san d du nes a t P o rt Eliz a b et h .

FIG v u rg M
9 9 — Th e en o mo s B e or o u n tain ZAdde r ( B itis at ro pos ) d f iv d
on th e e ens e , an on
v rg A dd r th i i pl i fi d t th m u t i u
. .

th e mo e Be e s , as e r na me m t
e s, a re n o co n ne o e o n a no s
p r u try Th y t l f r t f th t r p rt f
.

a ts o f t h e co n e a re co mmo n I n th e c o as a o es s o e e as e n a o
C p r vi
.

th e a e P o n ce
.
 TH E ATRACTASPI S VI PE RS . 2 45

fangs The fangs are ab nor m ally developed so m uch so that I

.
,

do not thi nk i t possible for the j aws to b e opened su flic ien tly wide
for the snake to i nflict a bite Most of the solid teeth have dis .

appeared o r are i n a rudi m entary condi tion There can be little

,
.

doubt bu t that these Atractaspis vipers once h ad t he general

a ppearance and habits of other m e mbers of the fa m ily but ,

owi ng to their taking to burrowing habits their outward form has ,

gradually been undergoing a change and doubtless i n course of ti m e ,

the fangs will disappear or beco m e considerably s maller Owing .

to i ts habi t of burrowing this genus of snake is seldo m found , .

The Atractaspis Vipers furnish us wit h an illustration of what

D arwi n m eans by the Evolution of species Here we have a .

Viper which through changing cli mate and other conditio ns took
, ,

to bu rrowi ng habits The whole anato m y of the creature has .

been slowly m odified t o sui t i ts n ew environ m en t .

F IG 1 0 1 ( a) F g f Atr t p i Add r lt
—
35 3 an soi h rp d h rd
an ac as s e s n o se s s a an a an d su i t d f diggi g
e or n

ft gr u d d t b dy m th d f rm d f gl i d i g t h r ug l rth d d
.
. . . ,

i
n so o n an i s o 15 s oo an o e or n o h o o se e a an sa n

wi th th m i i mu m m u t f r i t d fri t i
,

e n a o n o es s a n c e an c on .

F IG . 1 0 1 b
( ) — B ib ro n ’ s
. A dd r ( At
e ra cta s pis bibro n i i ) .
 C H A P TE R V I I I .

S NAKE C HAR MER S .

S NAKE ch ar mers have existed for lo ng ages i n I n dia They are .

referred to in ancien t Sanskrit books .

The typical dress of a sn ake charmer is yellow clothes and a

great turban The m usical i nst ru m en t which they allege is
.

an indispensable adj unct i n charm ing snakes is a double pi pe

m oun ted o n the dry S hell or rind of a calabash or gourd I t is .

”
k n own as a Tubri The sound produced is so m ewhat si milar
.

to that of t he Highland bagpipe s .

Snakes are very susceptible to strong vibrations of sharp

penetrating sound The e ffect o f the high -keyed notes produced
.

by the snake charm er s i nst ru m ent c auses i ntense uneasiness and

’

alar m i n wild sn akes Even snakes which have been kept for
.

a long period in captivi ty and which have been habitu ated to t he

,

sound will i nvariably beco m e active an d assu me a defensive

,

attitude when this i nstru men t is played .

When released fro m its dark prison i n t he snake char m er s ’

basket a Cobra will always rear expand its hood an d be in

, , ,

s tan tly on the defensive i f sh arp and shrill m usic be played near
,

i t The onlookers i m agine the m usic h as char m ed the sn ake

. .

The snake charm er fully underst anding the ways and habi ts of
t he Cobra can therefore anticipate its m ove ments By swaying
,
.

t he i nst ru men t and his body fro m side to S ide he can apparen tly ,

m ake the serpent i mi tat e his m ove m ents This swaying of t he .

’
reared portion o f the snake s body is n atural t o the Cobra When .

reared and o n the defensive the Cobra carefully watches his ene my
,

and follows his every m ove m en t By S i tting o n the ground i n

.

fron t o f a reared Cobra and gently swaying the body fro m S ide
t o side any one can m ade the rept ile do likewise When a Cobra
,
.

is ala rm ed his first i nstinct is to face his aggressor and co ntinue

,

2 46
2 48 THE SNA K ES O F SOUTH AFRI CA .

c arefully re moved previously Sleight -o f-h and work being their .

profession they i nvariably find i t an easy m at ter to withdraw one

,

of the concealed snakes and surreptitiously pl a ce i t i n the spot

desired The n the charm i ng begins and the snake is discovered
. .

These snake charmers ofte n h ave allies who place a snake i n the
spot required prior to the advent o f the char m er .

When a snake char m er is kept under careful and close scruti ny ,

these snake -char m i ng operations fail A gen tle m an tells how .

he detected one of these men Raising a great noise he declared .

to his I ndian servants that a Cobra was i n his study He sent a .

messenger to the village sn ake char m er to co m e i mm ediately and

char m out the snake He arrived i n due ti m e and began opera
.

tions by playing upon his pipes at intervals and poking about ,

a mongst the furniture Suddenly he began playing vigorously .

i n a corner of the roo m near so me bu ndles o f books and m agazi nes

,

o n the floor Fro m a m ongst the m the head and neck o f a Cobra
.

reared itself The gentle m an advanced and flourished a stick

.
,

pretending he was anxious to kill the reptile The char mer .

i nterfered and barred the way declaring that he wanted to capture ,

the snake and keep i t alive He was fi rm i n his refusal to per mit
.

the gentle m a n to advance Then stooping down he began .

, ,

blowing his pipes agai n and t he instant the Cobra reared he seized
,

and transferred it t o a bag a m idst the horrified excla m ations of

the I ndian servants Needless to say the alar m was a bogus one
. .

The snake was one which had been secretly dropped by the char mer
when he was fussing about the roo m o n his hands and knees .

When one beco m es fa miliar with the habits and ways of snakes ,

and i f due care is exercised i n handling the m there is little real ,

risk of being bitten For twenty years past I have freely handled
.

snakes and have only been bitt en a few t i m es but the bites have
, ,

never been full ones N aturally one is apt t o beco me careless

.

when frequently handling snakes and so reasonable precautions ,

are neglected .

To those more or less u nacquainted with snakes these reptiles ,

are regarded with extre m e horror and the m ost ludicrous beliefs
,

are entert ai ned i n regard to the m ; so much so that any one ,

handling veno mous snakes freely and apparently i n a careless ,

way is t hought either to exercise so me hypnotic power over the

,

creatures or else he is t aking appalling risks

, Snake char m ers . ,

kn owing this take advantage of i t The traditional love of

, .
 TH E PORT E L I Z AB ETH SNA K E CATCHE R .

serpents for m usic is a m yth The only e ffect m usic has is t o .

frighten irritate or excite the curiosi ty of snakes A snake will

, , .

frequently protrude its head fro m its place of conceal ment i n a

hole crevice or a mongst the herbage when shrill m usic is played
, , ,

or even the clinking of a chain or beating a steel triangle Sounds , .

of high pitch excite i t L ow mu ffled sounds or the beating of a

.

dru m i t pays little or no heed to .

TH E P O RT EL I Z A B ETH S NA K E C ATC H ER .

The s nake char mers of I ndia would pale i nto in sig n ifi c an c e

when co m pared with Mr Jam es Willia ms the Port Elizabeth .
,

Snake Catcher who for so m e years past has captured veno m ous
,

s nakes for m y experi ment s and for exhibit ion i n the Port Eliza ,

beth Museu m He m akes no pretence of exercising any hypnotic

.

power over these reptiles Fro m the very begin ning he evi n ced .

a keen interest in snakes Nothing pleased h im so much as to be

.

helping with m y experi m ents He gloried i n holding veno m ous .

snakes between his finger and thu m b while I extracted their

ve n o m for experi mental purposes He is an I rish man and like .
,

t he m aj ority of that nationality always willing to t ake big risks ,

.

He k nows all abou t the ways and habits of t he local snakes ,

and therefore can find and capture snakes al most at any t i m e .

I must ad mit however that the doings of M r Willia ms and

, ,
.
,

his absolut e fearlessness i n fact I m ay say recklessness , ,

st artle even me AS will have been read elsewhere he was

.
,

once bitten by a Boo m slang and lay appare n tly dying for a
couple of weeks with huge dark purple patches caused by
,

h aem orrhage all over his body He lay there su ffering agonies
,
.

of pain due to acute i nfla mm at ion of the mucous surfaces of his

,

bowels and other parts and for a considerable ti m e after rising

,

fro m his sick -bed he felt the after-e ffects .

Y et Ja m es Willia ms will co m e sauntering along to me and ,

with a tired and indi fferent voice observes Sir I m anaged to ,

”
catch tw o fine Boo m slangs to -day D ivi ng his hand i nto a .

satchel or linen bag he forthwith drags out the writhing struggling

, ,

rept iles and allows the m to twist and coil about his ar ms and
,

neck He j ust s m iles and re m arks that Boo m slangs seldo m bit e
.

i f t hey are handled gently whe n t hey have once been captured
a nd kept for a ti m e i n a dark bag .
2 50 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

H e bri ngs along Pu ff Adders C obras Ri nghals N ight Adders , , , ,

an d i n fact every ki nd of snake obtai nable i n Port Elizab eth

dist rict As often as not he has his pockets stu ffed fu ll of li ve

.

snakes which are prevented fro m escaping by the lapels b eing

,

pinned do w n I f pins are not available he ut ili z es the sharp

.
,

thorns of t he Mi mosa tree .

L ong ago I carefully i nstructed him what t o do in case of

being bitten H e instantly sucks the wound if there b e no abra
.

sions of skin i n his m outh Meanwh ile he is feeling for his pen
.
,

knife wi th which he sc arifi es the flesh over_

,
the punctures rubs ,

the m fu ll of perm anganate cryst als and imm ediately appli es a

ligature at a convenient place betwee n the wou nd and the heart .

He then e ncourages the wound to bleed by m anipulating the

su rroundi ng flesh with his fingers and i f the snake be a very ,

veno m ous one such for instance as a Ringhals Cape Cobra or

, , ,

Pu ff Adder he severs two or t hree of the veins i n the ligatured

,

leg or arm as the case m ay b e and thus lets out so me of the

poisoned blood before t aking off t he ligature Then the ligature .

is m o m entarily loosened at i ntervals u ntil after an hour or so i t , , ,

is di scarded .

When assisting with experi ments and artificially feeding our

capt ive snakes he has been bi tten three or four ti m es ; but owing
, ,

to pro m pt t reat m ent he got o ff with o nly sligh t constitution al

,

disturbance i n each case There is a sayin g A pit cher wh ich

.

”
oft en goes t o th e well gets s m ashed William s in han dlin g a Puff .
,

A dder i n m y laborato ry o nce was badly bitt en but fo rt un at ely

, ,

I had a su fficien cy of an t i -ven om ous serum at han d t o cure h im .

B ENT ON C O LL ECTING .

Willia m s sets out armed wi th a forked stick about five feet

,

in length and a rather large linen bag si m ilar to an ordinary

,

pillow case an d t ra m ps the country for a score of m iles visiting

, ,

all t he favourite haunts of snakes A serpent once S ighted has .

little C hance of ulti m at e escape Even the swi ft Boo m slang is no.

m atch for h im K nowing i ts habit of darting i nto the thick

.

foliage and vanishing i n an i nstant he cautiously st alks i t as i t ,

lies basking i n the sunshi ne ou t i n the open upon the ground .

With a swi ft rush he is upon i t Before the b ewildered snake can .

2 52 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

pu t i ts three hundred O dd ribs and scales i n mot ion to effect i ts

escape he has secured it I f i t should succeed i n gett ing i nto
,
.

the b ush he follows wi thout a second s delay plunging headlong

,
’

i n its wake The very i m petuosity of his onslaught is a safeg uard

.
,

for the snake is usually t oo bewildered or terrified t o think of

turning upo n h im to bite Swinging his captive round and .

round by the t a il he Opens the m out h of his bag and drops

,

t he dizzy reptile therein Picking up his stick he resu m es his .

quest .

Spying a Pu ff Adder or Cobra vanishing i nto the thick t angled

scrub he springs forward grabs i ts t ail and carefully pulling i t
, , ,

ou t gives i t a few swings round his body at ar m s length and t hen ’

,

bags it Pu ff Adders he has a great conte m pt for He lays hold

. .

of the t a il and withou t any preli minary swinging drops t he reptile

,

’
i nto his b ag All the snakes captured duri ng t he day s excursion
.

are consigned to the sa m e recept acle .

The next m orning he brings the m along to m e Well .

,

”
Willia ms any luck yesterday 7
,
Y es I got a few Openi ng , .

the m outh of the bag and drawing out a Pu ff Adder by the tail
, ,

or with his finger round its throat and his thu mb pressing i ts ,

neck j ust behind the head he holds i t up for inspection observi ng

, , ,

H e heeds no t my warnings I
’ ’
I t s a beauty isn t i t , .

conti nu ally assure h im he will die a m iserable death fro m snake

bite one day away out upon t he lonely bush -veld ; but he m erely
,

s miles and says that he has got to die so m e day anyway so as ,

well fro m the bit e of a sn ake as sickness or old age .

When ever I ndian snake charm ers visi t Port Elizabeth ,

Willi a ms a muses hi m sel f by stepping out fro m the asse mbled

crowd of onlookers picks up and exa mines the dentition of the
,

snakes which the I ndian has been char ming and which he has ,

assured the people are highly veno mous Findi ng the snakes to .

be of the harmless S pecies or the fangs re moved he th rusts his , ,

finger i nto the m ouths of tw o or three .

I ndian sn ake charmers i n Port Elizabeth have a bad ti me when

Willi a m s is about for so m ehow coins do not flow i n so readily
, , ,

fro m the onlookers when they find ou t the snakes are after all , ,

quite har mless .

One evening during a lecture o n snakes to far mers who fir mly ,

believed that every snake was veno m ous Willia ms handled a large ,

nu mber of non -veno mous Mole Sn akes and House Snakes At .

FIG 1 0 3 Wi ll i m h r tur d fr m
— a s as e ne o a sn a k h u t d i h wi g m h i
e n an s s o n e s ca p ti v
es Th e
k t hi f t P u ff A dd r h i rig h t h d Ml S k l ft
. . .
,

sn a es a s ee are e s ; i
n s an o e na es ; in h is e
m l g
, ,

Boo s an s .
2 54 TH E SN A K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

the conclusion o f the lecture I cou nted s ixteen bites on his bared
ar m s h ands and neck
, ,
.

A N A MERICAN S NAKE C ATCHER .

I was m uch a mused to read an illustrated article i n a well

known m agazi n e of the dari ng and pe ri lous exploits of a snake
collector i n A m erica This brave m an who ran the m ost appalling
.

risks of deat h fro m snake bite issued forth o n his sn ake -catching ,

excursions clothed i n a leather shirt a pair of tough leather ,

breeches t op boots gauntlet gloves and a m ask What a brave

, , .

man he was and what a perilous occupation was his

, Wi llia ms ,

the South African snake catcher sallies forth i n a cotton S hirt , ,

slouch h at rolled up S leeves and as likely as not a pair of thin

, ,

khaki trousers Occasion ally he wears leather gaiters These

. .

latter he dons for protection against the thorny sh rubs w h ich

abound i n the South African veld m ore than as a safegu ar d ,

agai nst sn ake bite .

CAN S NAKE S F A S CINATE T HEIR P RE Y ?

Tha t snakes are able to exercise so me kin d of mes meric or

hypnotic power and so paralyse the m ove m ents of their i nt ended
vict i ms is al most universally believed throughout the Western
,

world except a mongst those few n atur alists who have m ade a
,

close study of the subj ect Popular literature is tee m ing with .

anecdotes and essays o n the power of snakes t o fascinate birds ,

s mall m a mmals and even hu m an beings , .

I n all literature ancien t and m odern frequen t references are

, ,

m ade to snak es I n Egypt there are m any ancien t carvings of

.

the Egyptian Cobra on the old ruins of a pas t civilization .

The fact that a snake carries a subtle poten t fluid and an , ,

apparatus by which at any mo m ent when leas t expected a deat h

, , ,

wound m ay be inflicted has caused m ankind to i nvest snakes with ,

the m ost m agical and diabolic al of powers leading to snake ,

worshi p and the belief that serpen ts are the i ncarnation of all t h a t
i s evil and de moniacal The Cobra is an obj ect of veneration and
.

s uperstitious dread even to -day a m ong the natives of In dia .

2 56 TH E SN A KES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

ancestors we have co m , e to regard snakes with the profou ndest

awe and dread Wri ters have not b een slo w to profit by this
.
,

universal in terest in snakes and their veno m and thrilling an ec ,

dotes and other writi ngs have been the outco m e Re m arkably .

in teresting and i m aginatio n -stirring articles have frequently bee n

wri tte n o n the powers o f fascinatio n supposed to be exerted by
s nakes .

Practically all the popular beliefs i n regard to snakes have very

little foundatio n i n fact This belief however is so widespread
.
, , ,

and its truth i nsisted upon so strongly that m any n aturalists ,

have u nquestioningly accepted i t as t rue and recorded i t i n ,

li terature as being trut h .

Now I have had m uch experience of snakes and have made i t

, ,

m y business t o observe carefully their habits and ways both i n ,

t heir n atural condi tio n in the wild stat e and i n captivity and i n ,

n o i nst ance have I ever known a snake to fasci nat e an ani m al

i n the m a n ner i t is alleged they do .

I have seen Boo m slangs and M a mbas m any a ti m e i n trees ,

surrounded by a crowd of flut teri ng chat tering excited birds , ,

.

The birds were not fasci nated by the sn ake they were endeavour
i ng to inti midate i t i n order to frighten i t fro m their hau nts .

W HAT R EA LLY H A P P EN S .

Carefully concealing m yself one day I watched a M a mb a ,

a sp is a ng u sticeps ) surrounded by several chattering birds

( D en dr ,

mostly Bulbuls and Flycatchers The sn ake with elevat ed head

.
, ,

and body bent in a favourable position for a forward spring ,

re m ained a m ongst the branches as i mmovable as the Sphi nx i ts ,

li dless u nwi nking shi ny eyes giving forth a stony stare Pre
, ,
.

sen tly a Bulbul which had wo rked i tself up i nto a frenzy of excite
,

m ent fluttered wi thi n striking distance

,
L ike a stone fro m a .

catapult the head and forepart of the snake S hot forward

, ,

and next i nstan t I saw th e struggling bird in the serpen t s

’

j aws The rest o f the birds instantly fled No w the snake did
. .
,

not throw out any mysterious m es meric or hypnotic power

,
.

I t S i m ply awaited i ts opportu nity cool and collected and , ,

captured an excited and ventureso m e bird The bird was .

 TH E H E RO I SM O F B I RDS . 2 57

evidently unaware of the power of the snake to propel its coiled

up body I once s a w a G reen M a mba coiled up on a branch and
.
,

quick as thought propel itself full length and se ize a bird i n its
, ,

j aws meanwhile gripping the branch with its t ail The instan t
,
.

i t seized the bird i t swung head downward u ntil the victi m ceased
to struggle The snake then raised i tself assu med a co m fortable
.
,

position and swallowed i ts prey

,
.

Birds with few exceptions have highly i m pressionable and

, ,

exci table nervous organizations as is proven by their hot blood , ,

quick circulation fine texture brai n and i ntricat e ner vous, ,

syste m No w we all know h o w birds will m o b an o w l which

.
,

ventures i nto their haunts during the dayti me but we never think ,

of i nvesting the owl with any powers of fascination .

Birds recognize snakes as their enem ies and i f a bi rd discovers ,

a snake i n i ts haunts particularly i n the v ic iriity of i ts nest i t , ,

instantly sets up a shrill chattering and flies and hops excitedly

round the intruder I ts cries and actions at tract its m ate and .

o ther birds u n til ev en tu ally there m ay be as m any as a score

,

around the snake Their noisy de m onstrations are so m eti m es so

.

great and their de m eanour so threatening that the serpent loses

, ,

nerve and retreats m uch to the relief and satisfaction of the birds
,

who pursue h im for so m e distance .

I n m ost cases however the serpe n t re m ains i mm ovabl e until

, ,

one of the birds i n the excite m ent of the m o m ent or braver than
, ,

the rest approaches within striking distance

, .

I t is quite possible and even very probable that a bird m a y , ,

work i tself up into such a frenzy of excite m ent as te m porarily to ,

lose the power of flight and S O fall a victi m Others i n their , .

,

terror m ay actually rush at the snake particularly so if i n

, ,

defence of their ho mes and young .

TH E H E R O I S M OF B IR D S .

I have witnessed several i nstances of the herois m of birds

i n defence of their eggs and young I n N atal o ne h o t m id .
,

su m m er day I lay on m y back resting under t he S hade of a

,

great forest tree Hearing a noise above I looked up and high

.
, ,

up in the branches I espied a pair of Sparrow H awks near their

n est endeavouring to beat off a G reen Ma mba which w as evidently ,

S
2 58 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

i ntent upo n securing their eggs or babies Presently the snake .

reached the nest whereupon one of the hawks flew fiercely at th e

,

serpen t and gripped i t with claws and bill I nstantly the sn ake .

struck out again and again and threw a coil or two round the
, ,

bird Down ca me the two hurtling through the branches to the

.
,

’
ground The bird was either killed by t he fall or the snake s
.

veno m but i ts powerful claws were sti ll e mbedded deep i n t he

,

’
reptile s flesh The snake struggled fiercely to release i tself but
.
,

before i t could succeed I killed it .

On another occasion hearing a noisy cla m our i n a tree I crept , ,

silently forward and saw a Boo mslang or Tree Snake approach a

nest and seize a fluffy baby bird The youngster screa m ed and .

struggled frantically whereupon the parent bird in a frenzy o f

, ,

fury fl ew at the snake The reptile dropped the young bird but
,
.
, ,

alas ! it i nstantly gripped the brave m other I ran forward .

,

but t he crafty serpen t glided o ff a mongst the leafage and vanished

fro m sight with i ts victi m .

W R O N G C O N C L U S I O NS .

The ground -frequenting veno mous snakes such as the Cobras ,

and Vipers frequent ly strike their prey and i mm ediately release i t

, ,

knowing the potent action of their veno m and realizing the stricken ,

creature wi ll b e quickly overco me by t he poison When a rat is .

i ntroduced i nto a cage cont aining a Pu ff Adder or Cobra the snake , ,

after striking the victi m releases i t and contents itsel f with , ,

keeping it u nder observation The rat after being st ruck grows .

, ,

dizzy ru ns here and there at rando m and is quickly overco me by

, ,

the virulence of the veno m Often the bitten creature is i nstantly .

paralysed At ot her t i m es t h e prey is gripped an d held un t il it

.

is dead .

Now i f a bird whilst feeding upon the ground is struck by a

, , ,

veno mous snake which has been lying i n a mbush the victi m ,

i nvariably flies up to the nearest branch or twig screa m s , ,

flutters sways unsteadily and within a few minutes bei n g n o

, , ,

longer able to retain i ts hold flutters down dying to the expectan t ,

snake below which i n all probabili ty is i nten tly watching i ts

, ,

m ove ments So meti mes after being bi tten the bird i nstantly
.
, ,

loses the power of flight and re m ains on the ground i n front of the,

snake flut tering and screa ming

,
.
2 60 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH A FRI CA .

stepping forward agai n I noticed my friend was standing sti ff ,

and still Then my eyes caugh t a glint of yellow and a blackish

.
,

patch Y es i t was a Black-necked Cobra or I mfez i ( Na ia

.
,

n ig ric ollis) with forepart of body reared nearly two feet vertically ,

and hood fully expanded There i t stood rigid except for a .

, ,

slight gentle move ment fro m S ide to side I ts shiny black eyes
, .

F IG 1 0 5
— A j uv i l
en e sn a k r m r wi th
e ch a e h is co ll t i
ec on

l d H u S k
. .

o f pet Mo e an o se na es .

were i nten tly fixed u pon m y friend Beco m ing alar med for my .

friend s safety I hastened forward and killed the snake wi th my

’

sta ff .

G lanc ing at the young m an s face I was a m azed to observe t h at ’

i t w as fixed and set the eyes staring rigidly i n the direction of the
,

Cobra .

I grasped his a rm and shook h im whereupo n a tre m or ran ,

through his fra m e and wi th a gasp and a succession of deep sobs

, , ,

he collapsed and lay q uite li m p .

 H Y PN OTI SM . 2 6 1

When he had su fficiently recovered he told me he had never ,

seen a sn ake i n t he wild state before He had only seen hal f-dead .

looking speci m ens behind thick sheets of glass i n a Z oo When .

he suddenly saw the form of a six -foo t Cobra with hood expanded , ,

facing h im threateningly he instan tly lost all power of move men t

, .

He said he see m ed to freeze He essayed to cry out but his

.
,

tongue and laryn x were paralysed I n fact t he sudden S hock .

,

and fright had te m porarily paralysed the nerve centres i n his brai n
which controlled the move m ents of his m uscles H e was u n .

conscious to all else but the Cobra I ts keen shiny eyes an d .

threatening aspect m onopolized his senses I n a dim far -o ff way .

he wondered when i t was going to bite .

The m an was certainly co m pletely fascinated but the con ,

dition was induced by the sudden shock of extre m e fright to

his nervous syste m no t by any hypnotic power exercised upon h im
,

by the snake The sight for the first ti m e of a large Cobra with
.
,

hood expanded and reared ready to deliver a deadly thrus t

, ,

S hocked his m otor nerve cen tres i nto a state of te m porary paralysis .

HY P N O TI S M .

I t is quite possible for a person to induce a condition of self

hypnosis by focussing or concen trating his m ind upon so me obj ect ,

such as a bright coin or staring fixedly at the reflection o f his

,

eyes i n a mirror and sugges ting to hi m self that he is growing

sleepy m ore S leepy asleep He m ay not be able to i nduce a con
, ,
.

dition of actual unconsciousness i n this way bu t this concentra ,

t ion of the m ind and repeated suggestion of S leep will m ake h im

very susceptible Self-suggestion is a great aid in helping to
.

overco m e bad habits and nervous diseases I h ave known .

people who by intently watching so me obj ect and excluding

, ,

everything else fro m their m inds lose all power of move m ent ,
.

They re m ained so m eti m es for half an hour staring fixedly and

, , ,

when the condition of hypnos is passed o ff - o r when aroused by ,

being shaken they declared they ei ther could not re m e mber

,

anything or had only a gli mmering of consciousness after c o n

,

c en tra tin g for five m inutes upon whatever obj ec t was selected .

There is no reason to doubt that this condition c an be i nduced

by intently watching a snake particularly so i f i t be a Cobra ,
2 62 THE SN A KES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

reared wi th expanded hood keenly fixing the watcher with its

, ,

shin y black u nwi nking eyes M any i ndividuals are very sensi
, , .

tive to self—induced hypnosis as well as suggestions or m es meric

,

FIG . I o6 .
— S o me li v
e sn a k es o f di ff r t p i
e en s ec es .

passes by another person Because t here are indi viduals who c an

.

in tentionally or uni nten tionally lapse into a hypnotic condi tion ,

t h is is no argu m ent in favour of a snake possessing hypnot ic power .

I t m ay certainly be the negative cause o f self-hypnotiz ation .

2 64 THE SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFR I CA .

ar m into the nest -hole of a Spreeuw ( S tarling ) i n a bank I nstead .

o f my fingers touching the eggs as I expected t hey closed ,

around a snake s body He was evidently too cra mped up to

’
.

bi te quickly but I never pu t my arm i nto a S preeuw s nest

’

hole agai n ! Sn akes have a great fon dn ess for conceali ng the m
selves in holes owing t o t he warmt h an d security fro m danger a
hole in t he gro un d or a ban k a ffords .

Snakes strongly obj ect to the s mell of disinfect ants When .

snakes are kept i n captivity great care has to be t aken whe n ,

disinfecting their cages to allow the s mell to evaporate before

putting the sn akes back i nto the cages for the fu mes given out ,

will i n all likelihood kill the m Those who have occasion to .

ca m p out i n tents S hould dip a piece of rope or plaited cloth i n

sheep dip creosote or carbolic acid and lay i t round the outside
, , ,

of t he tent This will oft en preven t veno mous snakes S piders

.
, ,

scorpions and centipedes fro m crawling i nside .

H O R S E H AI R R O P E S .

When a boy I revelled i n the stories of the adventures o f the

cowboys and fron tiers m en of the backwoods of A m erica ; and
used to read that t hese m en often carried a horsehair rope with
the m and regarded i t as a valuable possession When ca m ping
,
.

out at night they would l ay it in a ring upon the ground and lie
,

down and sleep within that m agic circle quite confident that no ,

veno mous serpen t would m olest the m They had not the slightes t .

idea why the hair rope should prevent serpents fro m creeping i n
under their blankets and snuggling u p for warm th abou t their
persons bu t they nevertheless had fi rm faith i n the serpent
, , ,

repelling properties of their hair ropes .

N aturalists ridicule the idea o f the hair rope being e fficacious .

N o w j ust let us review the evidence A plaited horsehair rope is

, .

bristling with hundreds o f little hair-points sticking out i n al l

direct ions A snake progresses by m eans of his ribs which are
.
,

worked by sets of m uscles Each pair o f ribs is attached to one

.

o f the abdo m inal S hields These shields or scales are m oved

.

forwards and elevated for the purpose o f gri pping t he ground or

,

W hat ever surface the snake m ay be crawling over No w each .

,
 COW-M I L K I N G SNAK ES . 2 65

t i m e the shield or scale is m oved forward the t ender S ki n between ,

i t and the next one is exposed S O when a snake tries to pass over ,

the rope the little bristles prick his abdo m en and if he were foolish
, ,

enough td crawl right over that rope he would be pricked all

along his body fro m his neck to his t ail N aturally i f a snake
,
.
,

m ade the atte mp t t o crawl over a hair rope and go t pricked he ,

would instantly turn back .

At other ti mes doubtless the snake would investigate the

, ,

rope with his sensitive forked tongue and ascertai n by that m eans ,

i t was not a desirable obj ect t o pass over .

So you see there is so m e reason after all for believing that

, ,

hair ropes are useful to keep snakes out o f our ten ts and other
sleepi ng -places when out i n the veld or bush ,
.

Co w -MI L KING S N A K ES .

Far m ers have often told m e about sn akes sucking the teats of
cows I have read m any accounts i n books i n newspapers and
.
, ,

have before m e several letters by well -known far mers who posi
tiv ely declare that there is no doub t at all about the truth of it .

So me of the m allege they actually witnessed Cobras and Rin ghals

’ ’
sucking cows and goats teats The belief is very general I t . .

puzzles m e I do not say i t is u ntrue but I cannot bring m yself

.
,

t o believe it The thing is apparently S O unreasonable I t

. .

would require a great deal of evidence to establish it as a fact .

No w when you co m e to consi der i t see m s very absurd that

, ,

a snake would be able to suck m ilk fro m a cow s udder I n

’

a physiological sense it is practically i m possible Veno m ous .

snakes would i n m ost cases at least scratch the udder and cause
, ,

poisoning A snake is very lo w i n the scale of intelligence An d

. .

such an act as sucking a cow s udder i m plies a good deal of in telli

’

gence Ani m als all have m ore or less an instinct ive dread of snakes
. .

I n m ost of t he accoun ts there is a serious fl aw I t is i nvariably .

st ated that the cow or goat co m es ho m e m ilkless N ow even a b ig .

,

Cobra could not swallow m ore than about half a pint of milk I f .

i t did the m ilk would be forced out again by the n atural pressure
,

of the distended S ki n muscles and ribs I have tried i t on captive

, ,
.

snakes I inj ected various quantities o f m ilk So long as I held

. .

the m i n my hand head upwards and body hanging the m ilk was , ,
2 66 TH E SNA KES OF SOUTH AFR I C A .

retained but as soon as they were placed o n the ground m ost o f

, ,

t he m ilk ran out o f the m outh .

I have often been told that snakes were ki lled and the m ilk ,

ca me out whe n th eir bodies were s mashed up What re ally took .

’
place I expect was when the sn ake s body was sho t to pieces or
, , ,

pounded with sticks or stones the eggs which were i n i t got ,

s m ashed and the crea my -white conten ts were m istaken for

,

m ilk .

S NA K E S AND T HEI R M AT E S .

I n South Africa t he belief is widespread that if a snake is

killed i ts m ate will sooner or later appear upon the scene of the
, ,

tragedy and wreak vengeance upon the slayer

, So strong is .

this belief that if a veno mous snake should be ki lled i n or

near a dwelling the occupants are i n a st ate of nervous dread
,

for m any days afterwards I n N atal m any a ti me m y n ative .

servants have positively refused to kill a snake fearing lest its ,

mate would seek the m ou t during the darkness of the nigh t or he ,

concealed i n so m e lurking place an d deal the m a revengeful fatal

thrus t .

L ike m ost popular beliefs this particular o ne has so m e slight ,

foundation i n fact I t is a case of facts being m isinterpreted and

.

grossly exaggerated .

During the su mm er season which is the ti m e when snakes lead ,

an active existence they are frequently found i n pairs or the

, ,

male may be observed i n search of the fe male When a s nake is .

killed n ear a habi tation t he occupants believi ng the m ate will

, ,

turn up on vengeance i n ten t either m ake a careful search of the ,

neighbourhood or else are keenly o n the alert I f the m ate should

,
.

be so m ewhere near i t will probably be found Any one who has

,
.

hunted snakes i n a syste m atic m an ner knows that when these ,

reptiles are not S pecially sought for t hey are seldo m seen ,
.

N aturally i f a syste m atic hun t be organized for the supposed m ate

o f a slain snake one of the sa m e S pecies is likely to be discovered
,

so mewhere i n the vicinity .

Snakes fi nd their m ates m ainly by the sense o f s mell A m ale .

snake is able t hus to follow the spoor O f a fe m ale for considerable

distances I have frequently watched Pu ff Adders and Night
.

Adders which I kept i n captivity i n large enclosures following i n ,

2 68 TH E SNA KES O F SOUTH AFRI CA .

the leverage thus obtained i t c a n so m eti m es j erk its head free ,

and before i t is possible to shake i t o ff i t m ay have the opportunity ,

of i n flicting tw o or three bi tes On the o ther hand if you are .

,

’
holding the snake s tail i n one hand and i f by chance the head ,

S hould slip fro m the fingers of the other hand the reptile can ,

b e i nstantly dropped or cast away before i t is possible for i t

to bite .

A snake when gripped by the neck j ust behind the head

can not possibly turn and bite .

When dropped i nto a bag the captive snake does not st ruggle
,
.

I t coils up and lies quite still I t m akes no atte mpt t o bite .

t hrough t he b ag .

Pu ff Adders may be safely approached fro m behind and

noosed as shown i n t he illustrat ion I t is not true that t hey are
, .

able to bite by casting the mselves backwards The idea has .

arise n t hrough the habi t of the Puff Adder of throwing b ack his
head and portio n o f the body to obtain a greater i mpetus i n order
to cast hi mself forward when abou t to bite Be careful when .

s tanding i n fron t o f a Pu ff Adder especia lly if he be coiled up for , ,

he is able to cast hi msel f forward the full length of his body and
even a lit tle further Keep at least twice the lengt h of his body
.

fro m h im A Pu ff Adder nearly bit m y photographer by springing

.

forward at h im The reptile shot out the full length of i ts

.

body making a desperate lunge at the m an s legs wi th i ts great

’

fangs Quick as thought i t coiled and again launched itsel f

.
,

forward but the photographer happened to be young and active

,

and sprang aside I f I were to tell you all that we did to obtai n
.

t he facts and photos for t his book and how we collected veno m ,

for all t he experi men ts i t would m ake your blood feel as cold as
,

that of a snake .

Many ki nds of snakes m ay be captured S i m ply by putting t he

e nd of your walking stick across the neck and pressing i t down .

The snake may then be taken by the neck wit h the finger and
thu mb Tree snakes S hould be chased until you get the m i nto an
.

i solated tree or away fro m trees al together I f cornered i n a tree

, .

they assu m e t he defensive at titude an d c an t hen be noosed fro m

t he end o f a lo n g stick I f a snake is noosed i n the way shown
.

i n the illustration i t c a n be carried for quite a long t im e wi thout

,

inj uring i t i f you h o ld i ts tail fir m ly so that i ts body lies along ‘

’
the stick Never allow a snake s body to dangle as this will very
.
,
2 7 0 THE SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

soon strangle i t or so i nj ure its n eck that i t will die later of the
,

i nj ury To disengage a snake fro m the noose grip i t by the neck

.
,

and t a il and wit h the disengaged fingers relax the cord and Slip
, ,

the noose over its head Snakes may be securely captured i n a .

butterfly net m ade of strong m aterial Tree sn akes are often .

captured i n this way .

When out snake hunting wear a pair of strong leather gaiters ,

or top boots Thick gauntlet gloves may be worn but they h ave
.
,

the disadvantage of m aking the fingers feel clu m sy Besides i t .

,

is rather awkward carrying a big pair of gloves about .

A snake cannot bite through a pair of leather gai ters of average

thickness I n capturing a Ringhals Cobra take care it does not
.
,

discharge a shower o f veno m into your eyes .

H o w To C O LL E CT AND P RE S ERVE S NAKE S .

The collection and preservation of sn akes is a m ost i n terest

i ng hobby Provide yoursel f wi th so m e per m a n ganat e of
.

pot ash a S harp penkni fe and a ligature i n case o f a chance

, ,

bite fro m a snake ; also so m e good recept acle for your

S peci m ens Take also a long forked stick the point s of
.
,

which should be sharpened Whe n a snake is Observed i t is .

,

usually qui te easy to pi n h im down with the forked end of the

stick by pressi ng down on the back of his neck
,
Then apply .

so me o il fro m t he ste m of an old tob acco pipe to the end of a

wand and rub i t i n the snake s gaping m o uth This will either kill
’
.

h mi outright or put h im i n a trance -like condi tio n To m ake sure .

he does not revive later m ake a t iny i ncision at the back o f ,

neck and sever the connection of the S pin al cord with t he base of
the S kull By e m ploying these m ethods you will obtai n a perfec t
.

speci men .

Another m ethod is to strike the snake S harply across the back

near the head with a stick This i nvariably dislocates or breaks .

the backbone Then the creature may be ki lled wi th the pipe

.

oil I t is however never wise to i n j ure a sn ake by striking i t if

.
, ,

i t c an be avoided as subsequently on i mm ersio n i n the preserva

, ,

t ive fluid the i nj ured part gets pu ffy and th e scales co me o ff

, , .
 TH E SNA KES O F SO UTH A FR I CA .

H o w To P R E S E RVE S NAKE S .

The preservative fluid co m m only used is alcohol of 7 0 per cent .

strength ; Cape Dop brandy or any other kind of strong alcohol , ,

will do L ay ou t your speci men abdo men upper m ost m ake an

.
,

i ncision of one to two i nches along t he middle part of its abdo m en

longitudinally Search for and re m ove the gall On reference to
.
.

the illustration of dissection o f a Pu ff Adder you will find the

locality o f the gall I t is a roundish bag of greenish -yellow fluid
.

attached to the liver I f there be anything i n the ali m entary

.

( food ) tube re move i t I t is not necessary to re m ove the gall

,
.

bladders of s m all snakes I t is advisable to do so with large .

speci m ens as gall frequently escapes i nto the S pirit and discolours
,

i t The next Operation is to i nj ec t so me spiri t into the snake s

’
.

body through the incision An ordinary glass syringe will do

,
. .

Plug up the i ncision with cotton -wool and i f necessary bring the , , ,

edges together with a few stitches After washing the snake .

clean place i t for one or two days in a j ar or bottle o f S pirit

,

to soak The obj ect of this preparatory pickling is to allow o f

.

’
the spiri t taking the place of the natural water of the snake s body .

The reason snakes so frequently go bad i n pickle is because this

precaution is not observed The water fro m t he snake s body
’

naturally weakens the preservat ive fluid and sooner or later the ,

speci m en decays The perm anen t speci m en j ar or bot tle S hould

.

be of clear glass and with a glass stopper i f possible For private

,
.

collections ordi nary rou n d bottles will serve the purpose I n .

m useu ms these are no longer used as they distort the S peci m ens ,
.

Jars with flat sides are better Do not cra m the speci m en into .

the bot tle carelessly Arrange its body n eatly i n coils Open
. .

the j aws and erect the fangs i f t he snake be a veno mous one ,
.

Fill your bottle up with spirit and cork it Y our n ext busine ss is .

to W rite its na me t he locality where i t was captured and the

, ,

date Affi x the label on the bottle and writ e the sa m e data on a
.

s mall neat tag and drop i t i nto the bottle i n case the other label
should peel o ff and get lost This is an i mportan t detail Valuab le
. .

collections have been rendered practically valueless by n eglecting

to do this Keep a catalogue o f your speci mens and write
.
,

down everything o f i nterest connected wi th the m Write all the .

i nteresting i nfo r m ation about the m which you can cull fro m
books or discover by personal observation I f you cannot .
F IG I i o — I One o g r ut
f th e as s h rt i b t S k rk h
s in t h e Po Elz a e h na e P a s ow mg so me o f th e
k w i I bi t t
. . .

s n a es h ch nh a h em
p r k v r d wi t l i v k Th k r t
.

2 An a lo e in t h e sa me a co e e h e s n a es e sna es oos in
r gt l v T r i t ti l
. .

s c o e s a mo n s t h e e a es
. h e e a re n n e een o n h s a oe .

2 73
 2 74 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

iden ti fy your S peci m en take or send i t to the nearest museu m

, ,

and ask for i nfor m ation The best plan i s to collect tw o speci m e ns
. .

Keep one for yoursel f and send the other to a m useu m as a

,

donation and ask the museu m o fficials to let you know its na m e
,
.

I f they cannot i dentify i t the mselves they will send i t to so m e ,

authori ty o n snakes who will be able to tell the m

,
.

First of a ll learn to recognize t he three great divisions— the

,

solid -toothed harmless snakes ; the i nter mediate b ack -fanged

, ,

snakes and the typically veno m ous front —fanged snakes , .

I n the preservation of snakes a w o o d-spiri t k nown as for mali n ,

i s fre q uen tly used I t is sold by all che mists I t has the a dv a n
. .

tage o f being quite colourless and i t does not dissolve out the ,

colouring m atter of the speci m en to the sa m e extent as does

alcohol However i t often partly dissolves the bones o f the
.
,

S peci m en m aking i t useless for di ssection at any future ti m e

,
I .

have kept various rept iles i n form alin for fifteen years and they ,

are t o -day as fresh as ever The rept ile sho uld be in j ected
.

wit h pure form alin before pickling I nj ect down t he t h roat an d .

in to several places in t h e abdo m en wi t h a syrin ge The less ligh t .

which reaches the speci mens t he better as light bleaches the m ,

.

The collection m ay be kept i n a dark cupboard or o n a shel f

in a feeble light or wi th a curtain on r ings hanging i n fron t
, .

For m alin i f used should be diluted For the preservation of

, , .

sn akes add ten to fifteen parts o f water to one of for m alin

, .

I t can be diluted to a greater exten t i f the speci men has had a

preparatory soaking for a few days as mentioned above ,
.

To skin a snake with t he i nten tion of stu ffing it the best plan ,

is to turn i t inside out by re m oving the ski n fro m arou nd the lips ,

working i t down to the neck and slowly drawi ng i t o ff Then ,

.

dust i t over wi th a preservative m ixture consisting of one -third

whi te arsenic and tw o -thirds burn t powdered alu m and carefully ,

turn the skin right side out again Fill the body wi th fine saw .

dus t to the proper di m ensions i nsert a piece o f putty into the ,

neck and replace the skull after winding a lit tle cotton wool on
, ,

i t to replace the muscles an d glands which h ave been re moved .

Putty or m odelling clay is however bet ter than cotton wool , ,

.

Fasten the lips with tiny pins or a few stitches as n aturally as ,

p o ssible Put in a pai r o f artificial eyes m o uld the body i nto i ts

.
,

natural shape co il i t i n the positio n desired and leave i t aside to

, ,

dry When quite sti ff and dry take ou t the pins or stitches fro m
.
,
2 76 TH E SN A KE S OF SOUTH AFR I CA .

the lips clean o ff any loose bi ts of clay etc and give the whole
, ,
.
,

skin a coating o f gold -size varnish Place i t upon a board prepared .

for the purpose and finally put i t i n a glass cabinet or case A

,
.

nice at tractive stand can be m ade by i m itati ng the natural sur

roundings of the snake .

I f you dip the snake s head i n a solutio n of perm anganate o f

’

potash b efo re beg in n in g to S ki n i t and during the process there

‘

, ,

will be little i f any danger of getting poisoned A safer pla n

, ,
.

when skinn ing a veno m ous snake is to m ake a longitudi nal

i ncision i n the throat a few inches fro m the head Ski n round .

the body then sever i t and skin o ff the neck and head first Then
, .

re move the body portion of the snake .

Flat skins m ay be m ade by ripping the abdo men fro m chi n

to e nd of tail and re moving the body Rub the preservat ive .

m ixture on the i n ner side of the S ki n and t ack i t out on a plank ,

u ntil dry Then turn i t over and give i t a coating of gold -size
.

varnish When quit e dry roll up and put away

.
, .

To m ake a S kin per m anently proof agai nst the attacks o f m oths
and m i tes steep it for ten m inutes or so i n m ethylated spirit or
, ,

or di nary alcohol i n which a pi nch of powdered corrosive subli m at e

-chloride of m ercury
( Bi ) has been dissolved I t is best to have .

a stock bottle of i t Take a pint o f m ethylated spiri t and pu t as

.

m uch powdered corrosive subli mate i n to i t as will lie heaped on

a three -pen ny piece Shake and allow to stand for a day I t
.
, .

i s then ready for use I nstead o f soaki ng the ski n i n the solution
.
,

i t m ay be painted on with a brush Be sure that both S ides of .

the S ki n are well painted This substance w ill cure a Sk i n as

.

well as render i t insect proof A present able S kull sho w i ng.

th e fangs can be m ade by bo il ing it for a min ut e an d carefully

pick ing t he m eat o ff wit h a st ron g n eedle or po int of a s m all
pen -kni fe I nst ead of t his an ts may be allowed t o clean it
.
, .

K AFI R S U P E R S TITI O N S .

The K a fi rs are intensely superstitious The instinct o f .

reverence when rightly t rained and guided by an educated ,

i ntellect strongly i m pels the i ndividual to be ge n uinely and

,

truly reverent and religious I t gives a strong desire for and .

,

belief in continued existence after physical death

, .
 K AFI R SU PE RSTI TI ON S . 2 77

I n the K a fi rs this e mo tion ru ns riot I t i m pels the m to .

perpetrate the most diabolical cruelties .

They believe that the spiri t of a dead K a fi r has the power o f

i nfluenci ng the survivors of his o w n fa mily for good or evil So .

far the belief is reasonable enough bu t t he K afi r fir m ly beli eves ,

that i f cattle goats fowls etc are sacrificed to this spiri t relat ive
, , ,
.
, ,

t hen their spirits go to h im and help swell his herd of spirit cattle ,

e tc i n the S hades below He does not m i nd his friends feasting

.
, .

FIG 1 1 2 — A ppl yi g th t t t
n e es o se e if th e sn a k e is o b sesse d by th pi ri t
e s o f
b l v d r l ti v
. .

a e o e e a e or a to e .
( A/ter G . Wood )
.

upon the flesh of the sacrificed ani m al All he covets is the .

spiri t of t he creature I f he considers that his friends o n earth

.

are neglecting h im he pays the m a V isi t and a fflicts t he m

, ,

or their do m estic ani m als with disease I f the disease should .

be severe then the relatives i m agine that nothing S hort o f the

,

s acrifice of a cow or ox will appease the i ndignan t deceased

relative I f the sickness should be a minor one then a goat is
.
,

thought to be adequate Sheep never see m to be used for these .

sacrifices .

These dissatisfied or revengeful spiri ts so m eti m es co m e i n

their own for m but usually they appear i n the form of so m e
,
2 78 TH E SNAK ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

’
such creature as a snake I f a snake should en ter a K a fi r s b u t
.

he concludes that i t is possessed by the S pi ri t of a fri end or foe .

To determ ine satisfactorily for what i nten t the S piri t has visi ted
h im he t akes a stick and covering his face with one hand lays
, , ,

the stick gently over the back of the serpent I f i t should no t .

S how any S ig n of anger or resent m ent he is assured i t is the spi ri t ,

o f a beloved dead ancestor I f this is the case he instantly goes

.
,

forth and sacrifices an ox i f he has one to spare I f not a goat

,
.
,

or two serves the purpose He argues that the spiri t o f a dead

.

ancestor would not t ake the t rouble to visit the earth and appear
t o h im unless as a warning t o be m ore careful i n future an d treat
, ,

h im with greater respect by o fferi ng sacri fices m ore frequently

t o hi m .

I f the serpen t should S how i rri tability or anger the K a fi r m akes ,

u p his m ind i t is the spirit of an ene my who is i nten t upo n doing

h im so m e grave hurt He therefore abandons the hu t at least
.
,

for a period As a consequence of this belief K a fi rs as a rule

.
, , ,

h ave a stro n g dislike t o k illing snakes i n the vicini ty of their

dwelli ngs for fear they m ay be o ffering an i nsul t to an ancestor
, ,

who will revenge hi mself upon the m I f the sn ake should be .

possessed of the spiri t of a foe an d be killed the hatred of

'

, ,

t hat ene my is i ncreased an hu ndred fold .

Contact wi th Europeans however is rapidly u nder m ining , ,

these old traditions and beliefs o f t he K a fi rs .

On a n occasion when I was ca m ping out at a K afi r kraal a ,

Pu ff Adder crawled through the doorway i nto the cen tre o f the
hut The usual testing took pl ace to ascertai n i f i t were an
.

ancestor or a bitter ene m y I t proved to be the former The

, . .

friends o f the owner of the hut gathered around h im an d brough t ,

all thei r i nfluence to bear upon h im to sacrifice a cow forthwi th .

I ridiculed the whole affair and told h im that his friends were
,

t rying to scare h im i nto killing a fat cow so that they might

participate i n a glorious feast I o ffered to kill the snake and .

bring the penalty upon m ysel f N o he would not pe rm i t .

,

that because his ancestor would be doubly furious wi th h im

,

for allowing a wh i te m an t o i nterfere and insult h im Th e .

si mpleton was u tterly te rrified by the fo rec astin g s of his f riends ,

i f he did not appease the ancestor wi th the spiri t of a good cow .

Consequently that night there was m u c h feasting and beer

,

drinking i n th e kraal .
2 80 THE SNAK E S OF SO U TH AFRI CA .

F EE D I NG S N AKE S ON L I VE A N IMAL S .

I t i s popularly supposed that i f rats m ice rabbits guinea , , ,

pigs wild birds or do m estic fowls are placed i n a cage containing

,

live sn akes that they will su ffer agonies o f fear This is not S O
,
. .

Wild birds when i ntroduced i nto a sn ak e cage i mm ediately

, ,

fly ou t o f reach of any snakes which m ay be present but i f their

food is placed upon the ground they will aft er a few hours ,

readily fly down and begin eating utterly oblivious o f the presence ,

o f thei r ene m ies I n a few days they t ake no notice at all of the
.

snakes and eve n hop abou t on their bodies However i t is no t

,
.
,

pleasan t to cont e m plat e that such lovely and bright little creatures
should be devoured by these reptiles I could n ever bring m yself .

to feed sn akes with live birds although there is no actual cruelty ,

i nvolved .

Rats m ice rabbits gui nea -pigs and fowls when put i nto a
, , , , ,

s nake cage are ti mid at first owing to the strangeness of their

, ,

su rroundings but i n a very short ti m e they are quite at ho m e

, ,

and do not show the least fear o f the snakes I f a snake such .
,

for instance as a python is disposed to di ne wi th a sudden , ,

an d unexpected m ove m en t he sei z es his victi m and n ext i nstan t ,

his deadly coils h ave done their work and i t is li m p and dead ,

— killed so rapidly t hat death is practically painless All .

constrictor snakes kill their prey very rapidly A rat will be per .
,

chance nibbling so m e food and the spectator sees an i nstan t

, ,

l ater a co nfused m ass of coils and reali z es a snake has the ,

rat i n those coils and already i ts li fe is fas t ebbing away I f

, .

the sn ake be a veno mous one the poison rapi dly benu mbs the ,

victi m and although i t may no t die i mmediately i t does no t

, , ,

su ffer any pai n beyon d a mo mentary s m art when th e fangs

penetrat e t he S kin The veno m has the property of narcoti z ing
.

the sensory nerves .

Although snakes may be kept alive i n captivity for prolonged

pe riods by artificially feeding the m such a plan is not nearly so ,

satisfactory as allo w ing the m to kill and eat their food i n a natural
way The m ort ality a mong artificially fed sn akes is great When
. .

m ade to swallow agai nst their will the food frequently fails to ,

digest pu trifi es i n the ali mentary canal an d so poisons the

, ,

reptile Others develop abscesses i n the m outh fro m which

.
,

t hey usually die .

 FE ED I N G SNA K ES ON L I VE A N I MA L S . 2 81

I f a snake can once be i nduced to eat of its own accord there ,

is no further di fficulty for i t afterwards feeds freely if the air i n

,

FIG . 1 1 4 .
— Th e R y l P y th
o a on (P yth gi
o n re us ) of S en e g mbi
a a an d S ir L
e ra eo n e .

its cage is genial and war m Such a sn ake if placed in a cage with
.
,

others which have previously refused to eat will often i nduce ,

the m to m ake a beginning .

2 82 TH E SNA K ES O F SOUTH AFRI CA .

With t he exerci s e of a little t i m e an d pat i en ce m an y S pecies

of sn akes c an b e in duced t o t a ke t he dead bodies of t he creat ures
on wh ich they are i n t he habit of feedin g Th ey seldo m t ake
.

an d retain food however if t he t emperat ure of t he air i n th eir

, ,

°
c age is lower t han 7 5 Fah r Sn akes will even a ccept t he prey
.

when i t is i n a st ale con dition an d after a t i m e t hey usually

,

prefer dead t o l ivin g food .

A t e m perature of fro m 8 0 t o 90 Fahr in the sn ake cages

° °
.

keeps t he reptiles act ive an d keen t o t ake an d digest food I n .

Sout h Africa snakes c an of course be con fin ed in enclosures out

, ,

O i-doors durin g t he war m season of th e year They shoul d h ave

.

’
access t o th e s u n s r a ys .

Th e sn akes i n t he Snake Park at t he Port Eli z ab et h M use u m

feed freely They h owever sel do m t ake de a d prey
. .
 2 84 TH E SNAK E S OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

an ele m entary k nowledge of physiology The patien t is ofte n .

liberally dosed with drastic drugs i n l arge quan tities — drugs

which a doctor would hesitate to prescribe even i n s m all doses .

Many other m ethods even m ore har m ful an d pernicious are resorted
to an d worthless so -called sn ake bite re medies co mm and a
,

read y sale a mong the ignorant *

.

TH E F U NCTI O N S B R AI N
O F TH E .

The brai n is the source of all thinking and feeling powers

possessed by us All i ntelligence lies i n wh at is known as t he
.

grey m atter which is co m posed O f a layer of greyish cells which

, ,

covers the ent ire brain .

The body is a m achine with m arvellously in tricate m achinery ,

but i t is utterly devoid of intelligence I t is m erely the mediu m .

through which the brain O perates upon physical m atter The .

body carries out t he co mm ands of t he brain and m ind When we .

see the dead body of a man we do n ot say i t is the m an hi msel f

, .

We say i t is his dead body The S pirit which worked the cells .

of the brain which in turn operated upon the various parts of the
,

body has fled never to return The bacteri a of decay then assu m e
, , .

co mm and an d convert the body back to i ts origin al ele m ents

, .

The m ot or o f the wonderful hu m an m achine is the brain ,

which i s enclosed i n the skull The brai n is divided i nto tw o .

parts the m ai n portion being known as the Cereb ru m The other .

part 1 5 the Cerebellu m which lies at the base of the skull be h ind
, ,

the ears Both t he Cereb ru m and t he Cerebellu m are divided

.

int o two parts which are known as he m ispheres These parts

, .

are united at the base by nerve fibres The brain is really a great .

m as s o f nerve m atter The average weigh t o f the brain of an

.

adul t m ale is about forty -nine and a hal f ounces and forty -four ,

ounces i n fe m ales .

The brain is covered fi rst by the skull then with a tough

, ,

m e mbrane known as the Dura M ater This me mbrane is charged

.

with blood vessels wh ich suppl y nourish men t to the brain and skull .

Under this tough coveri ng is a delicate m e mbrane no t u nlike ,

a fine spider s w eb i n appearance known as the Arachnoid ,

m e mbran e . Y et another m e mbran e envelops the brai n ; i t is

known as t he Pia Mater I t lies right upon the substance o f the
.

A littl e el e m en t a ry h ea lt h a dvi c e is i n e rt ed h er e a n d t h e r e T h i s is
s .

r el e v a n t b ec a u s e t h e m o r e r o bu s t t h e h ea lt h t h e gr ea t e r is t h e c h a nc e o f
c o m pl e t e r ec o v ery a ft e r b e i n g bitt e n by a s n a k e .
 TH E SEAT OF I N TE LL I G EN CE . 2 85

brain and is co mposed m ainly of blood vessels which run down

,

in to the brain m atter .

The right side of the brain supplies the left side of the body
wi th nerves and vice versa This is why an inj ury to the motor
,
.

cen tres o f t he right side of t he brain will paralyse the body on the
opposi te side .

TH E S E AT OF I NTE LL IGENCE
When all the m e mbr anes covering the brain are re m oved its ,

surface is S een to be covered with deep depressions This is due .

FIG 1 1 S ti f th h u m b r i h wi g
6 — ec on o h mi ph r
e f h C r
an a n s o n o ne e s e e o t e e e
b ru m d C r b llu m Th p rt th righ t i th f r h d p rt i
. .

an e e e e a on e s e o e ea o on
N t th f l d i g v lut i ( Fr m B l k i P h y i l gy )
. .

'
o e e o n s o r co n o o ns . o ac e s s o o .

to the foldings of the outer layers of brain m atter These foldings .

are known as convolutions The obj ect of these depressions and .

foldings is to provide as large a surface as possible without unduly ,

enlarging the brain and S kull This extensive surface is covered .

with a layer o f nerve cells o f a greyish colour The thickness of .

the grey m atter is deter m ined by the degree of m ental evolutio n

of the i ndividual This layer o f m icroscopically s ma ll cells of a
.

greyish colour which is usually only about the e ighth of an i nch

,

t hick gives rise to every thought every desire and every e motion
, , ,
2 86 TH E SNA K ES OF SOU TH AFR I CA .

which stirs us every hope and a mbition which thrills us the , ,

glow of love which goes out fro m us the pain t he anger and , ,

the worries of li fe Y es all these and more have their birth i n .

, ,

the groups of cells which are for med i n this thin grey layer which
covers our brai n like a cloth .

H U MA N B RAI N TH E
F IG I 7 Th l y r f G r y M tt r mp d f i y ll w h r ll i ll i g m ti
.

I — I e a e o e a e co o se o t n ce s e e a n te en c e , e o o ns
d d ir h v t h i r ri g i T h i i h B k f L if h ph g r p h i r rd
. . .

an es es a e e o n s s t e oo o e — t e o no a c ec o
I t ri r p rt i f h br i mp d f v t u m b r f rv fi br wh i h du t
. .

2 n e o o on o t e a n co o se o as n e s o ne e es c co n c
g d f r m h G y C ll
.

m es s a es to a n o t e re e s
C r b llu m L i ttl B r i t h l f t h w tur f i u b t I t i th t
.

3 Th e e e e o r e a n cu In a o S o na e o ts s s an ce s e se a
f v ri u p h y i l fu t i
. .

O a o s s ca nc o ns
S pi l C rd k w M d ull O b l g t h wi g rv b r h i g t
.

4 T p f h o o t e th na o no n as e e a on a a s o n ne es anc n ou
fr m it
.

5 T p f M d ull O bl g t k w th Bul b T h i d th f rm r tr gl y fl t d
.

o o e a on a a no n as e s s an e o e a re s on a ec e
by C br v m
. .

o a en o
Th C r b ru m ( l ft h m i p h r ) h w m g th v luti f l di g f it urf
.

6 e e e e e s e e s o e co n o o ns o r o n s o s s ac e

7 Rig h t id h mi ph r f th b r i
. .

. s e or e s e e o e a n .

The grey cells which envelop the brai n -substance follow the
con volutions down i nto a ll their foldings This wo nderful grey .

coating is known as the Cortex which m eans b ark , .

2 88 TH E SN A K ES OF SOUTH AFR I CA .

fro m a telephone cable — branch o ff divide and sub -divide u ntil , ,

the whole body fro m the tips of the ,

toes to the crown of the head is a c o m ,

plete network of nerves These are the .

telephone or t elegraph wires O f the brain .

Withi n t he brain as i t were the intel , ,

lig en t operator lives t he nervous syste m

is his means of co m municatio n with the
re m otest parts of his body Fro m his .

dwelling -place within the S kull he can ,

con trol every part o f the hu m an engine

to t he very s m a llest det ail .

The world -fa m ous m edical author ,

Dr J H K ellogg says . . .
,

The brai n is the great ce n tre fro m

which e m an ates the n erve force which
V it alizes and energiz es every part of the
body I t is the seat of govern m en t in .

the vi tal do m ain the nerves being i ts ,

servants through which i t receives in

form ation O i the external world and by ,

m eans o f which i t is able to execute i ts

m andates in all parts o f i ts province ,

even extendi ng beyond i tself an d t he

li m its of t he body and operating upon ,

external th ings throu gh the m ediu m of

i ts i nst ru m en ts .

S NAKE V E N OM AND THE N ERVE C E LL S .

Every nerve thread when exa mined ,

under a microscope is seen to be c o m ,

posed O i a nu mber o f nerves all o f

FI G I I o — Tli eum h an p wro e
,

h u br i ) which are enclosed in a sheath I n fact

. .

o se ( th e a n an d th e
m i bl pi l rd
.
,
a n ca e or s na co ,

Wi r es m i
or rv wh i h bound toget her and carefully sheathed
a n ne es c
ru n o u tfi m i w i idj g
o d v n an
b -di vid i g v r th The nerves the mselves are co m posed of
.

su nll a o e e
d Y ( Fr m mm ,“ P h r
o
“m y !
t i ny cells o f nervous m atter .

I t is these cells which are poisoned when snake veno m gets

int o the blood The veno m s of the di fferen t kinds of s nakes
.
 H OW OU R B L OOD I S MA DE . 2 89

do not all h ave the sa me pathological effect One kind of veno m .

will have a S pecially poisonous e ffect upon certain groups of

nerve cells and nerve centres while another kind of veno m will ,

exert little or no poisonous paralysing influence upon those ,

nerve cen tres but will act wi th powerful e ffect upon so m e other
,

groups For instance Cobra veno m poisons the nerve cen tres
.
,

which control the auto m atic m ovem ents of t he lungs and

di aphrag m Pu ff Adde r veno m does no t have this e ffect This
’

. .

veno m and that of the Boo m slang act powerfully o n the nerve
endings blood -vessel walls an d blood causing m ore or less
, , ,

ext ensive h ae m orrhage into the tissues .

A strong man is far more di fficult to overthrow than a weak

o ne S O too is the nervous syste m and brain I f you have
.
, , .

strong healthy nerve and brain cells snake veno m or disease

, ,

m icrobes will b e far less likely to kill than if the brai n and nerve
cells are weak sickly or infla m ed , , .

The chief cause of this unheal thy condition of the cells of the
brain and n erves is the habi tual i n dulgence i n alcoholic liquor
,
.

I t has bee n est ablished as a fact in science after exhaustive ,

experi ment ation and Observation that alcohol poisons weakens , , ,

distorts in fl ames and kills these cells

,
D ead nerve ce lls are
,
.

n ever replaced .

How OU R B L OO D Is M A D E — A M ARVE L L OU S P R O CE S S .

I t is blood which bu ilds up the tissues of all living creatures

upo n our world ourselves included I t is the blood which supplies
,
.

every particle of nourish m en t required for our bones m uscles , ,

brain n erves n ails and h air

, , ,
.

Where does the blood co m e fro m and how is i t m ade Y es , ,

we all know i t is m ade fro m the food we eat and the water we ,

drink— but how ? Has i t never struck you that the process
must be a marvellous one which converts beef potatoes , ,

bread an d all our foods in to blood ? I t is the digestive

, ,

apparatus which perform s this wonderful feat The lowest .

forms of ani mal life upon our world are tiny creatures which
live in the ocean They are si mply living sto machs We hu man
. .

folk too are sto machs— with appendages

, ,
.

Well now let us carefully trace the j ourney taken by our

,

dinner and see what beco m es of it

,
.
2 90 THE SNA KES O F SOUTH AFRI CA .

TH E S AL I VAR Y G L AN D S AND T EETH .

We are provided wi th i ncisor or fro n t teeth for biting an d

tearing our food and m olars fo r the purpose of carefully gri n d
i ng food before i t is swallowed True we have can ine .
,

teeth with which our pri mitive auces ,

tors fought their ene mies before they ,

evolved the idea of usin g bran ches of

trees as clubs an d sto n es as weapo n s ,
.

The i n stan t food e n ters the mouth the ,

s alivary glands pour out their secret ion ,

which is k n own as saliva This s aliva .

is very i mport an t for i t perfor m s a ,

work which the sto mach is u n able to

do The s ali va h as the power of
.

chan gin g the st archy parts of the food

i n to quite a n other substa n ce I n fact .
,

i t partly digests an d prepares i t for

another process which will t ake place
later in the stom ach an d bowels .

I t is very im portan t t hat we sho uld

chew up our food thoroughly before
swallowing i t Parents should t ake .

the greatest possible care of their

’
children s teeth The teeth should .

be clean ed an d the mouth washed ,

every m orning and at bedt im e The , .

mouth -w as h should con t ai n so me ant i

septic which is not i rrit at in g t o t he
gu m s W ashin g or rin s in g is n o t
.

su fficient I t is n ecessary to use a tooth .

b r sh an d an t iseptic dent ifrice

u
an
“ OF ho l dig ti v e es e
.

355:b t 3 f iggz lgsgg: W i thou t good teeth the food canno t

11 n
,
a ou 0 e

( Fr m B l ki P h y i l gy ) be properly prepared for the sto m ach

’
o ac e s s o o .
.

G ood teeth and a healthy sto mach are a ch ild s greatest asset ’
.

TH E S T OMACH .

When the food is swallowed i t goes down a long tube called ,

the gu llet or ( E sophagus The instant i t enters t he sto mach .

,

the gas tric nerves receiv e a sti mulus and digestio n begin s The , .

s to mach is a large hollow muscular bag E mbedded in i ts

, , .
 TH E SN A KE S OF S O U TH AFRI C A
‘

2 92 .

the food which may h ave escaped perfec t digestion by the o ther
fluids Then the food is ready to be taken up and co n verted
.

i nt o blood I n the i nner walls of the bowels there are millio n s

.

o f tiny mouths which greedily suck u p th e digested food These

,
.

lit tle suckers are called lacteals There is another set k n ow n .

as venous absorbents So me of the absorbed food is carried .

to the liver to be filtered and purified before finding its way i nto
the blood strea m The portion which does not need to be acted
.

upon by the liver is carried through a long slender tube k n ow n

,

as t he thoracic duct and poured in to a large vei n ,

.

C O N VERTE D INT O B LOO D .

The liquid food m ingles with the venous blood and even tually
pours i nto the right S ide of the heart and is pu m ped up in to t he ,

lungs Here a m arvellous change t akes place The air we

. .

breathe contains a large a m oun t of oxygen i f i t be fresh and pure , .

This oxygen gas instantly co mbines with the venous blood ,

and a wonderful change t ak es place The blood corpuscl es .

throw o ff a load of poison ous wast e m atter and absorb oxygen .

The blood is then returned to the heart but this ti me t o ,

the left half Fro m here i t is pu mped all over the body
.

through vessels kn own as arteries These divide and subdivide .

until they beco m e m ere threads so tiny that t hey are invisible ,

to the naked eye These are known as capillaries S O nu merous

. .

are they that you can not prick your flesh anywhere with th e
finest n eedl e -poin t without rupturing several of the m .

H EA LTH L A W S .

There are laws governing every depart men t o f N ature To .

disobey any of these n atural l aws m eans punish men t i n so me

shape or for m These laws work auto m atically Whether
. .

viol ated wilfully or ignorantly the punish m en t is the sa m e .

There is no escape We m ay perhaps escape the consequences

.

of the breaking of ma n -m ade laws bu t not the laws of G od , .

They are sel f—acting .

Science is finding out m ore about these great natural l aws and ,

how they work I n proportion to our knowledge of the workings

.
 H EA L TH L AWS . 2 93

of Nature s l aws so S hall we be able to avoid su ffering and sorrow

’

,
.

I f a man knows there are treacherous bogs at each side of the

road he is travelling he will be doubly careful to keep fro m
,

straying o ff the road I f we have been instructed i n the

.

ll
h is I ] .
t
FIG 1 2 2 — 1 On e t mm p i f b t i wh i h
of th e mo s co on s ec es o a c er a c
u u ppur t i ( M i
. . .

ca se s py g
a )on c ro co cc us o en es
N S p h r id l b t ri rr g d i p i r ( D pl
.

e o a ac e a a) an e n a s i o eo cc us

W S p h r id l b t ri g r u p d i u b id l m
.

e o a ac e (S
a i o) e n c o a a ss e s a rc n a

P S p h r id l b t ri gr u p d i h i ( S t pt Th
.

e o a ac e a
) o e n c a ns re ococc u s ese
pr du ry ip l
.

o ce e s e as
D i pl i l i g h tl y l - h p d d urr u d d by
.

an ce s
!
o co cc s a e an s o n e a
U
p ul T h
ca s e. u ut p u m i e se c a se ac e ne on a
Th b t ri wh i h u t yp h id f v r
.

\
0 e ac e a c ca se o e e
lI Wi th ili
.

1
\ B ac l l c a
m Th b i ll i wi th p r p r du l kj w
.

ese ac s o es o ce oc a
b i ll i f umpti
.

© Th e ac o co ns on
Th b t ri f d i p h t h ri
.

I O. e ac e a o e a
Th m i r b f A i ti h l r
.

1 1 e c o es o s a c c o e a.
Th mi r b f r urr t f v r ( Fr m S t d d D i t i y)
.

1 2 . e c o es o ec en e e . o an ar c o na r .

knowledge that certai n habits and acts are violations of natu ral
laws and that punish m en t i n so m e for m is bound to follow the
, ,

fear of consequences if no higher motive wi ll keep us in the

. ,

straight path Th e very things m ost essen tial for every grown
.
2 94 THE SNA KES O F SO U TH AFR I C A .

up boy and girl to know are usually conce aled fro m the m ‘
.

Surely i t see ms a most essential thing for boys an d girls to be

taught how to keep the m echanis m of their bodies in good
going order H ave you ever seriously asked yoursel f the question
.
,

Why do I eat certai n foods an d swallow certai n dri n ks P Are ,

they good or bad for m e ? D o they suit my co n stitutio n my ,

habi ts of life and do they cont ain the right elem ents of food
,

m aterial necessary for the n ourishi n g of brain bo n e and , ,

m uscle

TH E S CIENCE OF E ATING .

The science of eati n g includes not o n ly the study of the food

values of the various articles of diet an d how to prepare the m , .

I t is n ecessary also to understand the physiology of digestio n to

know exactly what t akes place after t he food is swallowed .

I f we make a study Of this we shall find out j ust how long it t akes ,

the various ki nds of food to digest We S hall k n ow th at well .

cooked rice is digested in an hour and a half Pork fro m five to .

six hours and possibly not at all i f t he sto m ach is not stro n g
, .

We shall know that an average m eal takes about five hours t o

digest and that to swallow fresh food when the last m eal is still
,

digesting wi ll sooner or later weaken the strongest digestive

,

syste m because it is a violation of a n atural law

, .

W HAT A F AM OU S P H Y S ICIAN S A Y S .

I n this connection i t w ill no t be out o f place to quote what

,

Dr J H Kellogg a fa mous m edical author says : Eat ing

. . .
, ,

between m eals is a gross breach of the require ments o f good

digestion The habit many have o f eating fruit con fection ery
.
, ,

nuts sweet meats etc betwee n m eals is a certai n cause of

, , .
, ,

dyspepsia NO sto mach can endure such usage Those who

.
.

i ndulge i n this m an ner co m plai n of li t tle appetite and wonder

, ,

why they have no relish for their food strangely overlooking ,

the real cause and u t terly disregarding one o f the plainest laws
,

of N ature This evil practice is often begu n i n early childhood

.
.

I ndeed i t is too often cultivated by mothers and the would -b e

,
,

f ri ends O f t he li ttle ones who seek to gratify the m by presents ,

of confectione ry and other tit -bits o f various sorts U n der .

2 96 TH E SNA KES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

TH E EL I X IR OF L I FE .

Con nected with the heart is an endless syste m of tubes ,

which carry the blood all over the body .

The blood is t he elixir o f life The sto m ach wi th the aid .

,

of the liver pancreas bowels an d lungs changes the food

, , , ,

which we eat into blood in a m ost marvellous way The blood ,

.

i s co mposed o f tiny bodies known as corpuscles and a watery ,

fluid k n ow n as t he Plas m a There are red and there are .

,

FIG 1 2 xt ri r vi w f th h u m
4
—E e o e o e an rt — d th gr t
h ea an e ea
bl d v l Th h rt h f ur h mb r
. .

oo e sse s e ea as o c a tw
e s l o au n c es
d t w v tri l ( Fr m B l ki P h y i l gy )
.

’
an o en c es . o ac e s s o o .

whi te corpuscles The red corpuscles are those which m ake

.

the blood appear red They and the Plas m a carry food to
.

every cell of the body I n fact they are livi ng food— the .
,

elixir of li fe They renew the wasted cells

. They are the .

builders As quickly as the cells o f the body are broken down

.
,

so they bu ild up m ore The white blood corpuscles are also .

k nown as Phagocytes or L eucocytes They attack and eat up .

disease microbes and repair wounds , .

 TH E CI RCU L ATI ON OF TH E B L OOD . 2 97

TH E C IRC U L ATI O N O F TH E BL OOD .

No w let us follow the blood as i t co m es rushing along fro m

,

t he various parts of the body and pours itself into the right ,

a uricle of the heart Fro m this cha mber i t is forced down i nto
.

t he bot to m cha mber o n the sam e side and is prevented fro m

, ,

rushing back by a wonderful

syste m O f valves which allow ,

i t to rush down but not b ack ,

agai n . Fro m the ventricle ,

the heart -m uscles pu m p the

blood up i nto the lu ngs .

Here i t spreads ou t i nto

s m aller and s maller tubes ,

u ntil they are S O s m all they

can not b e see n wit h the
naked eye .This blood ,

which the heart has pu m ped

in t o the lungs is called
,

Venous blood because it is ,

full of poiso n gathered up

fro m all over the body .

The body is cons tantly

burning The cells which
.

co m pose it are dying in mil

lions every second of life .

Their dead bodies fall into

the blood and are carried
away to the heart an d
pu mped i nto the lungs Now .
,

whe n we t ake i n a breath — Fr m th rt ry th bl d ru

Fm 5 1 2 o e a e e oo ns

i t m ll r d m ll b h l h
, .

Of fresh ai r we breat he ln n o s a e an s a er c an n e s , so

m ll th t th y ly wi t
,
s a a e c an o n e s een a

a quant i ty O f gas called tr g m i r p T h y g i s t on c o sc o e e a a n ru n o

g th r d p ur th i r t t i t
.
,
e e an o e co n e n s n o a
oxygen . v i ( Fr m B l ki P h y i l gy ) e n . o ac e s
’
s o o .

The lungs contai n m ill ions of li ttle hollow b ags k nown as ,

sacs Around t hese the tiny blood vessels are e mbedded They
.
,
.

are gorged with blood Their walls are very thi n so that when
.
,

the air rushes into these tiny b ags the oxygen is sucked up into ,

the blood through the thin walls of t he blood vessels I t in .

st a n tl
y m ixes with the poisons i n the blood and a wonderful , ,
2 98 THE SNA K ES OF SO U TH AFRI CA .

and m arvellous change t akes place I t has co mbi ned with the .

poisons and has changed the m i nto a gas This gas is called
,
.

carbonic -acid gas or carbo n -di -oxide This we breathe out and
,
.
,

thus get rid of m any of the poisons i n our blood This air we .

breathe out is poison i n a gaseous for m I f we could condense .

i t we should see a m ass of putrid filth

,
.

N ow think carefully over this wonder ful m echanis m which

,

G od h as provided for the casti ng out of poisons an d puri fyi ng ,

FIG 1 2 6 — pip wh i-h rry i t d fr m t h lu g

Th e es c ca a r o an o e n s
T h y divid d b d ivi d d p tr t t v ry p rt
. .

e e an su e an en e a e o e e a
of t h lu g Th y t rmi t i l i ttl b g
e n s e e Th r na e n e a s o r s ac s e e
m i ll i f th m ( Fr m B l ki P h y i l gy )
. .

'
a re o ns o e . o ac e s s o o .

our blood and re me mber i f you want your blood to b e pure

, .

you must breathe fresh air Y ou cannot ge t fresh air i f you .

live indoors and sh ut ou t the pure air Y ou are bre athing

, .

poison when you do t his Y ou are re -breathing your own breath . ,

or that Of other people and poisoning your blood instead of , ,

puri fying i t Re m e mber always to breathe pure _fresh air

.
,
.

Flood your dwellin gs o ffi ces and workshops with i t Fresh , ,

.

’
ai r an d cool breezes don t give a cold That belief has been .

”
exploded Colds
. are caused by the att acks of m icrobes
30 0 TH E SNA K ES O F SOUTH AFRI CA .

thus benu mbed ,

and rendere d incapable o f killing O ff disease
m icrobes which ,
mu ltiply and cause a disease peculiar t o their
species or kind . I f you disregard the laws of eating and drinking
then you should not bla me Providence i f the m achinery of your
body gets ou t of gear and disease m icrobes attack it
, .

H OW TO K EE P Y OU R BL O O D P U RE .

The first essential is to breathe plen ty of oxygen and i nhale ,

deeply A great m any people get i n to the habit of breathing

.

in a very s hallow way in fla t ,

i ng o n ly a portion of their
lu n gs Boys and girls who .

have fl at chests S hould b e

co mpelled t o t ake syste matic
club du mb -bell or o ther suit , ,

able physical exercises for em

larg in g the chest and lung
capaci ty The exercises should .

n o t be discont in ued until the

chest beco mes co n vex .

Practise deep breathing

un t il i t beco m es a habit Si t .

in a chair with a straight back ,

bol t upright Slowly breathe .

as m uch air in to your lungs as

you are able to force dow n .

Ret ai n i t t ill you cou n t five ,

t hen slowly exhale i t Con .

tin u e this for fiftee n mi nut es ,

twice a d ay if possible A t .

first you will feel a trifle

F I G 7 R ug h d i g r m h wi g h w th
1 2 o
giddy a
with the a
unaccusto m
s
ed o n o e
bl d i r ul t th r u g h th b dy P i
. .

l d a
oo c c
bl d ru t th h rt f r m ll
cn oo
a m
a es
ountns
of blood
o
o
which gets
e
e o
ea
. 0
o
so n
a
v r t h b dy lt i t h pu m p d i t
o e e
i
o
n to your lun gs but this soon
s en e n o
lu g d purifi d by th i w
.

,
th e n s an e e a r e
b r th It r tur t th h rt t b
ea e wears o ff Breathe through
e ns o e ea o e
g i pu m p d t th r m t t r r f
.
.

a a n e o e e o es co ne s o
th b dy ( Fr m B l ki P h y i l gy )
e o .
your nose
o I t is a m icrobe
ac
’
e s s o o . .

an d dust filter and war ms the air also , .

 EATI N G A N D D RI N K I N G .
30 1

E ATING AND D R INKING .

Be careful t o eat good plain wholeso me foods I t takes an , , .

ordinary meal full y four to five hours to digest While food is .

digesting no more should be put into the sto m ach therefore ,

three m eals a day are su fficient u nless of course i n c ases under , .

a m edical m an s care where S pecial m easures are necessary ’

, .

The ancien t G reeks and Persians o nly ate twice daily The .

FIG Th1 2 8 — th P h g yt wh i h h l p t m k p th b l d f
es e a re e a os es c e o a e u e oo o o ur
b d i T h y l k h k bi t f j ll y d m l l th t i t r q u i r p w r ful
. .

o es e oo e s o e an are s o s a a e es a o e
mi r p th m
.
,

c o sc o e to s ee e
w i wh t t h y l k li k wh th y wi mmi g i th l iqu id p rt f
.

Th t p e o ro s a e oo e en e a re s n n e a o
th b l d e oo
A T h i i th u l u fr m wh i h r di t th l if -p ri ip l f th
.

. s s e n c e s o c a a es e e nc e o e

p h g yt a os e.
B Th i i ti y vi t y wh i h h l d li qu id
s s a n ca c o s
d w h w P h g yt tt ki g i i g d dig t i g di
. .

Th e sec o n ro s o s a a os e a ac n se z n an es n a se ase
mi r b
,

c o e
Th r u tl milli bl d Th y tt k d t
.

e e a re c o f Ph g yt i
n ess ons o a os es n o ur oo e a ac an ea

p di m i r b wh i h g t i t th b l d T h y r p i r w u d d bu i l d p
.

u se ase c o es c e n o e oo e e a o n s an u
p rt f th b dy
.

a s o e o
C Th i i d mi r b
.

s s a i sease c o e.
Al h l d th i ti i t b h ri v l d ki ll t h m i r b -ki lli g
.

co o an e n co
p ne n o ac c o s e s u an s e se c o e n

p h g yt wh i t g t i t th b l d T h i t d
a os es en t kill i t ripp l
e s n o e oo . o se o es n o , c es .

Ro mans did like wise until they grew i n to luxurious ways o f ,

living .

Whe n there is a n ything wro n g with the digestive organ s or

t heir appendages such as ordi n ary i ndigestion catarrh bilious , , ,

n ess
,
or constipation then care ful dieting or a t e m porary fast ,

is necessary else the blood will be rendered foul by the poiso ns

,

released fro m the deco mposing food .

30 2 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFR I CA .

EX ERCI S E .

Regular exercise of the body i n t he fresh air daily is n eces ,

sary to i ncrease the heart s actio n and to draw the blood i n to t he

’

muscles and thus relieve the congestio n Of the brain an d intern al

,

organs which occur when the m uscles are n o t regularly used .

The in c reased c irc ulatio n drives the blood with greater speed
through the sluggish capillaries and c arries an un usual amou n t ,

of poison out of the body The n ervous syste m is also aroused . ,

the i ntern al organs beco me more active an d an all -rou n d i mprove ,

m ent thus takes place .

To keep the blood pure and to have good sou n d health i t , ,

is n ecessary t o eat pl ain wholeso m e food at regular intervals ,

only L ead a te m perate life abstai ning fro m all that which
.
,

is har m ful Breathe fresh air

. Be out as m uch as possible .

i n the sunshin e Take plenty Of exercise out O f doors Breathe

.
.

deeply an d develop the chest .

H ow FOO D D RINK , , AND ARE C O N VE Y E D

P o i so Ns TO THE C E LL S
OF THE H UMAN B OD Y .

The blood in our arteri es 1 3 charged with the digested food

which we eat and the liquids we drink as well as the oxyge n
, ,

g as we breathe But how does this food drink and oxyge n

.
, ,

ge t into contact with the countless millions of tiny cells which

co mpose our bodies ? The blood as we k n ow is e n closed in , ,

chan nels or tubes These tub es divide and sub -divide u n til
.

t hey form an exceedingly fine network of ti ny blood vessels so

thickly pe rmeating the flesh that the fi n est needle -point cannot ,

puncture the skin without pene trating and t earing a great m any
of the m But h o w does the nourish ment in the blood get ou t
.

side the m e mbran eous walls o f the vessels which e n close i t

I m agine if you can a great swa mp f ull of rush es reeds an d
, , , ,

grasses This vegetation sends ou t roots in all directions which

.
,

per meate t he ooze in a fine network I magine t his n etwork o f .

roots to be the blood vessels i n your body and the water which ,

surrounds those roots on all sides to be a colourless fluid known

as ly m ph This water-looking ly m ph sat urates the tissues o f
.

the b o dy a n d surrounds the capillary blood vessels Y ou all

'

know what ly mph is I t is the watery colourless fluid which

.
,
30 4 TH E SN A K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

and larger ly mphatic vessels un til at last i t is poured through ,

two b ig tubes i n the neck in to two large vei ns and t hence t o ,

the heart t o be pu mped along with the venous or i mpure blood , ,

i nt o the lungs to get rid of i ts load of poison .

H OW S NAKE V EN OM IS S U CKE D UP .

This vast network of absorben t ly m pha t ic vessels and c apil

laries which spread out under the skin and
,
directions ,

F IG d r wi g r t h w h w
1 2 9
— Tli i s rt ry b r k p i t
a n se v e s o s o o an a e ea s u n o
m ll h l wh i h ll d p ill ri Th y m ll t h t
. .

s a c an ne s c a re ca e ca a es e a re so s a a
th y tb x p t wi th mi r p A ft r uri h i g h
.

e c a n no e s een e ce a c o sc o e e no s n t e
ll th y t g th r g i d f rm wh t i k w vi
.

ce s, e ru n o e e a a n, an o a s no n as a e n
Th l i ttl b d i p ll f h ti u T h y
.

i th
e h e o es n e s a c es a re t e ce s o t e ss es e a re s u r
r u d d b y lym ph Th bl k l i L y m p h t i wh i h h v p
.

o n e th e ac n es a re e a cs c a e o en
m ut h u k p th l y m p h d ll i t m i g h t t i rry i t w y
.

o s to s c du e an a co n a n , an ca a a
h bl d
to t e oo
A Art ry V V i L L y m p h ti
.

. e . . e n . . a cs .

through the tissues of the body sucks up any fluid which may be ,

i nj ected or otherwise find i ts way under the S kin or in to

, ,

t he m uscles D rugs are frequen tly ad ministered thus They

. .

find the ir way m ore rapidly and e fficiently into the general
circulation when h ypo derin ic a lly inj ected than if swallowed ,
.

Ordinary cases O f blood poisoning occur i n this m anner The .

p o ison is sucked up fro m the wound Microbes of various .

diseases gain an en try in to the blood also i n this m anner hence ,

th e reason why all wounds and even sl ight abrasions o f the ,

 D ESTRO Y TH E VE N OM AT ON CE .
30 5

skin should be cleaned and dressed wit h a ger m-killing substance

, ,

such as boracic acid .

Whe n a snake drives its fangs through the ski n the veno m ,

is discharged into the watery lym ph and a mongs t a close ne t

work Of lymphatic tubes the absorben t mouths of which are
,

i ntensely irri tated by the veno m Being thus sti mulated t hey
.
,

a n d the s m all blood vessels rapidly suck it up In a .

m arvellously short space of ti me i t is distributed throughout

the body by means o f the blood vessels Not being convertible .

i nto a gas by the lungs the latter have little or n o power of ex

pelling i t with the exhaled breath as is the case with ordinary
,

tissue waste matters .

DE S TR O Y THE V E N OM AT O NC E .

NOW i t is appare n t i f the spot where the fangs e n tered is

,

well sc arifi ed and allowed to bleed freely or sucked the veno m , ,

or at least so m e of it will b e washed out or drawn out by suctio n

, .

Perm anganat e of potash kills snake ve n o m i f brought into actual ,

contact wi th it so it is Obvious that if this salt is rubbed i nto the

,

sc a rifi ed part wi thi n five m i n utes of being bitte n by a snake ,

m ore or less of the veno m will be destroyed in the wound This .

method n aturally does n o t always save the bitte n perso n s li fe

’

because whe n a large and ve ry veno mous sn ake such as a Cobra

, , ,

i nflicts a full an d co m plete bite enough veno m is sucked up

,

withi n a m i n ute or two into the body to cause death although ,

the permangan ate m ight have destroyed two -thirds or even

more of the quanti ty inj ected by the snake .

I t is u n wise to rely en tirely upon perm angan ate of potash

in the treat me n t O f snake bite even if i t be applied wi thin a
,

m i n ut e of be ing bitten especially i f the snake be a Cobra

, ,

M a mb a or large Pu ff Adder The victi m should be i nj ected

,
.

with A n ti -ve n o m Seru m which men of scie n ce n o w prepare

,

for t he treat me n t of snake bite and which is fully discuss ed

,

elsewhere in this book .

A series of experi men ts which I conducted during the past

ten years all go to S how that none of the popular South A frican
cures retard death in the leas t when applied in cases of sn ake
bite o n a n i m als .
30 6 THE SN AK ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

K n owing how the veno m is carried into the general c ircula

tion i t will be apparen t that a ligature applied above t he
,

wound would considerably

m e n
re tard the flow of the blood
o
h e

n o
w an d ly mph into the body
e
v g
s
s
.

e n

m
k
However o d
great n care m ust
t a
n a a

always b e exercised so as not

s
r
,

p d e
u n d
to allow a very tight liga
a n
tk
c n
e

ture to re m ain o n for more

u i

s k t
s e
o g
than t wen ty m inut es to hal f
e
t
h s
p t
l d

h an hour else the li mb may

d
e r n
e a ,
d n g
mortify The ligature should
n u e
a s
.

k e

w
th
t
be slightly loosened for a
s r
o
h

n y

mwt m o
o m en te
n
at ihnterv als so as ,

to allow the veno m to get

n s i
s

t
e
a
p v s

i nto
o
the circu
a h lation so slowly
i

T e

m h
v
that the V i tal functions may
a
r
o
f i

m
h
i
bec able
d to cope p
wi th over ,
h n r
w co m e and cast it ou t before
s
a

e
,
a
e
,

i t can succeed i n paralysing

l

e d h
s
s

- the nerve centres an d thus

i
e n
v
d i

c b s ,
ud
cause death So m e of the
i

s
a n .

h d l a

m
p n g
poison -charged
a
e
blood may
e

Lt y
d
i

v o
h
be go t ri d O f i n the ligatured
t

e i

d
part by O pening one or two
r
a
s y g
e ,

e
o e
f the vei ns whichr
look like
.

n h e d
T v e
n n
k blue lin es under the S kin
c n
.
o o
c s .

m
i

a i o
l

b There is no risk of bleed

k
s r
a
p
s
f
e
ing to death fro m an ordi
i

o h e d
t
h n
k t
r a

w
nary
r
o e n h
d i
surface vein I t is the .

n r

art eries which are dif fi cul t to

e o

t m e u s

—
n d o
h
Ti

h
stop blee di ng when severed
s
e

c
e
r
a .

e
T
t They however he deep down
j
h
.

n s t
i e , ,
l
.
n c n
i n the tissues not j ust under
o
3
e s
uh
e

wmw
h ,
I

the skin except at places ,

such as the ankle and skull

where the m uscl es are t hin
o r absen t . All the blue -looking blood channels seen under the

skin are veins .

30 8 TH E SNAK ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

I f snake veno m i n solutio n wit h water instead of sulphate ,

o f copper is placed in t he bottle S hown i n the illustratio n i t

, ,

will not ooze out But i f the bottle is placed in a glass of water
.

i t w ill begi n to oo z e through and vice versd u n t il t he water

,

i n side and outside the bot tle will be equally poisonous .

I t c an thus clearly be see n that if snake ve n o m has been

sucked u p and has already acted extensively upo n the blood
and n erve cells previous to the inj ection of an an tidote the latter , ,

even i f ad ministered copiously m ay fail to avert a fatal issue ,

.

I t is Obvious that if the nerve cells be exte n sively poiso n ed or ,

the blood broke n up beyond recovery there cannot be an y o ther ,

result tha n death I t is well -nigh i mpossible for us to j udge

.

whether the patient has passed the border -line or not u n less he ,

is actually dyin g and the fact is paten t therefore in these c as es

we always reco mmend inj ecti n g tw o or three t i mes the ordin ary
dose o f anti -veno m seru m Place n o reliance upo n an y quack
.

so -called cure I f the sn ake seru m will no t save the patien t

.

fro m death nothin g else w ill I wish t o i m press this fully upon
, .

the m inds of readers for the m aj ority of people have so me ki nd

,

of worthless cure which they have such faith in that n ot hi ng else ,

would be used if a case of snake bite should occur .

I n plac es i n this volu me there may see m to be un n ecessary

reiteration Whenever I have dwelt m ore than o nce upo n the
.

sa me topic i t is wi th the definite purpose of i mpressing the

m inds o f readers with m at ters which are of grave i m portance .

I n t his chapt er a few paragraphs touching on gen er al hygien e

h ave been int roduced To so m e readers t hese m ay see m out of
.

place i n t h is vol u m e but it m ust b e bo rn e in m in d that

,

physiology or hygiene are Oft en n ot t aught in our public schools ,

an d t hat kn owi ng li ttl e o r n othin g of t hese subj ects it is difficult

, ,

t o en deavour t o dest roy fait h in the m an y absurd m ethods

of t reat men t of sn ake bit e or t o get a m an t o follow a rat ion al
,

m ethod O f t reat men t Rem e mber t oo t hat th e chan ces of

.
, ,

reco ve ry fro m snake veno m poison in g a re largely det erm ined by

t h e vict i m s con dition of healt h at t he t i me h e was bitt en
’

.
 C H A P TE R X .

AL L EGE D S NA K E B IT E CU RE s— R E S U LT S OF EX P E RIMENT S .

IN all countries where veno mous sn akes abound so -called a n t i ,

dotes to snake bite spring up like crops Of weeds upon a rank

so il I n I ndia at least a score of alleged antidotes were largely
.

advertised and otherwise advocated Each cure had its .

adherents m any of who m testified to its power to cure snake

,

bite Doctors F ayrer Brun ton Rogers and other e m inent

.
, , ,

experi menters exhaustively tested the alleged antidotes i n use

in I ndia and found the m one and all to be of little or no value
,
.

Colonists in South Africa invariably att ach m uch i m portance

to the assertions of the n atives in regard to alleged sn ake
bite re m edies This faith has doubtless been considerably
.
, ,

’
strengthened by the crafty K a fi r doctors t actics .

H OW B E L I EFS AR E S P REA D .

These doctors tell of the wonderful virtues o f so m e

favourite rem edy for snake bite and wh e n urged to divulge its ,

n ature m ake a profound mystery of it declaring that fabulous

, ,

su ms would no t te mpt the m to disclose the secret N aturally .

the in quirer is i mpressed m ore or less M any of these doctors

,
.

have acco m plices who pretend to be su ffering seriously fro m sn ake

,

bite With m uch mystery and fuss the doctor appears upo n the
.
,

scene and applies his re medy The m an m akes an apparen t .

rapid recovery and the cure is heralded all over the neigh
,

b o urh o o d I have however met m any of these native doctors

.
, ,

wh o I have every reason to believe had fi rm faith i n the ant i

,

”
dotal properties of their snake bite m oo ti ( medici ne ) .

30 9
3 10 TH E SN A K ES OF SOUTH AFR I CA .

A P P AR E NT C U R E S .

I n the past I have treated and see n treated m any c ases of , ,

sn ake bit e I t was i n the days when li ttle or not hin g was
.

known of the presen t approved m ethods of treat men t I had .

s trong faith in alcohol st rychn in e a m monia and one or two , , ,

propriet ary substances the act ive prin ciple Of which I after, ,

wards ascertained was either a mmonia o r st rychnin e or both

, ,
.

M any of the cases so treated were practically cured twelve

o r twenty -four hours after treat me n t I have ofte n see n the
s a m e thing occur when n at ive cures were applied .

TH E R EA S O N WH Y .

However when I began the serious study of snakes and

,

t heir veno m I found that a large percentage of the snakes o f

,

South Africa were non -ven o mous m any o thers were only veno ,

m ous to a slight degree an d o thers powerfully veno mous Now

,
.
,

a har mless snake or a slightly veno mous one will in nearly all ,

cases in stantly bite i f trodden upo n or roughly han dled So m e

,
.

o f the m are actually Vicious an d will lunge fiercely at any one ,

co ming near to the m The co mmones t place to be bit te n is .

u pon t he hand I n garden in g work re movin g lu mber an d in

.
, ,

a multitude of other out -Of-door occupations the hands are em ,

ployed in movin g t urnin g over carrying etc I f the fingers

, , , .

should touch a sn ake or the hand co m e within strikin g dist ance

,

o f i t the reptile will ofte n lunge wi th gapin g j aws an d i nfli ct a

,

wound The V ict i m sees the sn ake bite h im That is enough

. .

for h im He rushes o ff in terror forthwith swallows all the

.
,

brandy whisky or gin he is able to imbibe or perhaps o ther

, , ,

cures are applied I f the strong spiri t does not poison

.

h im or cause acute infla mm ation of the sto m ach and death

, ,

he recovers and swears ever after that he drank a bot tle o r

two of spi ri ts and i t cured h im I f the cure should happen .

”
to be so m e S i mple re medy such as n at ive mooti or , ,

so mething else reco mmended by a neighbour and he fi nds he ,

is none the worse for the bite he is n ever weary o f advocat in g ,

the treat ment whatever i ts n ature might have been al though

, ,

i n all probabili ty the snake which bi t h im was one of the har mless
species .
312 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFR I CA .

’
violently rubbed against the Jackal s leg it bit rapidly and l et
,

go leaving two punctures Again i t bi t in exactly the sa me way

,
.
,

leavin g two punctures which bled slightly .

All that day an d for three days following the Jackal showed
, ,
 TH E QUANTI T Y OF VEN OM I NJ ECTED .
313

no outward sy mpto ms of poisoning There was no swelling .

,

and the a n i mal fed as usual and was as lively as ever,

.

On the fourt h day I extracted three drops of veno m fro m

o ne o f the Pu ff Adders which had bitten the J ackal This was .

mixed with a t easpoon ful of pure water and inj ected i nto the
muscles of the other thigh of the J ackal by m eans of a seru m ,

syringe One hour later the J ackal was dead A post orte m
.
-m
.

showed the li mb swollen twice its n ormal size The flesh .

o f the whole li mb fro m t he toes up t o the j unction with the

body was saturat ed wit h blood which had oozed through
,

t he walls of t h e blood vessels into the surrounding tissues .

The m uscles of the whole body were m ore or less st ained with
extravasated blood and the heart was also affected
, .

The li mb was then exa mined which had bee n bitten by the
two Pu ff Adders All about the sites of the bites the muscles
.

were m uch di scoloured with bl ood which had oo z ed i nto the ,

t issues This was traced up the leg an d half-way along the side
. .

I t was apparen t that veno m had bee n inj ected whe n the snakes
inflicted their bit es but not in su fficien t q u anti ty to caus e
,

swelling or other n oticeable sy m pto m s Now i f I had relied .

,

upo n this c ase as a de monstratio n of the e fficacy o f so m e

favourite cure I should have been altogether wrong in my
,

conclusion s .

TH E Q U ANTIT Y OF V EN OM I NJ E CTE D .

When a veno mous s n ake i n flicts a full bite it drives its fangs
into t he flesh and retains it s hold for a m o men t or two at the ,

sa me ti me gripping hard Now in most cases of sn ake bite

.
,

with hu m an beings an d the l arger an i m als t he V icti m generally ,

sees the sn ake lu n ge and springs away or S hakes Off t he reptile

t he mo ment it bites I f he does not happe n to see it strike he will
. ,
’

o n the instan t leap kick or otherwise disengage the snake s

, , ,

fangs before it is able to grip the flesh and press i n a full charge
of veno m I h ave frequently m ade sn akes bite ani mals with
.

the Obj ect of demonstrating that if a snake is allowed to get a

full grip and hold o n for a secon d or two the a m ount of veno m ,

inj ected is double and O ften t en or more t i mes greater than i f

the reptile st ruck and instan tly disengaged its fangs This is .

ascert ained by observing the length of t i m e the ani m als survived .

31 4 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH A FRI CA .

I n m any c as es when the snake was allowed S i m ply to puncture

t he flesh for a n in st an t the ani mal recovered Often t h e ,
.

sy mpto ms of poiso nin g were only co m paratively slight I n all .

c ases when a Cobra Puff Adder or Boo mslang was allowed t o

, ,

i nflict a full bit e death followed The fangs Of the Cobra fam ily
, .

of sn akes are short an d the channel down which the veno m

flows is very Small I h ave carefully tested an d found that the
.

Cobra Ringhals and M a mb a expel their veno m at the rate of

, , ,

about a drop fro m each fang in one second With the available .

constricting power exerted o n the poiso n glands the veno m is ,

pres sed out with great power bu t the chan nels down which ,

the veno m is forced are so s m all that i t issues in a very fine

strea m The Puff Adder and others of the adder fa mily have
.

larger fangs t he N ight Adders ( Cau su s) are an except ion and

, ,

their veno m m oreover be ing thin n er than that of the C obras

, , ,

t hey are in consequence able to in j ect i t at a more rapid rat e

, ,
.

The reaso n N ature h as n o t evolved larger grooves through which

to drive a bigger dose of veno m in to t he victi m in the case of
the Cobras and M a mbas is that i t is n o t at all n ecessary for ,

weigh t for weight Cobra and M amba veno m exceed Puff Adder
,

and other adder veno m i n i ts death -deal ing properties One .

drop of Cobra veno m will kill a large dog i n fort y m in ut es ,

so meti mes less The sa m e quantity of Pu ff Adder veno m causes

.

constitutional disturbances which are in vari ably recovered fro m .

ALL EGE D C U RE S .

Every native cure sub mitted to me so far has proved ,

upo n experi men tation to be absolutely worthless I h ave also

, .

t ested so me alleged South A frican cures which are proprietary , ,

wi th equally disappoin t ing results An own er of a certain pro .

prie ta ry cure was very anxious that I should experi m ent

with i t He eviden tly had a good deal of faith i n i t hi mself I
. .

i n ti m ated that such experi men ts cost mon ey I was quite .

w illing to bear such cost i n the i nterests of science but I pre ,

su m ed he would have no Obj ection to allowing me to publish

the results NO he could not permit such a thin g unt il he first
.
,

learn ed the result Then he would decide I asked h im i n the

. .

event of failure would he be prepared to wi thdraw his cure

fro m the m arket ? NO Of course not M any a valuable li fe
, .
 TH E SN A K E S OF SOUTH AFR I CA .

an antidote ; therefore in consequence the sam e belief is hel d

, ,

by the n ative popul ation L arge nu mbers of colo n ists also have
.

un question ing faith i n i ts e fficacy .

A certain well-known Sou th African j ourn al in a leading ,

”
article on I sibiba voices the public belief in this substance
,

as follows We have b een assured by N ative Co mmissioners

and other men of posi tion i n t he Transv aal that t hey h ave per
so n ally witnessed m arvellous cures worked by this substa nce .

A very s mall qu antity— as m uch as will cover the poin t of an

ordinary penknife — t aken intern ally and a little of i t rubbed ,

i nto the wound and i nto s mall i ncisions o n the wou nded li mb
above the wound has bee n kn own t o restore the bitte n man to
,

co m plete convalescence wi thi n twe n ty-four hours after his c o n

dition had been S O precarious that he had already beco m e u n
conscious and also bli n d fro m the consequences of a Puff Adder s
’

b ite
O ther unquestion able evidence could i f necessary be adduced , ,

to bear out the assertion that I s ibib a is not a m ere pall iative ’

but a sure and indubitable cure for sn ake bites Fro m what .

plan t or substance I sibib a is prepared by the n ative doctors

is as ye t a secret which they have m anaged strictly to
preserve . Th is alleged ant idot e is also believed t o confer ab so
lut e im m un it y t o snake ven o m .

EX P ERIMENT S WITH I S I BI BA .

The Hon F W Reit z Ex -Presiden t o f the Orange Free

. . .
,

State and a for mer State Secretary o f the Transvaal and Presi
, ,

den t o f the Senate Of the U nio n of South Africa who takes a ,

keen interest in the quest for a reliable sn ake -bite antidote other
“
than seru m sen t me a phial o f genuine fresh I sibiba
,
to ,

en able me to carry out a series o f experi m ents This I sibiba .

,

on exa min atio n through a m icroscope appears to be the root ,

of a plant The root is finely pulveri z ed and is of a reddish

.
,

sandy shade i n colour A subsequent exa m in at ion has sho w n it

.

-
t o be a mi xt u re of ce rtain herbs an d desicc at ed snake fl esh .

Realizing the u nsatisfactory n ature of experi ments of this ki n d

o n s mall creatures such as rats guine a-pigs rabbits etc I
, , , ,
.
,

procured a l arge male Vervet Monkey ( Cercop ith ecus pyg eryth rus)
i n the fullest vigour an d health M ixing a heaping egg -spoon ful
-
.
 FU RTHE R E X PE RI M ENTS .
31 7

of I sibiba with a piece of ban an a I gave it to the monkey ,

.

After an i nterval O f fifteen minutes a four -foot Brown Cape ,

Cobra or Brui n Kapell ( Naid fi a va ) which had been i n captivity

, ,

a year and was in poor condition bi t the ani m al on the tail

, , ,

one foot fro m the root on a spot previously shaved ,

Withi n .

one m inute the site of the bite was sc arifi ed thoroughly and ,

I sib ib a powder rubbed in Other i ncisions were m ade .

betwee n the site of the bite and the heart and more I sibiba ,

rubbed in After an interval o f two m inutes m ore of the

.
,

re medy was applied to the i ncisions E ach i ncision was .

s mothered with i t As is usual in cases of bites fro m Cobras

.
,

the ani mal did not su ffer an y pain The only pai n was a m o men .

tary twinge when the rapid i ncisions i n the S ki n were m ade with
a sharp lancet The ani mal did not show the least sign of any
.

i nconvenience for fifteen m inutes Then i t began to get drowsy . .

This was due t o the paralysi ng actio n of the Cobra veno m on

the nerve ce n tres This increased progressively until the ani m al
.

becam e unconscious I t died i n forty m inutes After breathi ng

. .

ceased the heart beat vigorously for five m inutes the n gradually
, ,

slowed an d stopped after a n other two m inutes This is n o t .

u n usu al in cases of death fro m Cobra veno m I t has always .

occurred in my experience hence the reaso n I advocate the ,

adoptio n of artifici al respiration m ethods if breathing S hould ,

cease suddenly On dissection i t was clearly eviden t the ani m al

.
,

had died of Cobra veno m poisoning and n o t fro m any possible ,

toxic actio n of t he I s ibib a Subsequen t experi m ents of a

.

conclusive n ature have confirm ed the negative results of the

first case I t is un necessary to give the m in det ai l
. .

F U RTH E R EX P ERIMENT S .

After the publicatio n of the results of t he I sib iba experi ments

in the several South African Agricultural Journ als I received ,

the following co mmunication fro m a well -known gentle m a n in

N atal He wrote : I have discussed your direct state m en t
.

with regard to I sibiba I have witnessed both ani m als and hu m an

beings bitte n by Pu ff Adders and Night Adders I n all these .

cases I sibib a was used both internally and extern ally with u n
, ,

qualified success I m en tion this because I have seen the snakes

.
,

which caused the bites and the antidote and knew i t t o be

, ,
”
I sib ib a .
31 8 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFR I CA .

I procured some o f the I sibiba which w as such an i n fallible cure , ,

fro m this gen tle m an who assured me he Ob t ain ed it direct fro m

,

a n ative medicine man On examin ation the stu ff appeared .

,

to be ex ac tly th e sam e as that which had bee n supplied to me

‘

by the H o n F W Reit z for my first series of experim e n ts

. . .
,
.

I t is needless to detail the experi men ts I t is su fficie n t to .

say although the I sibib a was applied as d irected both i n tern ally
, ,

and to the i n cised wou n d i t did n o t delay a fat al issue I n n o ,

.

c ase did i t eve n prolong life .

An other co mmunicatio n was received fro m a pro min en t

farmer in the Transvaal He stated that all the farmers in his .

district carried a S n ake bite cure in a s m all b ag sewn to their

belt or braces The wo m e n c ar ried i t stitched to a garter
. .

These people believe the substan ce to be a certai n cure for s n ak e

bite and in consequence display absolute fearless n ess when in
,

the presence of snakes He w as give n a s m all b ag Of this cure

.

and told to carry i t abou t with h im always because i t w as a ,

certai n cure provided the wound was sc arifi ed an d the powder

, ,

rubbed well in and a s m all quan tity swallowed H e says i t is

,
.

also believed that if the ski n is cut in several places once yearly ,

and the powder rubbed i n i t will give absolute i mmunity for ,

at least a year My correspo n den t is prepared t o contest this

.

cure against any o ther A sample of this wonderful powder .

w as S en t to me I t turn ed ou t to b e I sibib a Again I conducted

. .

a series o f experi m ents with the sa me resul ts as before I carri ed

, .

out the instru ctions carefully v iz put ting a lit tle of the I sibiba , .

at the back of the tongue scarifying the site of the bit e and , ,

rubbing so me of the powder well i n I n o ther c ases I sc a rifi ed .

the flesh i n three or four places an d rubbed the powder into the
cuts Rubbi ng so m e On a piece of meat I gave i t t o a J ackal
.
, .

After a lapse Of fifteen minutes to give the I sibib a every chance ,

of being absorbed i nto the blood the J ackal was bitten on t he ,

thigh by a C ape Cobra The site of the punctures was sc arified.

and s mothered with the stuff The Jackal died i n less than an .

hour .

F U RTHER P R OOFS .

Ano ther gentle man fro m the Transvaal wrote suggesti n g that
the first sa mple o f I sib ib a I experi men ted wi th might not have ,

been the genuine article He wrote as follows : I had a fair .

32 0 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFR I C A .

TH E T E S T S .

A qua n t ity o f this I sibib a w as procured an d forwarded

to me .

A large do mestic to m-cat was chose n for the first experi me n t ,

for the reaso n that eats resist the actio n of snake veno m m uch
m ore successf ully than any other ani m al of t he same si z e wi th
which experi me n ts have been m ade A large pi nch Of the powder .

was dropped i nto the cat s O pe n m outh which fell i n to the throat
’

and was swallowed A Pu ff Adder was the n a llowed to inflict

.

’
on e full bit e o n the upper part of t he cat s back leg The spo t .

was instan tly sc arifi ed three cuts bei n g m ade The wounds
, .

were rubbed thoroughly with I sibiba After an i nterval more .

,

was applied L ater the wound was rubbed with a third dose
.
,
.

The cat died i n o n e hour twe n ty -seve n mi n utes after .

So me of this I sibib a was m ixed with the veno m of a Pu ff Adder

and rubbed i n to a cut in th e leg of a fowl The fowl died in half .

an hour I sibib a was m ixed with th ree drops of Pu ff Adder veno m

.

and so me water and allowed to st and a whole day The m ixture .

’
w as rubbed in to a cut i n a fowl s leg The fowl died Other . .

experi ments followed with si milar resul ts

, .

A full -grown Vervet or Blue Ape si milar to the one used i n ,

the original experi men t with I sibib a was obtained I i nserted , .

a fair quantity of the I sibib a powder supplied by Mr Rei t z and .

,

so me of that which was supposed to have cured the man and the
dog whe n bit te n by Pu ff Adders i n to a piece of banan a The , .

m onkey ate the ban an a Allowing an interval of fiftee n m inutes

.
,

I caused a Pu ff Adder to bi te the m onkey in t he lower part of

the back leg The si te of the punctures was inst antly scarifi ed
.

thoroughly and the wounds s mothered with a mixture of the

,

tw o sa m ples o f I s ib ib a The monkey within five minutes of the

.
,

bite showed signs of poisoning The sym pto ms steadily deve

,
.

loped un til deat h took place twen ty mi nutes after the i nfliction
,

of the bite .

The Pu ff Adder was a fresh one which I had captured a week

previously The bi te i t in flicted was a co m plete one I t was
. .

held by the neck and allowed to retain i ts hold two seconds .

Sa m ples of I sibiba fro m t he Transvaal Swaziland and N atal , ,

were mixed together A te aspoonful of water and six drops o f

.
 M I S P L ACE D CON FI DEN CE .
32 1

Puff Adder veno m were added The m ixture w a s t horoughly .

m ixed and allowed to stand six hours I t was then carefully .

strai ned The liquid which was reddish -brown i n colour was
.
, ,

divided i nto two portions and inj ected under the ski n of the thighs
o f tw o fowls Both fowls died i n less tha n tw o hours
. .

Since writing the foregoing a friend has succeeded i n Ob taining

a sa m ple of I sib ib a fro m a K afi r m edicine m an i n Swaziland .

He stated i t to be the pulverized bark of a roo t m ixed with the

powdered re mains Of the entire head o f an adult Pu ff Adder I t .

see ms t he head is first thoroughly dried and t hen pounded wi th

t he bark This preparation is supposed to be a certai n cure
.

for the bite of a Puff Adder The directions of the m edicine m an .

were to place a pinch or tw o o n the tongue and swallow i t to

,

scari fy the wound and rub so m e i nto the cuts Truly this was .

A mo ment s reflection would m ake

’
a curious sort of cure .

i t clear that the application of the pulverized head of a veno m ous

snake to a wound would S i m ply increase the poisonous sy m pto ms ,

for snake veno m does not lose any of its poisonous properties
i f dried unless allowed to deco m pose before drying i t
, .

However I experi mented with the substance i n the usual

,

way but like the other sa m ples of I sibiba i t had no curative

, , .

e ff ect So me was rubbed i nto incisions m ade i n the legs of fowls

.

which had not been previously bitten or otherwise i nj ected wi th

snake veno m .

The fowls S howed S light sy m pto ms of V iperine poisoning .

M I S P L ACE D C O N FI D E N CE .

SO it see ms after all the confidence of the public has been

, ,

”
m isplaced and that of the n ative population as well
, I sibib a .
,

which S ince the adven t Of the white m an to South Africa h as

, ,

been regarded as an absolute cure for snake bi te has proved to ,

belong to those m any popular cures which have failed utterly

when tested under proper conditions Person ally I am i n no wa y .
,

prej udiced i n favour of or agains t any alleged re m edy Rightly .

or wrongly I think it a duty to test these alleged snake bi te

,

cures I t is a pi ty that i t should be necessary that living creatures

.

should have to be sacrificed that we may b e in a position to prove

conclusively whether alleged snake bite re m edies are genuine or
not H owever there is no other way we know of Provided
.
, .

Y
32 2 THE SN A K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

experi ments are conducted as hu m anely as possible the end I , ,

thi nk more than j ustifies the m eans I n this case thousands

,
.

of colonists and t ens o f thousands of natives i f not m illions h ave , ,

”
absolute faith i n the antidotal properties o f I sibiba The .

inevitable resul t is that i nstead of approved re medies being ,

applied such for i nstance as those advocated i n this book this

, , , ,

worthless I s ibib a or so m e other equally useless stu ff is

ad m inistered by the V icti m s friends a n ative
’
doctor or , ,

applied by hi m self No other treat men t is thought to be meces

.

sary Thus valuable hu m an lives are lost l ives which could

.
—

easily be saved .

As far as I can ascertain I sibib a con tains no m edicinal ,

substance which is of a n ature to be rapi dly absorbed by the

m ucous me mbrane of the sto m ach or the absorben t vessels ,

u nder the skin Whe n m ixed with sn ake veno m i t does no t

.

destroy i ts poisonous properties I f i t has not this e ffect outside .

the body i t would not be likely to have the con trary effect withi n
the body .

S ince t he above was writt en furt her supplies of I s ibiba have ,

been received an d experi m ent ed wit h The results were precisel y .

t he sa m e as t he ot hers .

K N OWL E D GE IS P O W ER .

I f people would only m ake the mselves acquain ted with the
n ature of snake veno m approved antidotes the t reat m en t o f , ,

s nake bite the n ature of the veno m o f each spec i es how to

, ,

distinguish veno m ous fro m slightly veno mous or non -veno mous
snakes fewer deaths would take place a mongst hu man beings
,

and stock fro m snake bite and t he al m ost universal fear and ,

dread of snakes would be much lessened S O strong is this dread .

of sn akes and their veno m that m any cases are o n record o f

people collapsing and dying after being b itten by non -veno m ous
snakes I have not seen cases O f people actually dying but I
.
,

have seen the m i n a stat e of great nervous collapse si m ply through

fear and dread i nduced by the fi rm belief that death was likely
,

to occur .

I s ib iba I a m in for med is known by di fferen t n a mes i n various

, ,

parts o f t he country What those synony m s are I have been .

u nable to ascertain Colonists or most of the m who keep so m e

.
,

of this alleged snake bit e re medy s i mpl y c all i t K a fi r mooti

-
, .
32 4 THE SNA KES OF SOUTH AFR I CA .
 TH E A LC OHO L C U RE F OR SNA K E B I TE .
32 5

way, i t would no t be likely to do so i f rubbed i nto a wound o r

swallowed Bot h C olubrin e an d V iperin e veno ms were used in t he
.

experi m ents .

TH E AL CO H O L C U R E F OR S NAKE B ITE .

Of the m any popular cures for snake bite alcohol is one ,

o f the mos t widespread I n South Africa i t is universally

.

believed to exert a strong curat ive effect i n cases of sn ake bite .

I n Australia and A m erica the popular faith i n this subst ance

i s equally strong Un fortunately however when subj ected to
.
, ,

c areful scientific experi m entation alcohol is found to have no

antidotal power i n snake veno m poisoning The belief i n .

alcohol is so strong that if i t b e at hand no o ther m eans of ,

averting a fatal issue is thought of The patien t is plied with .

brandy or whisky until he is unable to swallow any more Often .

o ne and even two bottles of brandy are given and as likely

, ,

as not withou t being previously diluted wit h water The idea .

is that i f the patien t can be intoxicated h e will be saved I n , .

cases of snake bite the nervous centres are m ore or less benu mbed ,

and the sto m ach is O ften i ncapable of absorbing much i f any ,

liquid which m ay enter i t I f the n erve centres are already

.

benu mbed by snake veno m the alcohol will n aturally fail t o

,

have any e ffect upon the m I f t he sto m ach is inert through

.

the paralysis of the gastric n erve centres then all or most of the ,

alcohol will lie in the sto m ach unabsorbed This is why alcoholic .

i ntoxication does not always follow after the ad m inistration O f

eve n a whole bottle of bra n dy However i f the snake veno m .
,

sym pto ms be only slight or i f the patient is begin ning to rally

,

fro m the effects of the veno m the n t he alcohol will begi n t o

,

produce intoxication and the patien t will soon be drunk and

,

i ncapable I f the alcohol does no t succeed i n destroying his

.

life he will in due course wake up fro m his drunken stupor

, ,

ap pare ntly cu red

'

The ad ministration of large doses o f alcohol to any one

whose body has no t been accusto med to strong doses of this
poisonous drug will either c ause death or serious da mage The
,
.

delicat e li ning me mbrane of the sto m ach m ay be so extensively

burned that subsequent infla mm ation of that organ m ay cause
death ; or i f recovery should take place the digestive powers ,

are ruined for li fe owing to the destruction of large patches o f

,
32 6 THE SN A KES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

the mucous surface and peptic glands of the sto m ach . The

flooding of the blood with strong spiri t causes extensive destru c

tion of the corpuscles of the blood and nerve cells The latt er
.
32 8 TH E SNA KES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

the veno m o f the Adders or Boo m slang i t is distinctly dangerous

, ,

to ad minister s trong doses of alcohol as i t would increase the ,

h ae morrhage i nto the tissues and u nder the ski n G iven hot .
,

dilut ed wit h water in s mall quant it ies it may exert a helpful ,

i n fluence in case Of bites by Cobras When seru m is used for .

t reat m ent alcohol m ust be absolut ely forbidden as it hin ders t he

,

act ion of t he form er .

H OR NI B ALL
’
S P ATENT W O N D ER FU L E X TRACT .

I n the Eastern Province of the Cape Colony ,

’
H o rn ib all s
Paten t Wonderful Extract is in great favour as a re medy for
snake bit e .

I n appearance i t is a blackish substance o f the consistency

o f vaseline I t s m ells like extract of m ale fern
. .

I t is stat ed to b e specially e fficacious i n cases of bites by Puff

Adders .

Taking a quan tity of this extract I d iluted i t S lightly wi th ,

water and added two drops of Puff Adder veno m stirred i t well in , ,

and left the mixture for several hours I t was then inj ected under .

the skin o f a large fowl The fowl underwen t the usual sym pto ms
.

o f poisoning by snake veno m and died i n three -quarters of an

hour The leg was swollen and saturat ed with extravasated blood
. .

S maller quantities o f snake veno m were m ixed wi th the

extract and inj ected after the m ixture had stood several hours .

The fowls died as rapidly as when the sa me quantities O f veno m

were inj ected wi th pure water .

I f this extract can exert no neutral izing e ffec t upon sn ake

veno m when actually m ixed wi th i t even i n a concen trat ed ,

for m i t most certainly will not exert any curative power i f applied
,

to the punctures and i t is no t co nceivable that i t would have

,

any better e ffect i f swallowed .

TH E S TO CKH O L M TAR AND F O W L FL E S H C U RE S .

I have always been willing to sub m it any popular so -called

South A frican antidote to a fair trial bu t so me Of the cures ,

which I have been assured even on oath are absolut e antidotes

for sn ake bite are absurd an d ridiculous showing that those who ,

believe i n the m have not even a rudi m entary idea of h u m an

p h ysiology A far mer s wi fe called o n me one day and said
’
.

she wan ted me to make i t known through t he m ediu m of m y

 STOC K HO L M TA R AN D FOW L F L E SH CU RES .
32 9

Science Notes in the press of a certain cure

,
. She assured

me that everybody in her district ,

both white and black had,
330 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

fi rm faith i n i t Snakes had bit ten her she declared and she
.
, ,

had proven the re medy to be genuine All you h ave got to do

is i f a snake bi tes you on the foo t to get so m e good S tockhol m
, ,

tar and s mear a ring of i t round your leg o n the ski n b etwee n the
”
bitten spo t and the heart Y ou see sai d the lady the t ar
.
, ,

o n the skin prevents the poison going past I t drives i t b ack .

,

and i t runs out wi th a lot o f black blood fro m the wounds in

”
flic ted by the snake
’
This was n t all She had another sure
. .

cure .I f a snake should bite you catch a fowl or a pigeon , ,

split i t open and hold its war m flesh t o the S ite Of the bite The
,
.

flesh will draw out all the poison This l atter cure I h ave .

found to be fir mly believed i n by a large sectio n of the farm ing

class This belief co m es up t hrough t he ages fro m t he classic
.

ti m es of Plin y who says,

Cocks flesh applied while st ill warm
,
’

n eut ralizes t he veno m of snakes .

S O-CA LL E D C U RE S W HICH K I LL .

To the medical man i t is alar m ing h o w the public swallow

d rugs without knowing anything of their properties G reat .

doses of m ost poten t m edicinal subst ances are t ake n wit h

the obj ect of curing so me co m plaint or for the treat men t o f ,

sn ake bite There c an be no doub t that considerable nu mbers of

.

people are ki lled and others ruined physically for life by S wallow
,

ing drastic d rugs the properties of which and their effects upon
, ,

the organs and t issues O f the body they are profoundly ignoran t ,
.

I n treating cattle farmers will often m ake a concoctio n of

,

the most poisonous Of substances and pour it i nto the sick beast .

I f the ani m al should even tually recover the far mer triu mphan tly ,

heralds his cure all over the neighbourhood .

So me so -called sn ake bite antidotes which I have been told

are often ad ministered would cert ainly seriously upset the
,

i ndividual to who m any o f the m were given if they did no t ,

actually kill h im One of the an tidotes is the drinking of a

.

mixture of paraffi n Stockhol m t ar and salt

,
Another is pipe , .

O il and a bo ttle of brandy neat

, .

E AU -D E -L U CE .

Eau -de -luce at one ti m e was generally believed to be the

finest thing known for the cure of snake bite I t was a dmin is .

tered by the medical profession Any one doubting i ts e fficacy .

33 2 TH E SNA K ES OF SO UTH AFRI CA .

i t did not retard a fatal issue i n the least I ts e ffect is nil whe n .

applied to the bi tten parts o f ani mals i nj ected with the veno m
o f South Africa n snakes E ven i f applied withi n a m inute o f
.

the i nj ection o f veno m i t fails to exert any curative influence .

Carbolic acid is largely used i n cases of sn ake bite I f applied .

to the incised wounds i mm ediately after the in fliction o f the bite

i t helps slightly to preven t the absorption Of the veno m I ts .

i n fluence however is so s mall t hat i t is practically speaking

, , , ,

valueless .

The actual burning o f the sc arifi ed bit ten part with a red -hot
iron coal or exploding g unpowder destroys the veno m i n the
, , ,

wounds but u nless done wi thin five or ten m inutes O f the ih

,

fl ic tio n o f the bi te i t is Of no value at all A t best i t is a dread .

fully drastic re m edy D r F ayrer i n experi men ts with the veno m

'

. .

of the I ndian Cobra found that the poison was so rapid i n i ts

action t hat although he thoroughly cauterized t he wounds with
,

tw o white -ho t needles plunged i nto the punctures wi thin a second

of the infliction of the bite and although he then quickly bu rned
,

t he flesh with a hot iron and ligatured the li mb t he ani mal died ,
.

I have found the veno m o f the South African Cobras notably ,

t hat of the Cape an d Black -n ecked Cobras to be equally swi ft ,

and deadly under si milar circu mstances A t least t hree cases .

ca me un der my obser v at ion of K a h rs being bitt en at buck h unts ,

an d t he hunt er resorted t o cutt in g Open t he woun ds an d flas hin g

gun powder in t hem .

Bluestone is another substance largely used which is of no ,

value at all i n the treat men t o f snake bite .

S TR Y CH N I N E AND A MM O N IA .

The bases o f m ost proprietary cures for snake bites are

st rychnine and a m monia Neither o f these subst ances is o f
.

any value i n neutralizing the poisonous properties of snake

veno m .A mmonia is o f no u se whatsoever when t aken in
te rn ally inj ected i nt o a vein or applied to the bite
, I t does no t
,
.

delay death i n the slightest I f m ixed with veno m i t does no t

.

destroy or neutralize its poisonous properties in any way Ex .

perimen ts have been c arried out which conclusively prove that

this is so As a sti mulan t i t is no t to be reco mmended
. .

I n cases of Colubri ne snake bit e ( Cobras ) strychnine i n ,

 QU I N I N E , TANJORE PI LL S V IN E G AR WATER
, , .
333

medicinal doses ad mi nistered in ternally or by inj ection under

the S kin m ight possibly be o f so me little service as a nerve
sti mulant al though o n experi mentation with ani m als I found
,

i t useless The ani mals died as rapidly as when no treat

.

ment had been ad m i nistered Strychnine is a dangerous sub

.

stance i n the hands of m ost people I t S hould never be used .

,

unless by or under the direction of a m edical man or so m e one

else who thoroughly understands i ts use and the exac t dose ,
.

Although Fon tan a nearly a hu ndred years ago showed that

a mmoni a was of no value i n cases of snake bite i t continued to ,

be used extensively all over the snake -inhabited world and i s ,

still being relied upon The reason is that scientific discoveries

.
, ,

as a general rule are published only i n scien tific j ournals which

,

the generality of people never read or i f they did read the m ,

they would i n all probability not understand the m owi ng to

, , ,

the technical ter m inology usually e mployed when writing abou t

si mple facts .

Q U IN INE T ANJ O RE P I LL S V IN E GAR W AT E R

, , , .

Quini ne whether ad ministered internally or applied t o the

,

bitten part is of no curative value although i t is largely em

, ,

ployed i n t he treat m ent Of snake bi te .

FIG 1 36 t H d
— D ea h tt
ea t w i ut
o r P o a o Mo h , l it
h ch D ch co o n s s ca ll
Mo tdij , o a p pul rl y b l i v d e e e
v u It r d i t k l ik l w fr t f t w i m tim
.

to b e e n o mo s is a me W h tw o h o o - e c a s o n on ee , h ch so e es
p ri k ki w t d d t y r r tur v mu
.

c th e s n h en mo h is h a n le , bu t h e do n o h a m , as t h e c e a e is n o t en o o s
T t v y ll w b d i b d d wi t bl k A w i t rk r bl i g h u m
.

h e s e mo h s h a e e o o es an e h ac h e ma ese m n a an
kul p r i t b k T i t fr qu t iv L if i
.

l is o m n en o n th e h s mo h en s bee h
s ac . e es ( e s ze )
. .
3 34 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH A FRI CA

A re medy co mmonly used i n the East m ostly i n I ndi a and , ,

k nown as the Tanj ore Pill has a great repu tation as a s nake bi t e
,

an tidote I t is an arsenical p reparat ion Doctors F ayrer and

. .

Brunto n have shown that the b elief i n this fa mous cure is withou t
any foundation .

Vinegar is another popular re medy which has failed when

scientifically tested Swallowed rubbed int o t he sc arifi ed sites
.
,

of t he bites or as fo m ent ations it has proved valueless

, , .

I n Australia t he natives have great fai th i n the water cu re

for snake bite They or a great m any of the m believe that i f
.
, ,

the bitten part is i mm ersed i n cold water or bet ter still if the , ,

whole of the body be sub merged for an hour or m ore the veno m ,

will be drawn Ou t t hrough the skin This water cure is believed .

i n by nu mbers of Australian colonists Cold wat er has no effect .

i n drawing any substance fro m the blood through the skin The .

applicat ion of hot water o n the contrary would open the pores
, ,

and cause perspiratio n to issue forth I n this way it is possible .

so me O f th e veno m migh t b e drained out .

Mo m entary cold plunges or dashing cold water over the ,

ski n would h ave the e ffect of sti mulating the nerves and in
creasing the act ivi ty Oi t he brain and other organs bu t beyond ,

this cold water can have no ac tual curative i nfluence i n cases

,

o f snake bite .

D RIE D S N A K E V EN OM C U R E .

A m edical friend fro m Bechuanaland writes me as follows '

Dried snake poison is used by Bush m e n as an antidote for

snake bite as they h ave i mplici t fai th i n i ts effi cacy I never
,
.

sa w a case of i ts being used but reliable European K alahari ,

Desert hunters assured m e that with a supply of this they feared

no snake bite that they had repeatedly used i t with the m ost
satisfactory results I t is rubbed i nto a sc arifi ed surface over
.

”
th e S i te O f the punctures inflicted by the snake .

I have heard of this cure i n m any parts O f South Africa .

A sa m pl e was sen t m e I t consisted of the pulverized poison

.

glands of a Pu ff Adder When m ixed with water a li ttle was

.

i nj ected i nto several ani mals They all showed sy mpto m s of .

snake veno m poisoning alth o ugh th ey ev en tu ally recovered

,
'

owing to the s mall quan ti ty of ve no m i n the solution .

The veno m s of all species O f s nakes when dry h ave exactly , ,

336 TH E SN A K ES O F SO UTH AFRI CA .

otherwise pay 1 0 5 for with the additio nal advant age of getti ng
.
,

t he stu ff i n concen trated for m and the exact dose .

TH E S N AKE B LO O D A ND G A LL C U RE .

There is a widespread belief i n South Africa that i f the sn ake

which inflicted the bi te can be killed and its blood or gall Obtained , ,

that either o f these will prove antidotes to t he veno m The .

nat ives are strong believers i n t he snake gall cure The cont ents .

o f the gall are swallowed Usually the gall bladder with its .
,

contents is swallowed entire I t is regarded as a certai n cure . .

I f a little of the blood of the snake which i nflict ed the bite or ,

even o f the sa m e S pecies be swallowed i t is also reckoned t o

, ,

be a sure cure I have given ani m als the blood and gall both
.
,

i nternally and rubbed i t i nt o the sc arifi ed sites of the fang

punctures but i n no case did i t have any curative e ffect
,
.

I have m ixed the contents of a snake s gall bladder with

’

three drops of i ts o w n veno m and i nj ected i t i nto a fowl I , .

repeated this I n each case the fowl died I did t he sa m e with

. .

the blood Drawing the veno m fro m a Pu ff Adder I t he n killed

.

the reptile and collected an ounce of i ts blood i n a wineglass ,

To this I added six drops o f the veno m t aken fro m t he sa m e ,

snake and m ixed i t t horoughly with the blood The m ixture

, .

was allowed to stand for several m inutes I t was equally divided .

,

st rained and inj ected under the skin o f the thighs o f two fowls
,

The fowls died as rapidly as i f the pure veno m had been inj ected .

S N A K E STO N E S .

Snake stones for the cure o f snake bite have for centuries , ,

been i n great de m and They are regarded by m illions o f I ndian s

.

with a w e and reverence To the m i t is blasphe m y to doub t the

.

e fficacy o f a Snake stone O f all snake bite cures the Snake

.

stone is regarded as the m ost e ffective I ts power of drawi ng .

t he p o is o n out O f the wound does n o t ad mit of a doubt The .

m a n w h o expresses disbelief i n its w o nderful powers is regarded

with conte mpt Such is the belief which has fastened i tsel f
.

u p o n m illions o f m inds .

Pro fessor Faraday exa mined a fa mous I ndian Sn ake stone

and said : I t is a piece o f charred bone which has been filled
\ Vh ere e r d r o p s a re m en ti o ned in t h i s b o o k t h e y m ean c h emi st s
v
'

mini ms .
 SNA K E STON E S .
3 37

with blood perhaps several ti mes and then carefully charred

, ,

again .

Doctor Davy exa m i ned several of these Snake stones and ,

his O pinion coi ncided wi th that of Professor Faraday The .

monks of M anilla m anu facture an d supply Sn ake stones to I ndian

merchants and the trade is very lucrat ive
,
.

The ston es vary in co m posit ion So me are of charred bon e .

,

pieces of chalk or a co m binat ion of veget able matt er Those

,
.

which are prized m ost highly however an d which are han ded , ,

down from fat her t o son usually origin at e fro m cysts Of t ape
,

wo rms ih sheep A t ape -worm egg is swallowed by a sheep I t

. .

hat ches an d t he e m bryo passes int o t he abdo minal cavit y of t he

,

host t hrough t he in t est in e wall an d form s a bladder-worm or

large cyst I t is shaped like a bean 1 3 inches lon g by I i inches
.

broad an d a little over on e —eight h of an in ch t hick Aft er t he

,
.

deat h of t he em bryo t he cyst forms in t o a whit e chalky subst ance ,

co mposed of phosphat e of li m e wit h a little carbonat e When .

foun d in S heep t hey are a great pu z zle t o farm ers as t o h o w t hey ,

got t here .

I t is alleged that the stone when applied to the S i te of the bite

, ,

will draw out the veno m This wo uld prove so to a cert ain .

degree i f applied withi n a few minutes O f bei ng bit ten provided

, ,

the stones were powerfully absorbent but they are not so The , .

s mall quantity of blood which penetrates their substance has

li ttle or no i nfluence for good The advocates of Snake stones .

assert that i t is n o t even necessary to scarify the flesh prior to

applying the stone That t he stone has the power of drawing
.

all the veno m out t hrough the tw o tiny punctures m ade i n the
’
ski n by the sn akes fangs .

When a snake drives i ts fangs i nto the flesh i t inj ects a

quant ity of veno m which spreads out and is rapidly sucked up
by the nu m erous absorben t vessels known as L y m phatics an d ,

hurried away to the large blood -vessels I f fully bi tten by a .

large Cobra e nough veno m is absorbed into the circulation

,

within o ne m i n ute to c ause death unless 2 0 to 5 0 cubi c cen ti ,

m etres O f A nti -veno m Seru m are inj ected before paralysis of the
nerve centres takes place .

Nothing short of powerful suction with the mouth a vacuu m ,

tube or pu mp is su fficient to draw out the veno m in suffi cien t

, ,

quant ity to be of any practical value .

338 TH E SNAK E S OF SOUTH AFRI C A .

Sn ake stones being rather expensive they are naturally in ,

the hands o f the few co nsequently i f a m an is bitten his friends

,

rush o ff wi th a ll spe ed for the nearest possessor of a Sn ake stone .

I t is i n these cases practically i m possible for i t to b e applied

within five m inutes or so therefore even ad mitting i t possessed
,

the virtues at tributed to it the veno m would already h ave ,

en tered the g e neral circulation and no a moun t of suction a t the

,

site of the bit e would draw i t out again .

The belief in Snake sto nes t he application of the pal pit ating
’

flesh of fowls and pigeons to the site o f the bi te and other ,

popular re m edies are dangerous delusions .

When the Dutch first settled at the Cape and established a

Stat io n there as a sort of hal f-way house i n their East I ndian
’
t rade which was conducted by the East I ndian N etherland s
,

Co m pany so meti me about the year 1 6 5 2 they brought a few

, ,

of these Snake stones fro m the I ndies pri ncipally M alab ar ,

.

So m e of these stones are to the presen t day in the possession

, ,

o f Old Boer fa milies whose faith in t heir e ffi cacy for the cure of
,

snake bite is u nshakeable .

S WA LL O W I NG S NAKE V EN OM .

I t is a general belief a mongst the n at ives and a large sectio n ,

of the colonist s of South Africa that i f sn ake veno m is swallowed

, ,

i t will confer i m muni ty to snake bite I n consequence the .

pig my Bush men Hot tentots and K afi rs after killin g a v en o mo u s

, , ,

snake cut out i ts veno m glands and swallowed the m

, .

I have m et many colonists who were S O sure o f their i mmunity

that they o ffered to allow me to i nj ect the m with snake veno m .

The O ffers certainly were te m pting but my conscience and the ,

law would no t per m i t i t .

A t intervals during the past ten years or so I have fed various

s pe cies o f ani mals d o m estic and otherwise o n the veno ms of
, ,

di fferen t kinds of South African snakes When any of these .

creatures were bitten by a snake or inj ected wi th i ts veno m by

m eans o f a hypoder mic syringe they died j ust as rapidly as ,

ani mals which had no t been fed upon snake veno m .

The following is one instance fro m a score in my note -book .

An adul t Cape j ackal the size of a spaniel was fed for six weeks
, ,

with Pu ff Adder veno m Every second day hal f a dozen Pu ff

.
3 40 TH E SNA KE S OF SOUTH AFRI C A .

Adders were forced to bite a lu m p o f raw meat which was i mme ,

dia tely afterwards given to the j ackal On three occasions the .

veno m fro m six Pu ff Adders v iz forty drops was collected i n ,

.
,

a wineglass and mixed with raw m eat This the j ackal at once .

ate Whenever a Pu ff Adder was killed i ts poison glands were

.

i nserted into a bi t of m eat and given to the j ackal Puff Adders

-
.

were allowed to bite dead birds freely u ntil t he flesh was reeking ,

wi th veno m These were fed to the j ackal

. .

Then we decided to apply the test Surely we thought if .

, ,

swallowing veno m will confer i mm unity this j ackal should be ,

absolutely proof for i t had during the six weeks swallowed

,

enough Pu ff Adder veno m to kill a couple O f hundred m en .

A Puff Adder was held by the neck and allowed t o bite the
j ackal on t he thigh I t bit twice bu t only peeked Refusing
.
, .

to bite again we procured another and forced it to bite the sa me

,

part Of the leg twice We did not previously S have the hair
, .
,

and although in each case the rept iles punctured the flesh we ,

noticed they shed a good deal of veno m on the fur and did not ,

bite eagerly On e two three four days wen t by and the j ackal
.
, , ,

S howed no ou tward sy m pto m s O f poisoning I t was as lively .

as ever and ate as usual NO swelling was apparen t

,
I told
. .

you Sir quot h my n o w j ubilant assistant

, ,
“
that the j ackal ,

would prove t o be i mm une NO I am no t at all satisfied .

,
“
There s so m ething wrong
’
said I Those snakes didn t .

inj ect enough veno m Co me along we wi ll make sure this .

,

ti me S O we forthwi th sei z ed a big Pu ff Adder and levied toll

.

on his store of poison Measuring out three drops I m ixed i t .

,

wi th abou t a teaspoon ful of water and inj ected i t by m eans of

a seru m syringe into the m uscles of the unbitten thigh of the
,

j ackal A Pu ff Adder was allowed to gi ve one quick bite bu t

.
,

was no t per mitted to hang o n or worry the flesh I n fi v e .

m inutes t i m e the j ackal began to S how sy mpto ms of poisoning

’
.

I n slightly less than one hour i t was dead .

Re moving th e ski n fro m the thigh and cu tting i nto the flesh ,

it was found to be charged with extravasated blood fro m the

toes righ t u p to th e j unction with the body The whole flesh .

o f the l i mb was saturated with blood which had oozed through ,

the walls of t he blood vessels The li mb itsel f had swollen to .

three ti mes i ts nor mal size Opening u p the body I found that .

bl o o d had oozed out into the muscles covering the abdo m en an d

 SWA LL OWI N G SNA K E VEN OM .
3 41

ribs giving the m a patchy blood -stained appearance The

, .

heart -muscles were also affected s m all irregular red patches

,

covering the m The lungs were not visibly da maged R e

. .

m oving the S kin fro m the thigh which the Pu ff Adders had bi tten
wit hout apparently producing any poisonous effects I found the ,

m uscles in the vicinity of t he punctures to be very m uch dis

coloured with blood which had oozed into the m This dis
, .

colouratio n was traced up and half-way along t he m uscles of

,

the ribs on one S ide G rowing fainter and fainter i t disappeared

.
,
.

I t was quite apparent that those Pu ff Adders had not succeeded

i n inj ecting su fficien t veno m to cause serious sym pto ms I f the .

j ackal had not been dissected the extravasated blood would

,

h ave been absorbed by degrees without any outward sy m pto ms

being apparent An exa mination of the j ackal s sto m ach and
.
’

i ntestines showed t he m to be perfectly norm al Evidently the .

copious i nternal dosing with veno m had not produced any ill
e ffects .

I kept a half-grown Chac m a B aboon for four months which ,

w as fed at intervals with Cape Cobra veno m The veno m pro .

du c ed no poisonous effects although it m ust have swallowed

,

so mething like a quarter of an ounce of it H owev er a sub

‘

cutaneous in j ect ion o f t hree drops of Cobra poison killed it .

This is contrary to the published st at em ents i n regard to

Cobra veno m ,

M any people think that experi m ents on ani m als are not
satisfactory They see m to think that the hu m an ani m al is
.

altogether di fferen t i n his co m position This is by no m eans

.

so The st ructure of a hu m an being is exactly the sa me as that

.

o f a war m -blooded lower ani m al ( ma mmal ) The m echanis m .

O f his body works i n the sa m e way in all respects L ik e the .

various species of lower ani m als man di ffers i n S hape b ut that

, ,

does not alter the fact that he is physiologically the sa m e as they

are Man di ffers i n a physical sense fro m all lower ani mals i n
.

having a larger and m ore co mplex brain He has evolved .

faculties of the mi nd which none of the lower ani mals possess .

True he has brai n organs si m ilar to theirs bu t he has added

, ,

m any m ore which m ake h im what he is .

 C H A P TE R X I .

S NAKE V EN OM ,
I TS N AT U RE AND E FFECT S .

V EN OMO U S S NAKE S AND THEI R P O I S O N .

TH E three great sub -fa milies of highly veno mous snakes Of

South Africa are the Sea Snakes ( Hydrophiin w) ; the Cob ras ,

Ma mbas Co ral Snakes etc ( Elapin w) and the Adders ( Viperin ce)
, , .

The only Sea Snake which frequents t he South African coasts

is t he Black and Y ellow species ( Hydru s platurn s) which so m eti mes
gets st randed a mong the rocks o n the sea -shore and is usually ,

m istaken for an eel I n South Africa south o f t he Z a m besi '

t here are fourteen species or ki nds of Cobra ( Colu brin e) and ,

eleven of the Adder ( Vip erin e) fa m ily .

I TH E A G LY P HA
. .

There are three great classes or divisions of snakes v iz those , .

which have solid teeth without any trace o f grooving These .

snakes are all quite non -veno mous They are known as the .

Aglypha which means snakes with solid teeth

, .

I I TH E O P I S TH OG LY P HA
. .

The second divisio n are what are term ed H ind -fanged Sn akes ,

having one or more of the back teeth i n t he upper j aw m ore or

less grooved and possessing ductless poison glands These snakes
, .

were form erly regarded as ei ther non -veno m ous or only veno m ous ,

t o a S ligh t degree .

Th ey are known as the Opisthoglypha which means having ,

the posterio r or back m axillary teeth grooved .

III . TH E P R OTER OG LY P H A .

The third division are the typic al highly veno mous snakes ,

having the grooved or hollow fangs set in the fron t o f the upper
3 42
 3 44 TH E SNA K ES O F SO UTH AFR I CA .

Race mose G lands because the cells are clustered together like
a bunch of grapes race mose
— m eaning arranged i n grape like
-

A S TUD Y P LATE F OR S CI E N T I F I C S T U D E N TS .

NT I TI O N O F S N A K E S TH E D E
F I G 3 R Tl k ll f yp i l k ( B ) d t h t f typi l v m u k
.

I — ie s u v mu
o a t ca no n- eno o s sn a e oa an a o a ca en o o s sn a e
(C t l ) fr m h id d m wh t fr m b v
. .

ro a u s s e e n o t e s e an so e a o a o e
N N l P l l f - l F Fr t l P l P t fr t l P — P ri t l
.

— asa r — ’
re ro n t a r— on a — os on a a a e a Pc
Su p-r ip it l —S q S qu m l Q Qu d r t — H E b
. . . . .

P l
e t ro s t ra ( ls— a o cc a — a o sa — a a e — ar o n e. Pt
P t r yg id m i ll M xi ll P l P l ti T r v r b
. . . .

e l Po M ’
x— rc Tax a. x a a a — a a ne r a ns e se o ne . 1
f l w r j w
. . .

—2 B — o n es o
3 o e a .

clusters These veno m glands were once upon a ti me ordinary

.

sal ivary glands and under that mysterious law O f G od which

,
 POI SON A P PA RATU S .
3 45

we t erm Evolution these har m less salivary glands underwen t a

,

gradual change and the fluid they secrete is now of a totally

,

different character I n scientific t er m inology they are

. the
ho m ologues Of the parotid Sal ivary glands in other vertebrate
creatures .

We find the veno m glands and fangs of snakes in various

stages of evolution I n the division known as the Aglypha we
.
,

do not fi n d any trace of grooved fangs or poison glands The .

teet h are all solid I n so m e Of the species a few of the teet h are
.

fang -like being longer t han the rest but these also are quite
, ,

solid I n the second divisio n of snakes which are known as

.
,

the Opisthoglypha the fangs are i n various stages of develop

,

ment and are situated hal f-way back in the upper j aw

, There .

are usually two or three fangs which are grooved However , .

,

there are no well -defi n ed poison glands with ducts consequently ,

this division of H ind -fanged Sn akes has been regarded as p rac ti

cally n o n -veno m ous The Boo mslang ( D isp h olidus typ us) is a
.

m e mber of this division of snakes .

I n the third division known as the Proteroglypha we find

, ,

the fangs and poison glan ds in a high degree of develop m en t .

All of this class of sn akes are known to be veno mous t o a greater

or lesser degree .

The fangs of t he viper fa m ily are long and recurved and the ,

bon e they are set in is very m obile and works like a hinge Thi s .

provision of N ature is very necessary in order to elevate the

fangs to allow of their points striking the V icti m at a proper
angle When the mouth closes the fangs are auto m atically
.
,

drawn back a n d lie along t he sides of the upper j aw enveloped

, ,

i n a m e mbranous sheath known as the Vagina dentis,

.

The fangs of Cobras are s mall i n co mparison with those

of the Adders and are i ncapable of m uch m ove m ent such
, ,

not being necessary for their effective use They are enveloped .

in a m embraneous coverin g when at rest .

Whe n the snake s m outh is closed the end O f the poison

’
,

duct beco m es discon nected with the h ole i n t he top or base o f

the fang but the instant the mouth is open ed to strike the end
, ,

of this duct by m eans of an i ntricate and delicate apparatus

, ,

co mpletes the connect ion wi th exactness .

The instan t the fangs penetrat e the flesh of the victi m t he ,

s nake closes its j aws over the bitten part and presses strongly ,
3 46 TH E SN A K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

thus forci ng the m axi mu m a mount of veno m i nto the punctures .

Many snakes such as the R inghals C obra and Boo msl ang hang
,
,

on and worry the flesh i f allowed .

I nserted i nto the tough fibrous capsule of the poiso n glands

are so m e of the fibres of the m asseter muscles The in stan t the .

snake bites these muscle fibres contract powerfully an d the

, ,

gland is wrung after the m anner o f twisting and wringing a wet

rag to re move its moisture A co mparatively large lym ph S pace .

surrounds the gland and so per mits of this wringing ,

The .

F IG I 39
-
Th e th d f g f P u ff Add r W h l yi g b k i th i p i ti th y
sh e a e an s o a e en n ac n s os on e a re
v l p d by p r t ti g m m br h th k w th V gi d ti
. . .

en e o e a o ec n e an e o r s ea no n as e a na en s.

t e m poral an d pterygoid m uscles also aid in co mpressin g t he

poison glan ds The veno m which is stored up i n the nu m erous
.

little cavities within the glands is thus driven with considerable

power i nto the ch an nels or conducting tubes which co mm unicate
with the bases of th e hollow or grooved fangs I t rushes down .

the grooved or hollow fangs and issues out i n tw o fine strea ms .

The bringing together of the end of the poison duet wi th the

hole at the base of the fang is co mpleted wi th m arvellous exact
ness By a wonderful arrange m en t O f muscle -fibres the h arder
.
,

the snake presses his j aws when bi ting the tighter does the ,
3 48 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

Four drops O f Pu ff Adder veno m is enough to cause such

extensive h ae morrhage i nto the t issues of a m an as to kill
h im .Unless driven deep int o t he m uscular t issue a healt hy ,

m a n would in t he m aj ority of cases recover It would take a .

subcut an eous inj ect ion of five to six drops t o cause cert a in deat h .

I n a m an whose blood is altered by habitual i ndulgence i n

alcohol even i n moderat ion less than a drop m ight su ffice to
,

kill h im I n monkeys which have been given a fair quantity o f

.

alcohol daily for a m onth a drop of Pu ff Adder veno m is ,

suffi cien t to kill the m Often the site of the i nj ect ion turn s
.

bl ack This mo rtific atio n o f t he tissues at the site of the entry

.

of the veno m spreads i nto the body and c auses death

, .

D I S CHARGI N G V EN O M .

I t is st at ed t hat the ac t of gaping the j aws and erecting

the fangs causes an a u to m atic action of the muscles controlling
the poison glands forcing the veno m out This is not so The . .

poison is not expelled every ti m e the sn ake gapes its j aws .

Pu ff Adders frequen tly yawn gaping their j aws widely ,

.

S o meti mes both fangs are erected to their fullest exten t A t .

other ti mes the sn ake raises and depresses the m i n turn This
,
.

is done carefu lly and deliberately see mingly for the purpose of ,

exercise The occasional raising of the fangs evidently gives

.

so m e mea s ure of relief or satisfact ion to the snake I t is rare .

for Cobras to yawn except after a m eal The Adders do i t at

,
.

various t i m es .

When artificially feeding Pu ff Adders veno m frequen tl y ,

squirts fro m t he fangs when the mouth is forced O pen and the
fangs erected I n these cases the reptiles are n aturally i n a
.
,

state of irri tation This causes the const riction of the glands
.

the instan t the fangs assu m e the erect posture A t these feeding .

ti mes I have c o llected as much as eleven drops of veno m fro m a

single Pu ff Adder .

Care h a s to be exercised at feeding ti mes t o hold the snake s

’

head i n such a posi tion that t he fangs poin t away fro m the faces
O f the O perators My assistan t one day received a full charge
.

of veno m over his mouth m oust ache and chin L uckily n on e

, ,
.
,

entered his eyes else there would have bee n trouble

, .
 DI SCHA R G I N G VEN OM .

The veno m on t hese occasions is so meti m es discharged a

, ,

distance of five feet One day a rat was introduced into a cage
.
,

containing several Puff Adders Two were lying sleeping on the

.

top of an Old tree stu m p The rat in springing upon the stu m p
.
, ,
350 TH E SNA K ES OF SO U T H AFR I CA .

suddenly disturbed their slu mbers whereupon both si mul ,

ta n eo u sly struck fiercely at the i ntruder Both m issed thei r .

a im ,
and four strea ms of veno m struck one of t he plate glass
sides of the cage and ran down the glass The veno m when .
,

ej ected is watery more so than that of the Cobra

, ,
.

I n the pro cess o f collecting veno m by forcing a snake to bite

over the rubber-covered rim O f a watc h -glass or wi ne -glass the ,

fangs are Often erected and re mai n so but no veno m flows until ,

the glands are co m pressed with the fingers .

I t was a mply de monstrated in this m an ner that the erect io n

of the fangs did not cause an auto m atic constrictio n o f the
m asseter m uscle fibres To ej ect a full charge o f veno m the
.
,

snake is obliged to grip and co mpress its head strongly The j aws .

of Pu ff Adders m ay be extended t o their fullest exten t ye t

the fangs are not elevated unless the reptile so desires I have .

frequently distended the j aws Of Pu ff Adders and watched the m

elevate and depress their fangs The anterior m axi llary bones .

to which the fangs are attached are worked i ndependently o f any

other parts of t he mechanis m of the j aws .

T aking twelve Pu ff Adders I m ade each in turn bite over the

,

thick rim O f an ice -crea m glass The i nstan t the rim of the .

’
glass touched the snake s nose i t bi t fiercely both fangs darting ,

u p at the proper striking angle and the n descending with great

,

violence against the inner side of the glass Each snake was .

m a de to bite three or four ti mes The fangs i n each i nstance .

would strike the glass and slip upwards towards the rim No t .

even the fraction of a drop Of veno m was shed by five O f the

snakes One yielded about three drops and the res t a very
.
,

s ma ll quanti ty Fro m the twelve sn akes I collected seven

.
,

dro ps of veno m I tried this experi men t several ti m es and found

.

that although the snake bi t the side o f t he glass freely either no

, ,

veno m or only a very s m a ll quant ity was shed On the con

, .

tra ry when I covered the top o f the ice -crea m glass with a
,

rather thick piece of sheet rubber these sa me Pu ff Adders i n ,

biting through it shed an average of three to five drops and even

,

ten drops each i nto the glass

, .

I n the for mer experi men ts I was careful to exa mine the
,

reptiles m ouths to see i f veno m by any chance had been shed

’

within the mouth but with one or t w o exceptions t here was

, , ,

not a trace O f veno m to be seen .

352 TH E SNA K ES O F SOUTH AFR I CA .

shed but that i f the sa me snake is allowed to bite into the leg
,

of a dead fowl or a lu mp of m eat and provi ded the reptile is ,

allowed to gri p like a dog and co mpress its j aws strongly fro m ,

tw o to four t i m es the a m oun t of veno m is discharged co m pared ,

with the a moun t usually Ob tained by a llowing the sna ke t o bi te

through rubber or Batt ist e clot h stretched over a glass .

I f a m an be hungry and you give h im a piece of dry cork or

wood to bite or chew little i f any salivary fluid will flow int o his
,

m outh ; but i f you give that sa me ma n a m orsel o f appeti z ing

food to bite or chew an abundance of saliva will fl o w and the
, ,

salivary glands will receive a powerful sti mulus and will i nstantl y ,

exert t he mselves to m anufacture more saliva So i t is i n a .

,

sense wi th veno m ous snakes By the sa m e pysc h o lo g ic al in

, .

fl u en c e t heir veno m glands and the nerves which work the m, ,

are roused i nto intense activity when the snake with m alice ,

in tent deliberately bi tes t he flesh o f an ene my or so m e substance

,

which deceives h im i nto that belief or which tends t o i mpart the

sa me feel ing .

No w and then when a snake lunges and m isses it s aim the ,

entire conten ts of the veno m glands are shed but i n these cases ,

the reptile has been wrought u p to the highest pi tch of excit e

m ent and i n the act Of lunging the glands are c o mpressed violently
‘

, ,

there being no ti m e to coun teract the i m pulse i mparted as is ,

the case with a m an who ai ms a blow wi th his fist at so me Obj ect

which dodges j ust at the critical i nstant The man is un able .

to coun teract the co mmand sen t to the muscles of his arm to

deliver a blow .

When a snake is dead the veno m oozes fro m the fangs on

,

the slightest pressure o n the glands and c an be easily collected ,

by elevating the fangs and co m pressing the veno m glands .

N AT U R E OF S NAKE V E N O M .

m
Snake veno is a sligh tly acid fluid O f about the sa m e
*

c o nsistency as glycerin e and t in ged m ore or l ess wit h yellow

,

accord ing t o th e species of s nake However on exposure .

,

to the air and l ight i t gradually lo s es its flui dity

, Whe n .

ex posed o ver calciu m c hloride i t quickly dries and cracks

Th e id i t h v n m u
ac n e e m rti n g
o ca ses s a in t h e w u nd i n fli t d by t h
o s c e e
f ng
a s and f ilit t r pid b rpti o n
ac a es a a so .
F IG I 42
— AVip ri F g S ec ti
C l th r u g h wh i h th v m ru _ Th
on of a e ne an 1 an a o c e en o n s. 2 e

tr l pul p f th t th B S ti f C lu b ri F g G r v d w wh i h t h
. . .
. . .

cen a o e oo ec on o a o ne an 1 oo e o n c e
v mr C tr l pul p f th t th C F g f Vip ri S k Hl
. . . .

en o un s 2 en a o e oo an o a e ne na e. 1 o e

th r u g h wh i h th v m t r th l Th d f th du t fr m th p i gl d
. . .
. .

o c e en o en e s e can a e en o e c o e o so n an is

t d with th i h l utl t f th h l r t h d f th f g t h r u g h
.

c o n n ec e Th s o e. 2 e o e o e o e n ea e en o e an o

wh h th v m p Th utl t i b liqu d i xtr m t i p f th f g

.

ic e en o esc a t th es e o e s o e , an s not a e e e e o e an

3 Th di r ti l t h r u g h t h t th S kul l f Vip ri S k h wi g
.
.

f th
e ec on o e c an a o e oo I a o a e ne na e, s o n

p i ti f th b mu l d f g wh t h m uth i l d h A d i gr m
.
. .

th e os on o e o n es , s c es , a n an en e o s c o se 1 a a
h wi g p i ip l h w th f g i w rk d I th i fi gur th f g i d pr d t
. .

s o n r nc e o e an s o e n s e e an s e esse o

r p r t th m uth l i g - h P i ti pp r tu wh t h m uth
.

e e se n d e o f th c os n 1 1 a an 1 1 os on o e a a a s en e o
p d wid l y ; th p h pt ryg id mu l ( P ) i tr t d : th P t ryg i d ( P t)
. .

i
s o en e e e s en o e o sc e e s co n ac e e e o
i p ull d f rw r d
s the tr v r b o E t p t yg id ( T r) p u h
a s, e th M x i ll ry ( M)
an s e se o ne or c o er o s es e a a
r t t i t d th r by u th P i F g ( J) t um
o a es an e e r t p iti
ca ses (D ) e o so n an o a ss e a n e ec os o n. i
D ig tri Mu las tr ti f whi h l w -r
c
,

p th l w r j w ( J
sc e , c o n ac ) P ion o F g c o e s, o r o en s e o e a o so n an

( M) M xill ry ( P ) P l ti S p p t yg id u l m i ll ry ( P t)
. ,

P h M P m ) P -
a
( ) a
( a a n e, en o er o sc e , re ax a
P t r yg id ( Q) Qu d r t
e

( S q ) S qu m l ( T ) I rti f th t ri r t m p r l mu l
, ,

e o a a e, a o sa a n se on o e an e o e o a sc e ,

by tr ti f wh i-h th m uth h ut D Th wh l p i pp r tu f Vi p ri
, ,

con ac on o c e o Is s e o e o so n a a a s o a e ne

S k Arti ul r m xill ry lig m t d 4 T m p r l Mu l

. .

na e. 1 3
C tri t r Mu l f P i G l d 7 Du t 8 Outl t f Du t T h i th p m t
o ns c o
. c
s c es o
a a
_ 5 a
o so n
d 6
an
a en . 2 ,

e
, an .

e
e
o
o a
c
s c es
s is
.

e
an
o
.
,

v m t th l i th f g 9 M ill ry B l
. . . . .

Wh th e re e en o en er
s Th e c an a n e an ax a one 1 0 e c an a
th r u gh th f g N 5 d 6 th C tri t r Mu l wh i h wri g th p w gl d
. . . .

o e an os an a re e o ns c o sc es c n e a n an

u it t t t l g th du t i t th h ll w f g Th m h m f
. . ,

an d ca se s co n e n s o ru n a on e c n o e o o an e ec ani s o
C lu b ri k i th m x p ti g th t t h i r f g u u ll y gr v d i t d f
.

o n e sn a es s e sa e, e ce n a e an s are s a oo e n s ea o
b i g h ll w
e n o o .
,
35 4 TH E SNA KES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

like g um but does not crystallize The acid b eing o f a vol at ile
,
.
,

n ature disappears le aving t he dry veno m neut ral V eno m

, ,
.

When properly dried will retai n i ts toxic or poisonous properties

a great nu mber of years Dried veno m will readily dissolve .

i n t epid water When kept i n solution in water snake ven o m

.
,

deco mposes and loses i ts poisonous properties i n a S hort t i m e .

On t he o the r hand i f veno m be m ixed with glyceri ne i t w ill

,

keep i ndefinitely D r Weir M itchell kept veno m for thirty -two

. .

years and D r C J Marti n for thirteen years withou t i t losin g

, . . .

any of i ts poisonous properties I have also found that after the .

lapse of years i ts e ffect is j ust as pote n t upo n ani m als as when

i nj ected fresh Snake veno m is a m ixture in vari able proportions
.

of prot eid subst an ces and salt s dissolved in from 6 5 t o 8 0 per cent .

of wat er The albu min s in sn ake veno m are devoid of poisonous

.

propert ies The act ive prin ciples of ven om are prot o an d het ero
.

albu moses Snake veno m s are very co m plex an d varied i n thei r

.

action The co m position n ature and effects of veno m s di ffer

.
, ,

considerably Pure Puff Adder veno m i f allowed to stand i n a

.
,

glass tube deposits a white flo cc ulen t m ass The rest of the

, .

veno m beco mes light a mber i n colour and sets to the consistency
o f j elly a few hours after being drawn fro m t he snake I f m ixed .

wi th water and stirred the white precipitat e is dissolved Cobra , .

veno m re mains in a transparen t condition .

Dr C J Marti n Director o f t he L ister B acteriological I nst i

. . .
,

tute o f L ondon says The analysis o f t he physiological

,

action of veno ms h as proved the m to be m ade up Of a great

m any more constituen ts than would be i m agined fro m their
che m ical exa min atio n Di fferen t veno ms have been found to .

contain one or m ore of the following : ( 1 ) a powerful fi brin

fer men t ( 2 ) an anti -fibrin ferm en t ( 3 ) a proteolytic ferm en t
( 4) various cytolysins capable of acting upon red blood corpuscles ,

p h ag o sytes endothelial cells of blood vessels n erve cells and

, , ,

the ce lls Of various other tissues I n addition to the above . .

”
various o ther more re mote pathological conditions are induced .

The various veno m s being so di fferen t i n their co m bination

”
or m ake up i t n aturally follows that the veno m s of various
,

ki nds of snakes would i nduce sy mpto ms more or less dissi m ilar .

This is the reason the seru m fro m an ani m al i mmunized to the

veno m o f only one species of sn ake fails to act as a su fficiently
satisfactory antidote i n all forms o f snake bite .
356 TH E SN AKE S OF SOUTH A FRI CA .

blood to escape through the walls of the blood vessels i nto the
surrounding tissues The ph ago sytes are the white corpuscles
.

of the blood They are al tered da m aged and often more or less
.
, ,

dissolved by the action of the h aemo rrh ag in principle i n sn ake

veno m The chief action however is upon the red corpuscles
.
, ,

O f the blood The h azmo rrh ag in at tacks these corpuscles dis

.
,

solving out th eir colouring mat ter and rendering the m spherica l
and sticky This dissolved colouring m atter then escapes
.

t hrough the expanded walls o f the blood vessels and finds i ts

way i nto the tissues spreading ou t under the S kin and c ausing
,

purple blotches more or less extensive Red corpuscles un .

,

chan ged also escape t hrough t he expan ded blood v essel walls
,
.

The escape Oi blood i nto the tissues is greatest near the various
s m all arteries which branch O ff an d ter minate in a fi n e network
of capillaries The reason is that at t hese points t he pressure
.
, ,

of blood upon the capillaries is greatest .

The broken -u p blood also oo z es out through the mucous or

lining m e mbranes of the mouth nose lungs sto m ach bowels , , , , ,

and bladder This blood -destroying poison predo min ates i n

.

Adder veno m Recen t experi ments however t en d to S how that

.
, ,

the veno m o f the Pu ff Adder acts chiefly if not entirely o n t he

endothel ial cells an d not on the bloo d corpuscles
,
.

I RIN -FERMENT S
(3 ) F B These cause the fibrin of the blood
.

to solidi fy which produces clot ting Fibri n fer men ts are usually
,
.

strongest i n Viper veno ms although they are present in lesser ,

or greater degree i n the poisons of all sn akes .

When hu man subj ects are bit ten by Vipers ( Adders ) the
fi b rin -fer men t does no t cause coagulation of the blood unless ,

inj ected i n an u nusually large quanti ty or direct i n to a vei n ,

( in travenously) I n the latter cases coagulation of the blood and

.
,

death m ay occur at any instant When inj ected direct i nto a .

vein even i n s m all quan tity death occurs wi thin a few mo men ts .

However when the s mall ani mals o n which snakes feed such
, ,

as rats m ice or birds are bitten by Adders t he fi b rin -ferm ent

, , , ,

i n the veno m al most i nstan tly coagulates their blood causing ,

rapid death This is due to the relatively large dose Of veno m

.

i nj ected I n the case of m an or the larger m a mm als su fficien t

.
,

o f the fi brin -fer m en t princi ple i n the veno m does no t usually

enter the blood all at once to cause clot ting as is usual wi th s m all ,

creatures I n t he case of Cobras the neurotoxi n or nerve poison

.
,
 N ATU R E OF SNA K E VEN OM . 357

i s the principal factor i n causing the rapid death Of their prey .

The m aj ority of sn ake veno m s contain all three Of the above

mentioned poisons . I n each species of snake they are not only
358 THE SNA KE S OF SOUTH AFR I CA .

different m ore or less in t heir physiological act ion but t hey are ,

i n va ryin g proport ions hence t he reason of t he differences i n

,

t he effects on t he hum an body an d t he sym pt o ms arisin g fro m

t hose effects .

The n erve poison ( n euroto xin ) c an b e separat ed from t he

blood poison ( h eemo rrh ag in ) of sn ake veno m by adding lecithi n ,

dissolved i n chlorofor m with a solution o f veno m an d shakin g

, ,

vigorously The blood -po iso h co mbines wi th the lecithi n t o

.

for m an active lec ith ide which dissolves in the chloroform and
can be afterwards precipi tated by ether .

The neurotoxi n or nerve -poisoning pri nciple of the veno m

re m ai ns i n the liquid solut ion The part which has bee n prec ipi .

ta ted i f inj ected into ani m als destroys the red corpus les of
,
c ,

their blood inducing h ae morrhage i nto the tissues I ts a ction is

, .

very rapid especi ally when a concentrated solut ion is used being
, ,

then much more active than before separation fro m the n euro
t oxin.

Weight for weight the veno ms of the di fferent species of

,

snakes vary considerably The ve n o m s o f the M a mb a t he. ,

Cobra and Boo m sl ang have as powerful poisoning effect as

,

three t o five t i m es the weigh t or bulk of Puff Adder Berg ,

Adder or Night Adder veno m

,
*
.

The poisonous e ffects o f all veno ms vary according to the

size and vital resistance o f the V icti m For inst ance a c at is of .
,

abou t the sa me weight or even less tha n a large fowl or rabbit

, , ,

yet i ts power of resistance to the poisonous action of veno m is

considerably greater A Boo mslang was forced t o bite t he
.

bared thigh of a do mestic cat of adult S i z e and was per mit ted to ,

retain i ts gri p for hal f a m inute The cat gradually developed .

sy m pto ms of poisoning and died i n thirty hours L arge cock .

fowls and rabbits bit te n by the sa me snake died withi n fifteen

minutes An i nteresting feature of these Cases was the di fferen t
.

sy m pto ms The cat was strongly acted upon by t he blood

.

poisoning principle of the veno m for the wound oo z ed blood ,

all the ti me and the mucous surfaces discharged blood and after
,

death extravasated blood was found i n various t issues On

,
.

the contrary no such sy m pto m s were apparen t in the fowls

,

and rabbits The neurotoxin or nerve -poisoning principle i n

.

I d r p f P u ff Add r v no m ft r b ei ng dri d o v er c a l iu m
1 0 o s o e e a e e c ch o l rid e
yi ld d 2 4 5 gr i n f dry xtr c t
e e a s o e a .
36 0 T H E SNAK ES OF SOUTH AFR I CA .

Co bras and Ma mbas are far m ore to be dreaded than Vi pers

because their veno m acts S O rapidly on the nerve centres often ,

causing death or reducin g the perso n bit ten to a condi tion im

possible o f recovery before there is ti me to apply any re m edial
measures .

However the veno ms of all snakes of the Colubrine fa m ily do

,

not act i n this rapid way upon the n erve -centres i n the brain
and medulla f The veno ms Of m any act pri m arily on the blood
an d secondarily on the nerve centres as for instance i n the case ,

of the Boo mslang which is a m e mber of t he Colubri ne fa mily

, ,

although in classification i t is placed i n a sub -fa m ily with o ther

back -fanged snakes .

When a dose O f viper veno m is inj ected i nto a vein eve n i f ,

the quantity be s mall death rapidly results fro m clot ting of the
,

blood chiefly i n the pul monary arteri es I n ani m als i f a s m all

, .
,

fract ion o f a drop is inj ected direct i nto a vei n death quickly ,

follows fro m clotting of the blood caused by a poisonous princip le

i n the veno m known as Fibrin -ferm en t .

I n these cases no re medial measures are of any avail .

The veno ms of the di fferen t species of snakes differ con

s iderably i n the blendi ng of the n erve poisons ( neurotoxins ) ,

blood poisons ( h ae mo rrh agin s) and blood -clot ting poison ( Fibrin ,

fer ment ) This being so the sy m pto ms vary m ore or less

.
,

widely The veno m s of two di fferen t species of snakes which

.

apparently produce the sa m e outward physiological e ffects are

found when exa mined to be m ore or less dissi milar i n thei r
, ,

co m position However when the victi ms are subj ecte d to

.
,
‘

post -morte m i t will be discovered that the veno m of one sn ake

has produced in ternal e ffects considerably di fferen t fro m the
o ther .

The veno ms o f the Colubrin e ( Cobra) fa mily Of snakes an d

the Vi peri ne ( Adder) fa m ily di ffer most widely i n their n ature
and e ffects G enerally S peaking we c an say that the veno m
.
,

of the typical Cobra fa m ily of snakes acts rapidly and chiefly o n

the nerve -cen tres causing nerve paralysis and death while the
,

veno m O f the Adders although causing severe nerve depression

, ,

exerts a powerful poisonous influence o n the blood and walls of

blood vessels .

Snake veno m when m ixed with a m moniu m sulphate or

,

absolute alcohol causes the poisonous substances ( proteids) to

,
 EFFE CTS OF SNA K E VEN OM .
36 1

be separated These fall to t he botto m but retai n all their

.

original poisonous properties .

The solution ( filtrate ) is not poisonous The poisonous .

pri nciples of the veno m which have been precipitated if inj ected ,

under the skin of an ani m al will cause death j ust as rapidly as ,

i f the pure unaltered veno m had been i nj ected I t will thus be .

FIG 1 44
— I D i ti f h d f P u ff A dd r h wi g p i gl d du t d f g i it
s s ec on o ea o e s o n o so n an c an an n s u
H d f P u ff A dd r h wi g h fr t tiv p i r f f g v r d wi th th
. . . .
, ,

2 ea o a e s o n t e on ac e a o an s co e e e
p r t t iv h t h k w h V gi t i Wh t r t th t iv
.

o ec e s D ea no n as t e a na en s en a es e ac e
f g d du p l i t li r full y v r d p Wi th i th i h th
.
,

an s , an c a es , e ca e co e e u n s s ea
k i w f th h d f C p C b r ( N fl )
.

3 B ac V e o e ea o a a e o a aia a va

H d f C p C br h wm g h g v d f g wh i h m ll i mp r i
.

4 ea o a a e o as o t e ro o e an s, c are s a n co a so n
W i th t h f t h P u ff A dd r
.

o se o e e .

seen that alcohol even i f it were possible to drink i t in the absolute

,

or pure for m would not destroy the veno m i n the slightest

, .

The veno ms of a ll snakes are rendered harmless after boiling

several hours Adder poison is destroyed m ore or less after a
.

f ew m inutes boiling but Cobra veno m resists the action of heat

’

much longer *
Whe n boiled i n solution with wat er or raised to
.
,

Th e h aem o rrh ag in in Add e r v no m i d str o y d w h en h ea t d t

e s e e e o 75
°
C .

fo r a f ew m i nut e s .
36 2 THE SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

a te mperature of 70 to 8 0 C snake veno m throws down a° °

white fl o cc ulen t precipitate After t he re moval of this sedi me n t .

the solutio n is found in the case of C obra ve n o m to b e quite

or al most as deadly as before boiling Sever al hours boiling .
’
,

however entirely destroys the poiso n ous properties of C obra

,

veno m When heat ed beyon d 1 0 0 C t he t oxic power of all

.
°
.

veno m s is dest royed .

I t will thus be seen how very se n sitive the veno ms of Adders

are t o heat when i n solution and how stro n gly C obra veno m , ,

under si milar conditions resists heat , .

Veno m in a dry condition m ay be heated t o 1 0 0 C or a

, ,
°
.

little over without any alteration in i ts poisonous properties .

I f a blood ves sel b e punctured an d the veno m enters the

circulation direct the e ffect is practically instan t an eous an d
, ,

death occurs within a few m o m ents I found when the veno m s .

o f the Boo mslang and the Cape Cobra were i nj ected direct i nto
the veins of ani mals they were stricke n with death as swiftly as
,

i f shot through the brain I n one i n stance death occurred while

.

the dose was being i n j ected .

However i n cases of snake bite the ve n o m is usu ally deposited

, ,

i n the muscular tissues and is absorbed by the s m all capillary

blood vessels and lym phatics adj acen t t o the bitten part and ,

finds i ts way into the general circulation at a m uch slower rate *

.

The sy mpto ms of sn ake bite vary according to the quant ity

o f veno m absorbed and i ts n ature , .

D r Cal met t e st at es t hat t he venom of t he L achesis genus of

.

snakes which i nhabit Asia an d A m erica when sw allowed sets up

, ,

acut e in fla mm at ion of t he gast ric m ucus m e mb ran e an d t he ,

an i mals speedily succumb to att acks of gast ro in t est inal h aemo r

rh a e
g . For s everal years at int ervals I have fed an im als by
, ,

adm in ist erin g as m uch as fifty ti mes a fat al dose of veno m daily
i n t heir food for several days without any apparen t b ad e ffect ,
.

I have fed rats fowls cats dogs j ac kals mungooses and monkeys
, , , , ,

o n the veno ms o f South African sn akes withou t any sy m pto ms

of poisoning ensuing The Ptyalin of saliva and t he gast ri c an d
.

p an creat ic j uices dest roy t he poisonous propert ies of s n ak e

veno m .

I t is a co mmon practice o f the K a fi rs and Hot ten tots t o

Th e v o l a til e a c id in fr esh s n a k e v en o m c a u ses s m a rti n g in th e w o u n d
a n d h a s t en s t h e a b s o rpti o n o f t h e p o i s o n D ry v en o m is n eutr a l a n d is .

a b s o rb ed m o r e s l o wly w h en di sso lv e d a n d i n j ec t ed .
36 4 TH E SNA KES OF SOUTH AFR I CA .

Dr G u nther says : The degree o f danger depends bu t

.

li ttle on the species of sn ake which has inflicted the wound bu t ,

rather o n the b ulk of the individual o n the quan tity of its po i son , ,

”
on t he te mperature and on the place of the wound .

On the contrary there is a considerable di fference in the

,

poisonous properties o f the veno ms of the di fferen t species O f

snakes The veno m of a Cape Cobra or Ma mba for i nstanc e is
.
, ,

swi ft and sure That of the Pu ff Adder is slow i n co m parison

. .

I n toxic power o ne drop of the veno m of the Cape Cobra Ma mba

, , ,

and Boo mslang is equal to five drops of Puff Adder veno m .

F ayrer B ru nton and several others clai m that Cobra veno m

,

is as poisonous in its action when swallowed as when inj ected

under the ski n .

I have experi mented upon a variety of ani m als including ,

Chac m a B aboons by i ntroducing the veno ms of the various

,

South African snakes i nto their food I n no case were they .

a ffected i n the slightest degree The veno ms of all the typically .

poisonous snakes were used The Cape Cobra and the Pu ff .

Adder being typical representat ives of the Colubrin e and Viperi ne

,

fa milies of snakes their veno ms were selected chiefly for these

,

experi m ents Thirty drops of freshly -drawn Cobra veno m

.

i ntroduced i nto about an ounce of food was given o n several

occasions without any poisonous sy m pto ms supervening .

I f veno m taken in to the sto m achs o f such highly evolved

ani m als as B aboons produces no poisonous effects i t is fairly ,

safe to assu me that i t would act si m il arly i n the he al thy hu man

organis m I n fact this has bee n su fficiently de monstrated by
.
,

the fact that the Bush m e n of t he past ate the ve n o m-poisoned

ra w an d half -raw flesh O f ani m als .

A n Austr alian scientist i n a recen t article o n the Snak es of

,

Australia declares positively that the veno m of the Colubri ne

,

( Cobra ) fa mily of snakes is rendered harmless by the gastric

j uices when swallowed but that Viperi ne ( Adder) veno ms on
, ,

the con trary are no t so destroyed G adow st ates that with the
,
. ,

exceptio n of Cobra ( Colubri ne ) veno m all veno ms are not ab ,

sorbed by the m outh or ali men tary canal unless there be ,

abrasions .

On the contrary Drs C J M artin G L a mb and Weir

,
. . .
, .
,

M i tchell all of who m are recognized authorities o n snake veno m

, ,

declare that all veno m s are destroyed by the gastric and

 VEN OM Is D I G E STED .
36 5

pancreatic j uices So me are acted upo n by the gastric j uices ;

.

others which these j uices have no power t o neutralize are

, ,

rendered har mless by the pancreatic fluids .

V E N OM I s D IGE S TE D .

Snake veno m when swallowed is co m pletely digested by th e

digestive j uices I t has been frequently de m onstrated that the
.

secretio n of the Pancreas known as the pancreatic j uice which

, ,

pours i nto the Duodenu m during the process o f digestion ,

en tirely destroys snake veno m This pancreatic j uice whe n .

,

t aken fro m an ani m al and m ixed with snake poison will c o m ,

pletely destroy its toxic or poisonous properties i f heated to the

norm al te m perature of the body I n fact the veno m is digest ed .
,

and che m icall y changed Careful analysis of the excret a of

.

a ni m als fed with snake poison has failed to show any trace of

veno m therefore i t must have been destroyed by the digest ive

,

j uices or else absorbed i nto t he blood unchanged in which case

, ,

i t would have set u p characteristic sy m pto m s of sn ake veno m

poisoning Very youn g an i m als are n ot i mm un e
. .

I t is however unsafe for hu m an beings to swallow veno m

, , ,

as the digestive organs of the m aj ority i n civilized co mm u nities

are i n anything but a healthy state and i t is quite possible a ,

st ate of c at arrh of the i nner walls Of the sto m ach or i ntestines

m ay exist Then again if the digestive organs b e weak the
.
, , ,

gastric and pancreatic j uices m ay no t be su fficiently abundant

or concentrated to digest the veno m which would pass down ,

i nto the i ntestines and m ay possibly get absorbed i nto the blood
, .

I f the sto m ach be ulcerated or otherwise inflam ed snake ,

veno m is capabl e of finding its way i nto the blood through these
i nfla med surfaces I n this case i t will h ave the sa me effect as
.

if inj ected direct into the blood .

I n m ost cases of serious illness the digestive apparatus is

rendered torpid to a greater or lesser degree This m eans that .

the L iver Pancreas and g astric glands secrete little or no di

, ,

g es ti v e fluid ; consequently if veno m is swallowed at

, such a
ti me i t is either only partially n eutralized or not acted upon
, ,

at all I f i t should pass the sto mach and en ter the s m all
.

i ntest ines without being previously digested by these glandul ar

secretions especi ally the pancreatic j uice it will prob ably be
, ,

sucked up by the tiny mouths known as Villi millions of which ,

36 6 TH E SNA KES OF SOUTH AFR I C A .

lin e the intestine walls I n due ti me i t will fi n d i ts way i nto

.

the blood and cause poisonous sy mpto ms the sa me as if it ,

had been absorbed i n the ordinary way i n cases of snake bite .

This c an be de monstrated by i ntroducing snake veno m direct

i nto the s mall i ntestines of ani mals when i n an e mpty condition ,
.

Cobra veno m i n this way is absorbed and acts more rapidly than
Adder venom .

Adder ven o ms are destroyed by t he digestiv e j uices The .

n eurotoxin s of C obra v en o ms are n o t affect ed unt il they co m e in

cont act wit h t he pancreatic j uice .

FIG I 45 H rml — a ess l ittl G k L i r d f S uth A f i p pul l y u pp d t b h igh l y

e e o z a o o r c a, o ar s o se o e
v mu qu i k ill d wh vr It t i t wh i h
. .

en o o s , an d i n c o n se en c e s e en e e s een ea s n se c s c are a
d u g h t th r f r t b p r t t d ( L if i )
.

B es t to ma n , an o e e o e o e o ec e . e s ze .

A CTI O N OF C OL U B RIN E V EN OM .

Colubri ne ( Cobra family ) ve n o m a cts directly an d speedily

upon t he nervous syste m Vi peri ne veno m i s slower and .
,

O perates both upon the nervous syste m and blood I f a fatal .

dose of Cobra veno m be i nj ected direct i nto a vei n i t i s speedily ,

carri ed to the heart i nstantly stopping the action of that organ

, ,

and causing deat h i n a few m o m ents A dose i nj ected i nto a .

vei n i n the thigh of a dog caused i nst an t death This e ffect .

,

however is only produced when the veno m is i nj ected di rect i n to

,

the veins When Cobra veno m i s i nj ected i nto the tissues as

.
,

i nva ri ably happens i n ordi nary cases of snake bi t e the poison is ,

absorbed less rapi dly an d i nstead O f stoppi n g the heart s acti o n

,
’

i t has a contrary e ffec t sti mulati ng i t i nto i ncreased acti vi ty , .

36 8 TH E SNA KE S OF SOU TH AFRI CA .

stages t his nu mbness exten ds all over t he body an d causes syn cope
an d faint ing fits The vict i m slowly but st eadily s inks int o a
.

profoun d st at e of drows iness an d an irresist ible desi re t o sleep

st eals over h im Pupils of eyes cont ract
. The breat hin g .

beco mes increa s in gl y diffi cult The legs grow n u mb an d li m p

. .

The co ma an d di ffi cult y of breat hin g beco m e m ore profoun d t he ,

pulse st eadily weakens Saliva run s fro m t he m out h t he t ongue

.

and laryn x are paralysed wit h in ab ilit y t o S peak .

Vo m it ing in vol u nt ary e m issions of urine an d f oec al m att er

,

happen an d t he breath ing beco mes m ore diffi cult

’

,
The heart s .

act ion is quickened The pupil of t he eye re m a ins cont ract ed and
.

react s t o light up t o t he l ast m o m en t At len gt h breat hin g ceases .

,

an d t he heart cont inues t o beat aft er respirat ion has ceased This .

all t akes place in fro m on e t o seven hours Shoul d t he pat ient .

survi ve he ret urns rapidly t o co m plet e healt h

,
.

Aft e r deat h t he only outward S i g n of C ob ra poison ing is

discolourat ion aroun d t he sit e of t he fang p unct ures There is .

n o swell ing or ext ens ive subcut an eous h mmo rrh age as is t he ,

case wit h Adder veno m p oison ing .

V I P E R IN E V EN O M .

The veno m of Vip eri ne snakes of whi ch our Pu ff Adder , ,

Horned Adder and Berg Adder are exa m ples di ffers co n si derably
, ,

i n i ts physiologi cal actio n fro m t hat o f the Cobra ( Colubri ne )

fa mily.
The neurotoxi ns or nerve poisons i n i t are not nearly
so potent i n thei r action as is t he c ase wi t h the nerve poi so n s i n
Cobra veno m B ut whereas Cobra veno m causes i ncreased
.
,

act ion of the heart an d consequent i ncreased blood pressure ,

Vi peri ne veno m slows down t he pulsatio n o f the heart and

circulatio n of t he blood This narcotic power o f t he veno m
.

exte nds to the general nervous syste m bri ngi ng about a state of ,

nerve depression m ore or less severe accordi ng to the a mount of

veno m i nj ected .

Cobra veno m acts powerfull y upo n t he nerve centres c o n

t roll i ng the breathi ng functio ns and tends to stop the action of ,

t he lungs Vi peri ne veno m o n t he other hand exerts no speci al

. , ,

e ffect upon t hese nerve centres The n eurot oxin in Viper veno m .

acts on t he vaso -m ot or cent re caus ing a va riation of blood

pressure On th e cont rary th e n eurot ox ins of Cobra ven o m s
. ,

powerfully s t i mulat e t he heart .

 H JEM ORRHA G E I N TO TH E TI SSU ES .
36 9

G EN E R A L T EN D ENC Y OF V I P ERIN E V EN OM .

The tendency of Vi peri n e veno m is to produce a gradual and

general paralysis o f the nerve centres which causes a feeble action
of all the vit al fu n ctio ns I f the dose i nj ected be a fatal one
.
,

this slowi ng -down action progresses steadily but surely un ti l

death t akes place The ve no m Of Viperi ne snakes contains a
.

powerful poiso n known as a fi brin -fer men t causing the blood to

clot. There are a few except ions for inst ance so m e N ort h , ,

A m erican C rotalin ae I f the ve n o m be i nj ected direct i nto a

.

vei n i n su fficient quantity i n reptile m a mm al or m an coagulation

, ,

or clotti ng of the blood t akes place followed at on ce by death

, .

However when the veno m is i nj ected i nto t he m uscul ar

,

tissues as is usually the case i n bites fro m sn akes t he poison i s

, ,

not absorbed wi th su fficien t rapidi ty to cause coagul ation until

after death except in s m all ani m als .

N AT U RE S R E S I S TANCE
’
.

N ature sets up a resistance agai nst all foreig n subst ances

when i ntroduced i nto the body endeavouri ng t o overco m e and
,

cast the m out agai n I n those cases where she fails t he dose
.
,

has been too large or the vi tali ty and m echanis m of the body
,

i s m ore or less i m paired by di sregard o f t he l aws Of hygiene .

The habitual i ndulgence in alcohol is a potent factor in th e

breaki ng dow n of the n atural i nheren t power of the body to
withstand an d overco me any for m of disease or poisoning .

Habitual m oderate dri nkers Of alcoholi c liquors succu mb rapi dly

even to a s mall dose of sn ake veno m— a dose not su fficient t o
produce serious sym pto m s i n a n o n -dri nker Ani m als dosed .

wi th alcohol for a few m onths give n i n regular doses di ed

, ,

rapi dly when i nj ected wi th a s m all dose of snake veno m S howi n g ,

clearly that alcohol destroys t he i nherent vi tal resistance to

snake veno m as me dical science i nfor ms us i t does with all
,

for ms of disease or ordi nary blood -poiso n i ng .

H E MO R RHAGE INT O THE T I S S U E S .

A characteristic action of Vi peri ne veno m i s to cause h ae

mo rrh ag e i nto the tissues i n various parts of the body A toxi c .

property i n t he veno m acts upon t he walls of the capi llary blood

vessels causi ng expansion of their cells or to put i t i n scien tific
, , ,

ter ms , a dissolution of t heir conti nuity Thi s e ffect of the .

2 B
3 70 TH E SN A KES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

veno m upon t he walls of t he bloo d vessels allows t he blood to

ooze through and i nto the tissues causi ng purpli sh blue patches
,

under t he ski n The escape of blood t hrough the walls of the

.

capillaries is always greatest near the s m all arteries owi ng t o

t he i ncreased blood pressure at these places The e ffect of .

Vi peri ne veno m upon the circulat ory syste m see ms to be three

fold— the red corpuscles are in most c ases acted upo n causi ng ,

the m to release their h aemoglobi n or colouri n g m atter an d to ,

di stort and al ter t heir natural shape ; t he ph ago sytes or whi te

blood corpuscles are m ore or less broken u p ; t he cells co mposi ng
the walls of the s m aller blood vessels are caused to expa n d ,

allowing the blood to escape i nto the surrou n di ng tissues

'

E FFECT S OF V I P ERINE V EN OM .

I n Vi peri ne poisoni ng such as i s occasioned by the bite of the

,

Puff Adder t h ere i s always grave da n ger of deat h superveni ng

,

fro m gan g rene or extensive suppuration owi ng to t he h mmo rrh age ,

i nto the tissues i n vari ous parts of t he body Death may occur .

fro m t hese causes a week or m ore after the i n fli ction of the bite .

The h ae m orrhage or extravasation Of blood i nto the tissues occurs

m ore or less extensively i n patches causi n g bluish -black di s ,

colouration There i s also oozi ng of blood fro m t he mucous

.

surfaces of the m outh lungs bowels kidneys bladder and

, , , ,

sto m ach ; and so meti mes su ffusion of blood i nto the br ai n

tissues I f thi s latter should t ake place death follows at o nce
. .

I have many ti mes exami n ed n atives wi th large cavi ties i n

t he calves of their legs due to t he sloughi ng away of the flesh
,

aroun d the si te of the bi te of a Pu ff Adder Other cases have .

co me u nder my Observation where t he flesh sloughed to a cert ai n

extent around t he part bitten t hen healed o nly to break ou t
, ,

agai n later and discharg e a quantity of m atter and re m ai n i n a ,

suppurati ng co ndi tion for a m onth or two and fin ally heal Thi s , .

suppuration an d subsequen t healing of the wound occurred at

i ntervals i n one case extendi ng over a period of t hree years I n
, .

t his l atter case m ost o f t he calf of the m an s leg had sloughed ’

away Y et he eventually recovered N ow an d t hen men an d

. .

do m estic an i m als aft er recovery fro m Adder veno m poisonin g

perm anen tly lo s e t heir senses of sight hearing an d s mell This , , .

has n ever been kn own t o occur when a nt i -ven o m ous s erum has
been freely u sed .
 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

S Y M P T OM S OF V I P ERI N E V EN OM P O I S ON ING .

The sy m pto m s of Vi peri ne poisoni ng are as follows

I ntense but not prolonged s m arting discolouration and swelling , ,

at the si te of the fang punctures Wi thi n twenty mi nutes the .

veno m begi ns to bring about consti tutional sy mpto m s such as

gi ddi ness and irregul ar fluctuati ng pulse The s ki n grows cold
, .

an d cla m m y the pupils of the eyes are dilated followed by i ntense

, ,

n ausea and vo m iti ng often acco mpanied with evacuations fro m

,

t he bowels I f death fails to t ake place withi n twelve hours the

.
,

swelli ng beco mes m ore extensive I f the bite be on the lower .

part of the leg the swelli ng gradually extends upwards and i n to

,

the body At the sa me ti me h mmo rrh age fro m t he walls Of the

.

capillary blood vessels t akes pl ace causi ng purple patches m ore , ,

o r less large to appear i n vari ous parts O f the body

,
Oozi ng of .

blood fro m t he m out h lini ng m e m brane of st om ach bowels

, , ,

bl adder and eyes occur

, .

The swellin g is progressive an d ext en ds up in t o t he body ,

.

There is int ense t hirst an d great dryn ess of t he m out h an d t hroat .

Pupil of eye dilat es The breathing beco mes diffi cult t hen
.
,

st ert orous wit h loss of consciousn ess an d deat h The heart c o n

, .

t in u es t o beat for t en or fifteen m in ut es after breat hing ceases .

H o w To C O L LECT S NAKE V EN OM .

One of t he best ways t o collect qui te pure Cobra veno m for

purposes o f experi ment ation and che m ical analysis is to procure
a larg e and strong watch -glass as convex as possible Obtai n a ,
.

piece of sheet rubber o r t hi n glazed clot h pre ferably t he latter ,

.

Stretch thi s loosely over t he rim of t he concave side of the

watch glass bu nch i t up and tie i t at t he centre of the convex
-
,

s ide
. Hold t he live snake by t he neck t he forefinger of the ,

right hand ( unless you are left -han ded ) roun d i ts throat an d the ,

thu mb pressed firmly on the back of i ts neck j ust behi nd the head ,
.

Sei ze the t ail fir mly i n the left hand I f the watch -glass can be .

fitted i nto so me fixture all the better and safer Faili ng this an
,
.
,

a ssistant holds i t wi th his fingers and presses its edge against

the fro n t O f the lower jaw o f t he snake The reptile i nstantly .

bi tes i ts fangs penet rate the s tretched rubber or cloth and

, ,

the ve n o m i s di scharged o n the c o ncave side o f the glass I f .

i t S hould S how a desire to gri p firm ly and hold on quick ly ,

HOW TO CO LL ECT SNA K E VENOM .
3 73
3 74 TH E SNA KES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

t ransfer t he t ail o f the snake to t he free fin g ers of the right

hand Then wi t h two fingers o f t he left hand gentl y but
.
, ,

firmly press each si de of t he head behi nd the eyes worki n g

, ,

your fi n g er-tips forward I n t his way you will succeed i n press .

i ng out most of the veno m re maini ng i n the glands Put the .

s nake away and repeat the process i n a da y or two Re m ove

,
.

t he rubber fro m the watch -glass and allow the veno m to dry on
the glas s by pl aci ng i t i n a current of air or i n so m e warm dry , ,

place Use t he sa me glass repeatedly until su fficien t veno m has

.

been collected t o m ake i t worth while to transfer i t t o a bottle

wi th a good tight cork Before putting t he veno m i nto the .

bot tle be sure that i t i s perfectly dry else i t will deco mpose and
, ,

lose i ts poisonous properties I t m ay be v ery e ffectually dried .

i n a desiccator over calciu m ch lori de I t dries rapidly at 1 6 to

°
.

°
2 0 C S t ore it in a dark place as whit e light reduces t he poisonous
.

properties of veno m Just previous t o transferri ng the dr y veno m .

t o a bot tle for storage i t would be advisable t o dry ( desiccate ) i t ,

over calciu m chloride However i n South Africa I h ave sel do m .

,

had occas ion to use calciu m chloride The air dries the veno m .

rapidly Then i f the stopper of the bottle is a good o ne

.
, ,

the veno m will keep dr y i ndefini tel y Wi t h Puff Adders .

and m ost other Vi pers a claret or w i ne -glass i s bet ter than a ,

watch -gl ass owi ng to the long fangs renderi ng i t m ore or less
,

diffi cult to O perate with so shallow a receptacle as a watch —glass .

Moreover i t is m uch safer

, .

A nother method which was e m ployed i n I ndia by D r W , . .

Hanna M A M B i s e xpl ai ned as follows — Havi ng shaken

, . .
, . .
,

or pulled the snake be i t C obra or Vi per out Of the box , ,

to the ground he allows i t to m ake Off and followi ng he grasps

, , ,

i ts t ail wi th his left hand and elevates i t so that t he snake is ,

unable to turn upon h im — it si mply hisses lou dly .

He allows i t t o steady i ts head o n t he ground and while so ,

doi ng he gentl y but fir mly places a strong S lender stick across i ts

,

neck pi nni ng i ts head down He now lowers h is left hand

, .

and places the t ail u nder his n aked left foot and wi th the ,

left hand grasps the neck fir mly close to t he head t he sti ck , ,

keepi ng the head steady until he has acco m pli shed his object .

By t a king the t ail i n hi s right hand he has now co m plete control

of the snake His first O bj ect is to t ake the poiso n fro m the
.

sn ake A fter w ashi ng the m outh ( i f mucus or dirt be present )

.
3 76 THE S NA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

ge ntl y and gradually wi t h the thu mb and forefinger of his righ t ,

hand The poiso n i s forced along the ducts and issues fro m the
.
,

m outh i n drops ; these are recei ved i n to a clean watch -glass

held underneath .

I f a snake is freshl y killed t he gl ands m ay be dissected o u t ,

and the duct tied Unless thi s O peration i s carefully and g ently
.

perfor med n early all t he veno m will be squeezed out and lost
, .

I t i s better to re m ove the S ki n fro m t he nose raise the poison ,

duets wi th the tip of a penkni fe ti e the m wi th fine thread and , ,

then proceed to re move the g lan ds I f the poison ducts be tied .

i n t his m an ner li ttle or no veno m will be lost

, .

I f the glands are quickly dried and stored i n a well -corke d

bottle the dry veno m wi t h which t hey are charged will re m ai n
,

acti ve i ndefini tely l .

at

The quanti ty o f veno m collected at one ti me fro m a freshly

caught adult Cape Cobra varies fro m si x to ten drops— so me
ti mes a li ttle m ore When the weather i s moist and war m t he
.
,

glands secret e veno m rapidly A snake whi ch has been kept .

,

i n capti vi ty eve n for only a few days and whi ch has been han dled
,

freely will not give nearly so m uch veno m as one freshly cau g ht
,

unless it is an gered by rough han dling .

The reason is the former is i n a fierce st ate of anger and fear

,
.

This con di tion i s exceedi n gly favourable for t he rapi d secretion

and ej ection of veno m S nakes whe n O fte n handled beco m e .
, ,

i ncreasi ngly passi ve even refusi n g to bite under the str o ngest
,

provocation I have frequentl y wi th finger and thu mb opened

.
, ,

t he j aws of snakes and placed t he m over the rim of the rubber

c o vered glass but they persistently refused to bite The only
,
.

t hi ng to do i n these cases is to elevate t he fangs wit h a bi t O f

poi n ted wood and co m press the head and m ani pul ate the poison
gl ands Mechanical pressure o f t he g lands i s not nearly so
.

successful i n expelli ng the veno m as the natural action O f the

M asseter muscle fibres which wri ng the glands when the snake ,

desi res t o bi te I n very l arge freshly caught Cobras as m uch as

.
,

fiftee n drops of veno m may be colle cted withi n ten minutes by

allowi ng the reptile to ret ai n i ts hol d meanwhile i rri tating i t ,

now and the n by rubbi ng i ts nose wi th a bit of blunt stick Dr . .

Han n a mentions havi ng obt ai ned as much as twent y -eight drops

I t is b t t n ip O ff th du c t s
es o s e and pr e t h v n m
ss e e o out i nto a watc h
gl a ss , g ntly qu e zi ng t h e gl nd fr
e s e a o m t h e b as f rw rd e o a s .
 H OW TO CO LL ECT SNA K E VEN OM .
3 77

of ve no m fro m a fresh I ndian Cobra I n captivi ty he found .

the sa m e species of snakes only yielded fro m five to ten drops .

I was holdi ng an average -sized Pu ff Adder by the neck on m y

t able when wi th an u nexpected tug i t j erked i ts head free and
, ,

ai med a blow at my left han d whi ch I succeeded i n j erking away

i n ti m e The snake s head struck t he t able wi th a loud thu m p
.
’

and a quan tit y of veno m was ej ected upo n the glossy A merican
leather cover I collected eight drops and calculated that two
.

or t hree m ore drops re m ai ned whi ch could not be re moved fro m

t he cloth The average qua n ti ty of ve n o m obtai ned fro m a
.

l arge freshly caught Puff A dder is about ten drops by allowing

i t to discharge ve n o m volunt arily and by squeezi ng the glands
wi th the fingers Pu ff Adders after bei ng kept i n captivi ty for
.
,

two or three m onths yi eld an average O f four or fi v e drops O f ,

veno m So m eti m es onl y a drop or two can be obtai n ed I

. .

have noticed that when a snake m akes a full bi te o n a li vi ng

ani mal usually n o poison oozes out of the punctures The
, .

reason is t hat the ve n o m i s drive n i nto the tissues wi th great

force and at the sa m e ti m e the pu nctures are plugged by the
,

fangs consequently the veno m spreads out i nto th e tissues

,

around the wounds This bei ng so i t is desirable i f a n atte m pt

.
, ,

is being m ade to suck out t he poiso n by m outh suction t hat the ,

flesh be previously well sc arifi ed over the site of t he punctures .

Of course while t he kni fe is bei ng got ready the punctures

, ,

S hould be sucked m eanwhile as thi s retards the absorbi ng power ,

of the capillary blood vessels an d lym phatics which lie i n a ,

thick n etwork u nder t he S ki n an d am ong the m uscles .

Snake veno m is slightl y acid So m eti m es i t is found t o be .

more or less alkali ne T h is is due to admixture wi th the secre

.

tions of the m outh Cobra veno m i s i ntensely bit ter Vi per

. .

veno m is m ore or less t asteless The specific gravi ty of Cobra .

veno m accordi ng to Marti n averages

, that of t he Daboi a ,

( I ndi an Adder) 1 0 7 7 The a mount of solids contai ned i n these

, .

two veno ms corresponded wi th the specific gravity— the per

centage of solids i n Cobra veno m averaged and i n the poison
of the D aboi a 2 4 4 C J Marti n states that the vari ations are
. . .

considerable i n the case of the Cobra bei ng fro m 2 3 to 3 8 per cent , .

Pure ve n o m when exa mi ned m icroscopically reveals nothi ng

, , .

I f i t be conta m i nated with the fluids of the snake s m outh ’

salivary corpu scles bacteria and epithelial cells are seen

, , .
3 78 TH E SNA KES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

Veno m ma y be ext ract ed fro m a snake on ce fo rt nightly in

t he int ervals of feed ing an d m oultin g Veno m will keep ih .

defin it ely if m ixed in equal part s wit h pure glycer in I t cracks in .

all directions when dried an d aft er scrap in g it t oget her it presents

,

t he appearan ce Of ye llow sugar or gran ules an d flakes of g um .

E F FECT OF TH E V EN OM OF ONE S NAKE UPO N THER S NAKE S

O .

The veno m of the Puff A dder apparently has n o poisonous

e ffect upon those of its o w n species u nless inj ect ed in large doses .

Of fifteen Pu ff Adders in oculat ed wit h vary in g doses of from

four t o eight drops of t heir o wn veno m only t wo died S ubse .

quent experim ent s showed t hat t hese snakes varied in t heir

degree of resist an ce t o veno m Five -drop doses of N ight A dder
.

( Ca usus) veno m produced n o poison ous sy m pt o ms .

Five drops of ven o m were t aken fro m a Pu ff A dder ; si x fro m

a n ot her ; seven fro m a t hird The ven o m was in j ect ed in t o t he
.

snakes fro m which it was t aken All rem ain ed un affect ed The
. .

experi m ent was repeat ed ; on e which received five drops of its

o wn ven o m died in six days an d a s econ d which had eight
, ,

drops died on t he fift h day Six m ore were t est ed— o n e died
, . .

Pu ff Adders occasionally di e when bitte n by snakes of other

species such as the Cobra R i nghals Ma mba and Boo mslang
, ,
.

Extre me i nternal h aemorrhage occurred in two bi tten by a

Boo m slang s However i t i s only n ow and t hen t hat Pu ff Adders
,

di e when bitte n by other veno mous snakes I h ave several .

ti m es i nj ected Puff Adders wi th Cape Cobra veno m and i n other ,

cases a llowed the reptile to i nflict a full bite i n t he t ail region I .

have inj ected five drops at a ti me under t he ski n of a Pu ff Adder

wi thout poisonous e ffect Thi s m eans t hat i n t hese cases the Puff
.

Adders wi thstood enough Cobra veno m to kill t hree or four men .

I t will thus be seen that t he ve no m of the Pu ff Adder is n o t

poisonous to itself o r_those of its o wn species or even i f one be ,

allowed to bi te itsel f or i f i ts veno m be collected and i nj ected

,

hypoder m ically i nto i t unless t he dosage is co m parat ively heavy .

Thi s would see m to i ndicate that the blood of a Pu ff Adder

should be an antidote t o i ts own veno m and others of i ts ,

S pecies . Strange t o say t his is not so Collecti ng the veno m.

fro m a Pu ff Adder I measured out three drops and ki lling t he ,

snake I took half an ounce O f i ts blood and mixed the three

,

drops of veno m wi th i t and allowed i t to st and fi v e m i nutes .

380 TH E SNA KES OF SO U TH AFRI CA .

o ne with i ts o w n veno m I n none of these cases di d any poisonous

.

sy m pto ms follow I also allowed Pu ff Adders Boo msl angs an d

.
, ,

Night Adders to bite Ringhals snakes i n the t ail regi on but in ,

no case did a n y o f the m see m the worse .

Bei ng de si rous of knowi ng i f the veno m of t he Ri nghals would

have any p o isonou s e ffect upon non -veno mous snakes I made one
b ite a M o le snake several ti m es drawi ng blood The Ringhals was
,
.

a l arge speci men of the bl ack variety N o bad e ffects followed .

,

although I kept th e Mole snake for several m onths afterwards

. .

I once also caused a Pu ff Adder to bite a Cape Cobra i n the

tail re gi on I t gave two full bi tes dri ving i ts fangs deep i nto
.
,

the flesh Care w as t aken that the bi te should be i n t he m uscles

.

between the ve nt and the ti p of the t ail as so meti m es the m ec h an i ,

c a l i nj ur y o f the large fangs O f a Puff Adder wi ll cause death i f ,

t he bite should be over the parts containi ng the vit al organs .

The bitten snake died the following day On two subsequen t .

occasi ons I diluted eight drops of Pu ff Adder veno m w i th a little

pure water Di vi di ng this m ixture i nto portions I i nj ected it
.

under the S ki n of two Cape Cobras each four feet i n length , .

The Cobras showed no sy m pto ms of poisoni ng an d conti nued t o

re mai n i n thei r nor m al condi tion duri ng the six weeks t hey were
under O bservati on .

NO N-V E N OMO U S S NA K E S .

The experi me nts on non -veno m ous Mole snakes w ere so m e

what c o ntradictory Two adul t Cape Cobras bi t tw o Mol e
.

snakes each fo ur feet i n length

, The bi tes were full ones
.
,

bei ng i n the mu s cles o f t he t ail region on s pots fro m whi ch the

scales had been re m oved The Mole snakes did not develop any
.

s y m pt o m s of poisoning .

Taking two more adult M o le snakes I allo w ed large yellow

Cape C o bra s to bite the m e ffe ctually i n the tail region I t hen .

m ade two s mall i ncisi o ns and i ntroduced so m e Cobra veno m on

th e poi nt o f a penkni fe The M o le snakes died withi n fifteen
.

h o urs One d ied i n t welve h o urs and the other i n fourteen

.

h o ur s Careful dissecti o n s howed n o t races o f h ae m orrhage

. .

Many other expe ri ment s fo llowed whi ch showed that so m eti m es

M o l e snak e s died a fter bei ng bi tten but more usually the y
.
,

exhibited n o sy m pt o ms o f poi s oning Si x drops of C obra or .

Pu ff A dd e r v en o m w a s usually fat al t o M ole sn a kes .

 N ON -VENOMOUS SN A K ES .
38 1

The veno m of t he Cape Cobra is us u ally fat al to s m all snakes

of t he non -veno m ous S pecies Frogs di e al m ost i nst antly
. .

Toads linger a lo n g ti me and often m ake a co m plete recovery .

S c h a apstekers die in ab out fift een m in ut es when b itt en by

Cobras an d Boo m slangs .

Six drops of Puff Adder veno m were inj ect ed i nto a l arge Mole
snake four feet six i nches lo n g The i nj ection was m ade i n the
, .

middle part of the back under the ski n The Mole snake survived.

three days and di ed Another lived n i ne days I f a large dose

. .

( Six drops ) is i nj ected right i nto t he abdo m i nal cavi ty i t is in ,

vari ably fatal wit hin t welve hours .

A Mole sn ake was also bit ten by a vari egated variety O f Boo m
slang i n the muscles of the back a few i nches above the tail on ,

a S pot fro m which the scales had been scraped O ff The Boo m .

sl ang was allo wed to hold o n for three or four m inutes an d worry
t he flesh The veno m S hed on t he ski n was t hen scraped up and
.

r ubbed i nto a cut in t he back of t he Mole sn ake NO poisonous .

e ffects followed .

Five drops of veno m were t aken from an adult Pu ff A dder

an d in j ect ed un der t he skin of t he sa m e rept ile It grew ih .

c rea sin gly sluggish a n d died on t he sixt h day

,
.

A Berg A dder (B itis atrop os) was forced t o bit e a N ight Adder
( C a u s u s rh ombea tu s
) The fangs
. were driven well ho m e in t he
m uscles in t he t ail region The Berg Adder was n on e t he worse
.

for t he bit e .

A_Pu ff Adder which was int roduced int o a cage cont ain in g
M ole snakes bit on e of t he latt er The vict i m died t he followin g
.

day The body w as very m uch swollen ; blood oo z ed fro m t he

.

vent an d t he m out h An in t ern al exam in at ion S howed t hat t he

.

blood had oo z ed in considerable q u an tityin to t he abdo m in al cavit y .

A R inghals bit an ot her in on e of our sn ake cages an d held

on t ight worrying t he flesh of its vict i m for fifteen m in ut es NO
,
.

s ympto m s of poison ing followed The vict im lived for m any .

m ont hs aft erwards .

These an d subsequ ent experi m ents have sho w n t hat alt hough
veno mous an d non -venom ous sn akes a re resist an t in varyin g
degrees t o snake ven o m they will all die if a su fficiently large
,

dose is in j ect ed an d t hat alt hou gh som e snakes are resist ant t o
, ,

t heir o wn venom t o a great er or less ext ent yet an except ion ally ,

large dose of t heir o wn poison W ill prove let hal .

 C H A PTE R X I I .

TH E S CI ENTI F IC T REATMENT OF S NAKE B ITE .

P ERMANGAN ATE OF P OTA S H— R E S U LT S O F EX P ERIMENT S

TH E S ER U M T R E ATMENT .

EX P E R IMENT S by Doctors Brunton F ayrer Rogers Marti n . , , ,

L a mb Richards L acerda and other e minen t authori ties show

, , ,

that perchloride of platinu m chloride of gold and perm angan at e , ,

of potash are all che mical antidotes to the veno m of snakes .

I t was found that i f any one of these three salts was mixed wi th
an equal weight O f veno m i t inst antly neutra li z ed i t Perm an .

g an a te of potash being the cheapest and easiest to apply was

selected carefully tested and found to have the power of i mm e
, ,

dia tely destroying the toxic properties Of snake veno m I t was .

fou nd to be equally e ffective wi th the veno m of a great nu mber

of veno mous snakes— in fact all ki nds of veno m By ex peri .

m entation I have found i t kills t he poisonous properties o f the

v e no m of all South African snakes and that of veno m ous i nsect s , .

The pot ash was m ixed i n equ al proportio ns wit h various snak e
veno ms and inj ec ted direct i nto the veins and tissues o f ani m als ,

and no sy m pto ms of poisoning followed This has been tested .

on various S pecies of ani m als by m any other experi menters

I n the work o n the Poison O f Veno mous Snakes by ,

Doctors Brunton Rogers and F ayrer there is the following

, , ,

in teresting account o f so me experi m ents by Dr V Richards . .

I n the winter O f 1 8 8 1 a nu mber of experi ments were made

by Dr Vincen t Richards who found like the previous experi
.
, ,

m ent e rs that Cobra veno m was co mpletely destroyed by per

,

m angan ate o f potash when m ixed wi th i t i n v itrO S O th a t death ,

did n ot fo llow the inj ection of the m ixture eit her hypoder mic ally
or into a v ei n He found also that when Cobra poison was
.

inj ected int o a do g and the i nj ection m ade either i mmediately

A o nep r nt luti n
e ce . so o Of p r m ng n t e
e a a a o f pot a sh o r ch o l rid e Of g ld
o
w ill n utr l i z
e n k v n m
a e s a e e o .
3 84 TH E SNA K ES O F SOU TH AFR I CA .

o n received an average of five to ten ordinary fat al doses at a

S ingle inj ection yet they recovered ,
.

I n experi ments which I conducted the results were more ,

or less si milar to the above I found that i n all cases when .

sy mpto ms o f poisoning had started the local application of ,

per m anganate was O f no use a fatal dose of veno m having ,

evidently got i nto the circulation before the application of the

permanganate * .

V ARI O U S EX P ERIMENT S .

Mr Ja mes Willi a ms a te m porary assistan t at the Port

.
,

Elizabeth Museu m captured a full-sized Berg Adder ( B itis

,

a trop os
) and brought it to me I n carelessly handling i t t he .

snake succeeded i n i mbedding i ts fangs i n the ball of his fore

finger and gripped wi th great tenacity and power He tore i t
, .

away and i n doing so the fangs slit the flesh leaving a spurt of
, ,

veno m along the slit I t was eviden t a st ron g dose o f veno m had
.

been inj ected for the pain was very intense and t he wounds
, ,

began to grow congested al most i mmediately Withi n five .

minutes I had ligatured the wound an d inj ected a solution Of

perma n g a n a te o f potash into and around t he punctures I then
'

s c arifi ed the wounds and forced as m uch blood ou t as possible ,

and i n half an hour s ti me I re moved the ligature The arm

’
.

swelled so mewhat the glands under the ar mpit were tender and
,

swollen and there was slight constitutional disturbance Within

, .

two days all sy mpto ms o f poisoning had subsided and the m an ,

w as qui te well .

On another occasion he and I were artificially feeding so me

Pu ff Adders when one go t partly loose and m ade a drive at h is
hand i mbedding on e o f i ts long fangs i n the ball of his thu mb
, .

Wi thi n two m inutes I sc arifi ed the wound and rubbed in per

manganate crystals A ligature was applied an d as m uch blood
.
,

as possible forced out of the wound by m ani pulating the thu mb .

Willia m s then sucked the wound for five m i nutes and I re moved ,

the l i gature The sy mpto m s of poisoning which followed were

.

slight I hav e been partially bit ten several t i m es an d h a ve

.
,

als o applied ven o m t o wounds an d t he pro mpt applicat ion of ,

per m an ganat e o f pot ash has i n every ca s e proved e ffect ive .

A fr h es so luti n f h yp h l rit f li m
o o oc o e o e is r ec o mm en d e d by D r Ca l
.

m tt
e eThi. s is no t pr ti l f t h l y m n
ac ca o r e a a and it n e c es s it t a es w t
as e o f
pr i u ti m
,

ec o s e .
 VA RI OU S E X PE RI M ENTS .
3 85

I t is quite unnecessary to m entio n m y various experi men ts

in exten so I found that when per m anganate of potash was
.

i mmediately rubbed i nto free incisions m ade over the S ite o f

the i nj ection of snake veno m or the direc t bites of veno m ous
,

snakes recovery frequently took place when higher ani m als

,

were experi mented on Success was in proportion to the quantity

.

o f poison inj ected the ti m e which had elap sed between the appli
,

cation O f the re medy and the ti m e of the inj ection of the veno m .

I f the potash was applied five m inutes or m ore after the inj ect ion
of veno m i t was unsuccessful and death always occurred I n
, ,
.

every case ani m als S howed absolutely no S igns Of poisoning

when I inj ect ed a mixture of veno m and per manganat e I n m any .

instances I mixed fifty t i m es a fatal dose of Cobra veno m wit h a

little perm angan ate and inj ected i t without any poisonous e ffect .

The perm anganate of potash was found to be useless i n the

case of highly susceptible ani m als such as fowls and rabbits ,

these creatures O ften dying within five m inutes after t he entry

of the veno m into their tissues On experi m entation I foun d
.

that fowls and rabbits died rapidly i f even a very s m all dose
of veno m was inj ected i nto the m— a dose no t nearly su fficien t
to c ause death i n higher ani m als They were particularly .

susceptible to Cobra Ringhals and Boo mslang veno m u su allv

, , ,

dying within ten m i nut es so m et i mes inst antly

—
I t w as .

apparen t that when these ani m als were bi tten enough veno m ,

was at once t aken up into the blood vessels to c ause death hence ,

the reason the potash did not avert a fatal issue .

This can be better realized when i t is learned that a Cobra

is able to inj ect a hundred or more fat al doses i nto a s mall
ani m al at a single full bite I n experi m en ts on Vervet m onkeys
.

and half-grown B aboons with Cape Cobras I found that i f a full

bite was inflicted it was useless ligaturing and applying per m an
,

g an a te to the sc a rifi ed wounds The reason was that su fficien t

.

veno m got absorbed to cause death before it was possible to apply

any treat m en t for the purpose of retarding the absorptio n of the
veno m or destroying i t i n the wound A full bi te is understood
, .

to m ean when the snake grips like a dog and holds on for a few
seconds .

Judging fro m these experi men ts it is reasonable to conclude

,

that if a person be bitten by a veno mous snake and i f he rubs ,

p er m angan ate of potash in to incisions m ade over the S ite of the

2 0
3 86 TH E SNA K ES OF SOU TH A FRI CA .

punctures and a ligature applied wi thin five minutes of the in

fl ic tio n of the bite and i f proper secondary treat men t i s ca rried
,

out he would i n most i nstances recover I t must be re me mbered

, , ,
.
,

however that so m e people die of blood -poisoning even if an

,

exceedingly s m all quan tity o f veno m should en ter their bodies ,

particularly i f they are of i nte mperate habits .

C O UT Y AND L ACER D A .

Drs Couty and L acerda carried out a series of experi ments

.

wi th permanganate of potash and sn ake veno m and found that ,

this sal t not only destroyed the poisonous properties of the

veno m when m ixed wi th it but also proved an antidote when a ,

one per cent solutio n was i nj ected in to the tissues at t he site

.

of the i nj ection of the sn ake veno m .

They also found that when both per mangan ate and veno m
were separately i nj ected i nto a vein no sym pto ms of poisoning ,

followed ; but i f the veno m got a st art and had already pro
du c ed sy m pto m s of poisoning the i nj ectio n of perm anganate
i n to a vein had no curative effect The sa m e resul t occu rred .

when veno m w as i nj ected in to the tissues and the salt i nj ected

after sy mpto ms of poisoning h ad begun to m ani fest D r . .

Vincen t Richards experi m ents and those of Drs F ayrer B ru nton

’

.
, ,

and m any others bear out the findings of Couty and L acerda .

However i t has recently been shown that the i nj ectio n o f

,

solutions O f per m anganate Of potash direct i nto the vei ns may

cause serious har m i f no t death therefore i nj ections o f this sal t ,

direc t i nto the b lo od -strea m shoul d never be at te mpt ed .

Tw o I M P O RTANT F ACT S .

Tw o very i m portan t facts to be re m e mbered are per m an :

g a n a te i f S wallowed has no e ffect upon snake veno m which
, ,

has g o t in to the blood except t hat i t causes a fl o w of watery

,

subst ance into t hat organ an d any veno m carried wit h t his liquid
is ren d ered in ert by t he digest ive j uices I f inj ected or rubbed .

i n t o the t issues at the site of the wound ten or m ore m inutes

after the i nflicti o n o f the bi te i t is o f little or no use as an ,

an tid o te al th o ugh it i s u s eful i n caut eri zing an d disi nfecting t he

,

bitt en part .

PO W E R OF P E RMANGA N AT E OF P O TA S H .

A large Cobra Ringhals Ma mba or Puff Adder is capabl e

, , ,
 —
e 3

.
S I
i
F I GI A4 o i r Ah wi g r t d il g l d
.
—f h .
h u m k i h ig
ec t o n o
h l y m g ifi d
t e an s n a n e .

an
p k g d i i
I ts an o
h
r a s o n
w t oo
l T r m ll f
.

t t h d h e en e e a re o ns o
h w mg t h a
.

e s ea an
f h
.

O f h ne o t e o es o t e s in s o
2
th p i d r h i ki ut r ki i wh i h th r
.

e se I n t e s n .

rv b l d v l It i m d e e a re n o n e es o r oo ess e s . s a e

3 Th E m e s or o e s n n c

f i y ik
e
.

l pig il o l l yt
rn ll kisc a e -
w h i h l i l
e ce
y r f
s .

ll t i i g l ur i g m tt r a e o ce s con a n n co o n a e
4 Th M h f s n on c es a

pig m t i l ur d f lk h i i wh hd p i g m t l i h
e a an a e o
.

t e en es
t s s e re .

o
i i g b b d ki
e

Th rv f
o r
t h wen
h
.

ul un co o
j u t u r n t e o s en s n e t e s n .

Th D r m i u d r k i w h i h full t i y bl d v l b rb t l y p t i
sens a on s o
e ne es o
f
,
d m 15
h o n oo e ss e s a n a so en a c
n c
v l Th u k p k v m wh i t i i j dt dh h
( 1 e e s o r n e s ,
n ec e
.

en s
y f y i d i i i full f m ll b l d
e en o
L r t ll w u r r w l
.

esse s es e s c u sn a
m s o s a oo
.

D c a so
f o h h li a t h ce s c e n e t e e s, an

vu l l d fll y m pwh i i l i b
7 . a e

8M d
ess e s a n
h h h
s c e o r re
h h es
ki d hci
a t cs
w h l i full f b l
.

es d v e nea t l d
t e s n , an c a so s o oo esse s a n

ll y md pvh ti l l y p h t i wh i h di vid d b -divid Th l tt r u k p k

a cs .

su e e a e s c u sna e
B oo e ss e s a n d m a cs c e an .

9 .

U Th e a n f g f k o a sna e.
. I
2 Th e E
.

.
pid r mi ut r
e ki
u d r ki D rm i d l y r f f tty ll T h i i t mi g wi th ti y bl d v l
s or o e s n .

a ce s s s ee n n oo esse s
3 Th e n
n or e s an a e o .

e s
d ly mp h i h l
.

at c c an n e s.

4 . Th m uan
e l d
T h ti y d t h w wh r h fl h b
sc e s o r re t h h ki
k v m i u u ll y l dg d wh t k d ri vi tiht
es enea t e s n .

en o s s a o e en a s n a e es s
t
f f i i di h rg d i p d e sn a e
5 . e se
m T h
n
r t o s s
h h h h v o
m i ue e
tw w t e eno s sc a e ca ses o s re a n e

ti u h i i ify i pu tur fr l y
c
h an gs
h r o e.
why
en ce
t t e t e
l t r
o
h
e as o n
ce
t f th i s esse n a o sc a t e s e o e nc es ee

b f r russ
bbi
e o g es .
i
e p m h g n f p t
n
h er n a n a tc o o as .

388
 A FACT TO B E REM EM BE RED .
389

When veno m was inj ected direc t in to t he veins o f ani mals ,

death always took place within a few m inutes The ani m al .

would often drop dead i mm ediately after the inj ection However .
,

i f the sam e quantity was inj ected i nto the muscles or under
t he sk in death did no t usually occur for hours so m eti mes days
,
'

, .

These experi m ents wou ld see m to show the veno m is no t all

i nstan tly absorbed as so m e writers so positively assert
, .

The experi ments of Doctor Brunton and other e m inen t m en

have also de monstrated this to be a fact for i t was foun d that ,

the ani mals often recovered if the seat of the inj ectio n of veno m
w as sc arifi ed and per m anganate of potash applied within five
and occas ionally ten m inutes after the inj ection of the veno m .

A F ACT TO B E R EMEM B E RE D .

I t must be distinctly understood that perm anganat e of potash

is no t an antidote I t is of the n ature of a Firs t Aid Treat
.

m ent . I t will destroy any veno m i t actually co m es i n cont ac t

with i f rubbed i nto i ncisions m ade over t he site of t he b ite .

I t is absolutely useless unless applied i mmediately after the bite .

I f the sn ake s fangs happen to penetrate a vein and the veno m

’

be discharged therein the poison is i nstantly c arried i nto the

,

general circul ation and local applications of per m angan at e o f

,

potash would be valueless This per m anganat e salt should.

always be carried so as to be available for fi rst aid treat m en t

,
.

Bu t anti -veno m ous se ru m should be l n t he ho m e of every farm er ,

so that a cure m a y be available The per m anganate of potash .

should no t be relied on too m uch I t is practically useless as a .

treat m ent for snake bite i n do m estic ani m als for i t is seldo m ,

an ani m al is seen to be bitten The fi rs t indication which causes

.

suspicion of sn ake bite is local swelling tre m bling and ex h au s , ,

tion I f seru m be at hand and the ani m al inj ected freely wi th

.

i t its life would be saved even m any hours after the i nfl iction
, ,

of the bite Unless of course the da m age done to the nerve

.
, ,

centres an d blood is too great to m ake recovery possible .

I n scarifying t he site of the bite the incisio ns should be m ade

freely because the veno m is inj ected so forcibly that i t often
, ,

spreads out under the skin for about hal f an inch arou nd the
s ite of th e fang punctures Then again a snake may w h e n
. , ,
3 90 THE SNA K ES O F SOUTH AFRI CA .

biting drag the loose skin of the bitte n part so m uch that m ost
,

o f the veno m will be shed perhaps half an i nch fro m the site
of the punctures So to guard against these eventualities b e
.
, ,

careful always to scari fy freely so that the perm angan ate will
co me i n to contact with as m uch of t he veno m as possible .

TH E S E R U M T R E ATM E NT F OR S NAKE B ITE . R E S U LT S or

S CIENTI FIC EX P ERIMENTATI O N .

Fa iling to fi nd any ant idot e to snake bite a mongst known

medic ines either veget able or m i neral men of science began
, ,

i nvestigations in another direction Quite independen t of each .

o ther Doctors F ayrer and Cal mett e conducted a series of experi

,

m ents with snake veno m .

Ani m als preferably horses were i nj ected with m i n ute doses

, ,

o f Cobra veno m and o n the sy m pto ms o f poisoning subsiding a

, ,

larger dose would be i nj ected This i mmuni z ing process was .

carried o n fro m one to two years the dosage being progressively ,

i ncreased until 5 0 to 2 0 0 fatal doses could b e i nj ected at on e

dose without any apparen t har m ful effect So m e of the blood .

o f the horses was then withdrawn the seru m separated and ,

i nj ected i n to ani mals bit ten by sn akes o f the sa me species t o

the veno m of which the horses had been rendered i mm u ne
The effect was m agical for almos t i nstantly the veno m was ,

neutralized the sym pto ms subsided and the ani mals recovered
, ,
.

I t is we ll known in medical science that any poison however

’
,

poten t i f t aken i nto the hu m an body i n carefully graduated

,

doses confers a peculiar m ysterious tolerance to t hat particular

,

poison The sa m e holds good with all m edicin al substances

. .

After repeated dosage the ordinary prescribed quantities fail

to have t he desired e ffect An acquaintance of m ine was a .

victi m of the opiu m habit and took suflic ien t opiu m i n the ,

course of the day to kill twen ty men no t accusto m ed to i ts use .

I nveterat e s mokers will t ake i n to their bodies daily su fficien t

nicotine and other tobacco poisons to kill o ff half a dozen non
s mokers N aturally however if poisonous d rugs b e persistently
.
, ,

i ntroduced i nto the body they i n ti me will sh at ter the toughest , , ,

constitution Two drops of t he o il fro m a tobacco pipe pl aced

.

upon a dog s tongue will kill i t withi n on e m inute A few

'

specks of strychn ine will have th e sa m e e ffect Tobacco oil .

3 90 TH E SN A KE S OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

biting drag the loose skin of t he bitten part so m uch that m ost
,

of the veno m w ill b e shed perhaps half an i nch fro m the site
of the punctures So to guard against these eventualities be
.
, ,

c areful always to scari fy freely so that the perm anganate will

co m e i nto contact with as m uch of the veno m as possible .

TH E S E R U M T R E ATME NT F OR S NAKE B ITE . R E S U LTS OF

S CIENTI F IC E X P ERIM E NTATI O N .

Fail ing t o find any antidote to sn ake bite a mongst known

m edicin es either vegetable or m ineral men of science began
, ,

i nvestigat ions in a n o ther directio n Quite in dependent of each .

o ther Doctors F ayrer and Cal m ett e conducted a series of experi

,

m ents with snake veno m .

Ani m als preferably horses were in j ected with mi n ut e doses

, ,

o f Cobra veno m and o n the sy m pto ms of poisoning subsiding a

, ,

l arger dose would b e i nj ected This i mmunizing process was .

carried o n fro m one to two years the dosage b ein g progressively ,

i ncreased u nt il 5 0 to 2 0 0 fat al doses co ul d be i nj ected at on e

dose W i thout any apparen t har mful effect So m e of the blood .

o f the horses was the n withdrawn the seru m separated and ,

i nj ected i nto ani m als bit ten by sn akes o f t he sa me species t o

the veno m o f which the horses had been rendered i mmu ne
The e ffect was m agical for al m os t instantly the veno m was
,

neu tralized the sym pto m s subsided and the ani m als recovered
, ,
.

I t is well k nown in m edic al science that any poison however

'
,

poten t i f t aken i nto the hu m an body i n carefully graduated

,

doses confers a peculiar m ysterious tolerance to that particular

,

poison The sa m e holds good with all m edicinal substances

. .

After repeated dosage the ordinary prescribed quantities fail

to have the desired e ffect A n acquaint ance o f m in e was a .

victi m of the opiu m habit and took su fficien t opiu m i n the ,

course of t he day to kill twen ty men no t accusto m ed to i ts use .

I nveterate s mokers w ill t ake i nto t heir bodies daily su fficien t

n icotine and other tobacco poisons to kill o ff half a do z en non
s m okers N aturally however if poisonous drugs b e persistently
.
, ,

i ntroduced i nto the body they i n t i m e will S hat ter the toughest
, , ,

constitution Two drops o f the oil fro m a tobacco pipe placed

.

upon a dog s tongue will kill i t within on e m inute A few

’
.

specks of s trychnin e wi ll have the sam e e ffect Tobacco oil .

 VEN OM S D I FFE R I N THE I R ACTI ON .
391

fro m an Old pipe ste m will i f a s mall quantity be placed i n

,

a snake s mouth i nstantly paralyse i t I t grows utterly li m p

’

, .

and ceases to breathe but so meti mes revives i n about an hour s

,
’

ti me This fact should be re me mbered by collectors

.
.

V E N OM S D I F FER IN TH E IR ACTI O N .

The veno m of every species of poisonous snake as has already ,

been poi nt ed out is di fferen t i n its co mposition although i ts

, ,
3 92 TH E SNA KE S O F SOUTH AFRI CA .

various parts cannot be che m ically separated as e fficien tly as

we would wish .

We have however abundan t evidence of this fact by extensive

, ,

O bservations o f the effects O f the di fferen t veno m s on ani m als .

I n Australia a professional snake -catcher rendered hi m sel f

i mmune to the bite of a co mmon highly veno mous snake and ,

in the presence Of m en Of science allowed hi mself to b e bitten

repeatedly NO poisonous sy m pto ms supervened although the
.
,

bite fro m t his particular species of snake would i n m ost cases , ,

cause rapid death in any o ne not i mmunized .

This man act ing u nder the i mpression that i n consequence

he was i m mun e to the veno m O f other species of snakes once ,

carel essly handled a D em som a sup erba but was bitten and died
’ ’

, ,

the following day .

H OW TO B ECOME I MM U NE .

A m an can with patience render hi mself i mmune to the

, ,

bi tes of veno mous snakes For instance if he desires to be .

,

i mmune fro m the veno m o f a Puff Adder and Cape Cobra i t ,

would be necessary for h im to inj ect under his ski n an exceedingly

s mall dose ( the fraction of a drop ) Of the m ixed veno m s o f t hese
tw o snakes and after the lapse of a fortnight or longer i nj ect a
, .

slightly larger quan tity and co ntinue the process every two weeks
,

with increasingly large doses until he is able to tolerat e enough ,

veno m at a dose as would kill half a dozen men The O peration .

would however b e very tedious and prolonged and would have

, , ,

to be repeated over agai n with the veno m O f other species o f

veno mous South African Snakes i f he desired to be qu ite i m mu n e
to the veno m s O f the m all I f however a m an was i m mun e .
, ,

t o the veno m o f the t wo typical representatives of the grea t

snake f a milies v iz the Cobra and Pu ff Adder ( Colubri ne and
,
.

Vi perine ) he would not b e likely to die if bitten by any other

,

S pecies O f South African veno m ous snake Such experi men ts .

are fraugh t with danger for i f t he individual be i n the habi t ,

of drinking alcohol or i f through over -eating or indulgence i n

, ,

a too free m eat diet his blood S hould be i n an infla mm atory and
,

i m pure con di tion then gan gren e would as likely as no t set in

,

at the poin t O f the i nj ection a n d i f death did not occur sloughi n g , ,

of t he flesh more or less extensive would supervene

, ,
.
3 94 TH E SNA KE S OF SOUTH AFRI CA

rapidly co llapsed and m uch alarm was expressed at her con

,

dition I was called and found her i n a conditio n of n ervous

.

collapse the circulat ion sluggish pulse feeble and heart s action
, ,
’

dangerously slow Her ski n fel t cold and cla mm y and sh e

.
,

shivered G lancing at the snake which had bi tten her and

.
,

which her friends had subsequently ki lled I realized at once ,

i t was a case Of shock due to fear M ixing a little perm angan at e .

wit h water I m ade her drink i t and told her i t would posit ively
, ,

cure her withi n a few m inutes I repeated the suggestion .

several t i mes t hat S h e was get ting bet ter m uch better In , .

t en m i nutes ti me S h e was o n her feet declaring she was qui te

’

cured and m arvell ing at the m agical powers of the antidote I

,

had given her Next day I found myself to be an

. I nkos
m ku lu ( Big Chief) a mongst her t ribe
’
.

Another case occurred Of a Europea n wo m a n who was bi tten

o n the hand by a slightly veno m ous snake and i t was doubt ful ,

i f the lit tle grooved b ack teeth had even scratched the skin ,

However S h e S howed alar mi ng sy mpto ms of nervous collapse

, ,

and was dosed by her friends wi th brandy till she was senseless .

She fortun ately recovered fro m t he alcoholic poisoni n g after

two weeks of severe gastric i nfla mm ation due to the action O f ,

the strong spiri t o n the delicat e mucous li ning O f her sto m ach .

WH Y P E OP L E REC OVER .

D uring t he hot test season the year the veno m o f snakes

Of

reaches its highest degree O f virulence waning i n toxic power ,

and qu anti ty as the chilly weather approaches .

Full -grown sn akes are n aturally more likely to i nflic t a fat al

bite than young speci mens The veno m O f s nakes i n good
.

vigorous health is far m ore abunda nt but n ot so poisonous as in

t hose i n poor condition The veno ms o f d ifferen t S pecies o f snakes
.

vary so considerably i n toxic power that a full and co mplete

bi te O f so m e species would rarely cause death i n a heal thy man ,

whilst such a bi te given by a Cobra Ringhals Ma mba or Puff , , .

Adder would m ean certai n death i f pro m pt and energetic ,

t reat men t was not resorted to I n striking at the clothed leg

.

O f a m an a good deal of the veno m is usually arrested by t he

,

clothing which also prevents the fangs being driven fully ho me

, .

This is especially so with the Cobras and M a mbas which have

 ANTI -VE NOMOU S SE RU M .
3 95

co mparatively short grooved fangs I n other cases only on e .

fang penetrates the flesh or perchance the ski n is only scratched

,
.

I t will thus be seen that even if no treat ment be applied a larg e

percen tage o f cases would recover .

F i Tz S I MO Ns
’
S NAKE B ITE O U T F IT .

I have fou nd fro m long experience t hat the vas t m aj orit y O f

people ot her t han m edical men an d veteri nary surgeons do n ot
, ,

know h o w t o handle a seru m syringe an d regard t he process of ,

i nj ecti ng seru m as quite be y on d t he m They see m to be nervous .

and lack confidence in t he mselves even after t he process has ,

been care full y explained unless i t be done by actual de m onstra

,

tions or care fully prepared illustrations acco mpanied b y si m ply ,

worded instructions .

Duri ng my lecturi ng t ours m any a far m er has shown me ,

a bottle o f ant i —ve n o mous seru m which he has treasured up for

years and i n m any cases had no syri nge at all or perhap s
, ,

produced a large rust y veter in ary syri nge or a s m all ordinary ,

hypoder mi c one .

Twenty years O f such experi ences have convin ced me that

to make the seru m treat ment fo r sn ake bit e O f real practical ,

lasting valu e to the general publi c an d especially to the far ming ,

co mmuni ty i t is essential that a thoroughly e ffect i ve an d c o m

,

plete out fit be available As t here is n o really e fficient seru m

.

out fit for t he treat men t of sn ake bi te known to me I have ,

pat en t ed a co m plete fi rst-ai d an d seru m tre at men t out fit wit h ,

an illustrated sheet o f instructions whic h an y child c a n under

*
sta n d .

A NTI -V EN OMO U S S E R U M .

Anti —venene ant i -veno m and anti -veno mous seru m are all one
, ,

an d the sa m e subst an ce .

Of course anti -veno m ous seru m has its li m itations I t will .

not perfor m miracles I t has the power of neutralizing the

.

poisonous properties of snake veno m if m ixed with the poison i n

su fficient quantity I f inj ected i nto the blood it will destroy the
.

S ee dv erti em en t o f F it S im
a s
“
z ons
’
S na k e B it e O u tfit , by t h e d is
tributi ng ag n t at t h e n d o f t h i s b o o k
e ,
e .
3 96 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

poisonous properties o f the veno m therein i n proportion to the ,

a moun t i nj ected .

I t is quite apparent that i f the nerve centres h ave bee n

poisoned and benu mbed beyond the possibility of recovery ,

or i f the blood corpuscles be broken up and extensive h aemorrhage ,

i n to the tissues has t ake n place the i nj ection of anti -ven ene ,

would be useless However i t is practically i mpossible to

.
,

know for cert ain i f the veno m has acted upon the nervous
syste m brain and blood su fficiently to m ake death a cer
, ,

t ain ty therefore whil e l ife re mains the anti -venene shoul d be

,

i nj ected .

I n all cases where serious sy m pto m s o f poisoning hav e

developed t he anti -venene should be inj ected direc t i nto a vein
,

so t hat i t may enter the circulation with the least possible delay ,

for at such a critical ti m e every m o men t is precious When .

’
life s forces are slowing down the absorben t or sucking p -u
,

power of the s m all blood vessels ( cap illaries) and lymphatics is

sl uggish and i n so m e cases suspended
,
.

I f the fangs of a veno mous snake S hould puncture a vei n

and veno m be discharged therein the poisonous e ffects are ,

so rapid that death t akes place in spit e O f t he inj ection o f an ti

venen e I n fact i n these cases th e patien t is usually dead
.

before the seru m can be inj ected even i f i t be at hand F o rtu ,

.

n a tel such cases are not co m mon

y .

A nti -venene i f inj ected w ill render a man m ore or less i mmune
, ,

to snake bite for several days I ts antidotal power however .

, ,

grows less da ily I n no case does i t con fer any degree o f

.

i mm unity for more t han t hree weeks I f a ma n has at so m e .

previous t i me been inj ect ed wit h seru m a subsequen t dose m a y ,

cause pa ins in th e j o i nt s swellings const rict ion of t he t hroat

, , ,

and so m e degree of fever ( An aphylax is ) .

Anti -venene is a watery fluid an d when inj ected is absorbed , ,

and mingles with the n atural seru m O f t he blood M any have .

expressed fear l es t i ts inj ect io n m ight do har m i f introduced

i n to a perso n an d i t happened that the snake which bi t h im was
a har mless one I t does no h ar m at all
.
.

M any also i magine that S O large a quan ti ty o f seru m as a dose

Of 2 5 c c v iz
5
,
ou n ce c an not possibly get absorbed i nto the blood
.
,

fro m under the skin On the con trary large quan tities O f fluids
. ,

are capable O f abs o rption i nto the blood i n this way I n serious .
3 98 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

m il ky an d flaky i n appearance i t is a certai n S ign that it is .

deteriorating I t must t hen be thrown away as i t is useless and

.
,

a fresh supply Obt ained I f kept cool and i n a dark place i t .

,

w ill keep good for two or three years I have had a bot tle for .

*
five years and i t is still i n good condition
,
.

When kept for so m e ti me and not moved a fl aky sedi

'
,

men t for m s a t th e botto m of the bot tle This is not a S ign .

of deterioration The sedi m en t will part ially re-dissolve if the

.

bot tle b e shaken I f the cork be wi thdrawn or ta mpered with.

i n any way the con ten t of the bottle m ust be thrown away as
i t will no t keep i f air gets to i t for i t contains no che mical ,

preservatives .

The anti —venen e is sterilized and provided no bact eri a gai n ,

entry there is no reaso n why i t S hould not keep for years

, .

Bu t although i t m ay not a c tu allv go b ad i t deteriorates i n

, ,

strength the longer i t i s kept as is the case wi th the an ti

“

toxi n seru ms i n use i n the treat m en t Of various diseases The .

fresher the an ti -venen e is the bet ter therefore i t is advisable ,

to Obt ai n a fresh supply every eighteen m onths or tw o years .

I f the previous supply should still appear to be sound then ,

do no t throw i t away Keep i t also for use as you cannot .

,

h ave too m uch O f it Y ou m ay need three or four doses at .

any ti me A valuable hu m an life or stock costing large su ms

.
,

O f m oney m ay be saved by a liberal inj ection O f the ant i

,

venen e even i f bit ten fully by the deadliest South African

,

serpen t .

Valuable stock and a considerable nu mber O f hu m an lives ,

are annually lost in South Africa fro m snake bite I t is there .

fore a n ecessity to have so m e means at hand by which this

m ortality m ay be checked Hardly a far mer i n the country .

has not h ad serious losses i n stock fro m the bites O f veno mous
sn akes .

The universal faith i n one or m ore O f the m any popular ,

S O -called cures prevents reliable m easures being taken to co m bat

,

the e ffects of sn ake veno m Elsewhere i n this volu m e the .

results of experi m en ts wi th m ost O f those re medies have been

given He who pins his fai th to any of the m is u nwise His
. .

n ti-v en o m o u s seru m in d ry f o r m is n o w pr ep a r ed f o r t h e tr ea t
An a

men t o f bit es by A fr i c a n sna k es bu t it is r a t h e r tr o ubl es o m e t o di sso lv e

, .
TH E SE RU M TR EATM EN T AN D I TS L I M I TATI ON S .
3 99

faith is misplaced i n spite of apparen t recoveries fro m sn ake

”
bite after the ad ministration of on e or other of these cures .

TH E S ER U M T R E AT ME N T AN D I TS L I MITATI O N S .

The seru m treat men t of sn ake bite has been m ade highly
e ffi cient of lat e However m any di fficulties st ill beset the path
.
,

of the scientific i nvestigator The m ain Obstacle is the di fficulty

.

of obtaining su fficien t veno m and the extre m e care which is

,

required to be exercised i n the process of rendering ani m als

i mmune . Even wi th t he greatest care the horses an d mules ,

which are usually used do not always survive the ordeal A t .

o ther t i m es frightful ulcers form at the seat of the inj ection of

veno m and frequently the flesh sloughs away m ore or less
,

extensively The aim is to m ake the ani mal i mmune to as large

.

a dosage of the m ixed veno ms of various species of snakes as

possible .

For i nstance the seru m fro m a horse which has been rendered
,

i mmune to a hundred ordinarily fatal doses of veno m is twice

as strong in its veno m-killing powers as the seru m fro m a
horse which is i mmune to fifty ordinarily fat al doses of veno m .

Every year progress is m ade and there can b e little doub t

,

that before long a better m ethod of i mm unizing ani m als will

be discovered and a seru m of equal st rengt h in s m aller volu m e
,

will be prepared .

The anti -venene n ow prepared is t he only substance which

is of any value i n destroying snake veno m after i t has en tered
'

the blood circulation The more copiously i t is inj ected the

.

better chance there w ill be of recovery I f the veno m has begun .

its onslaught upon the nerve cen tres or blood or both liberal , ,

quantities of seru m will need to be inj ected to overtake and

neutrali z e i ts death —dealin g powers I would advise m edical
.

practitioners to inj ect no t less t han 2 0 C C direc t in to a vein .

i f bad sym pto ms of poisoning have set i n and to inj ec t a ,

second dose after an i nterval Those other than m edical m en

.
,

should carefully practise inj ecting water in to dead ani m als

ve ins and under the S kin so that they m ay know exactly what
,

to do and how to do i t S hould occasion arise A dead plucked .

fowl is a good subj ect to practise upon I f a little per mangan ate
.

i s added to the water previous to inj ection under the ski n it ,

40 0 TH E S NA K ES O F SO UT H A FR I CA .

will prove a good obj ect -lesson i n showing j ust how the seru m
woul d S pread i f inj ected
,
.

K nowledge m akes a man confiden t I t is the lack of knowing .

j ust what to do when faced with an e mergency that makes h im

lose his head .

An ti -venen e seru m is the only substance for secondary

treat men t reco mmended by scien ce as possessing curative v alue
i n cases of snake bite and which can be i nj ected u n der th e
,

s kin without any risk There is an ele men t o f risk i n i nj ecting

.

i t direct i nto a vein Th is will be explained later

. .

I f bitten by an unknown sn ake i t is advisable to inj ect a ,

dose of seru m i f any be at hand I t will do no harm i f the snake.

S hould happen to be a har mless one and w ill serve the purpose ,

of allaying the nervous dread of the bitten person I t is at ti mes .

di fficult to distingu ish the sy m pto m s produced by nerve -shock

exhibited by most peopl e bitten by sn akes and the real sy m pto ms ,

of snake veno m poisoning especially that of the C obra which

,

acts m ainly upon the nervous syste m .

Anti -veno m ous seru m for t he t reat m en t O f any k in d of African

sn ake is n o w available I t is known as polyvalen t seru m
. .

TH E T REATM E NT OF S NAKE B ITE .

Wh at to do if bitten .

The most practical thing to do i f bit ten by a snake is to

preven t the absorption o f the veno m into the general circula
tion I f a large dose o f veno m should get i nto the body i t will
.

be pu m ped by the heart to the re motest parts So we mus t .

i mmedi at ely at tack the veno m at the spo t where i t has been
i nj ected .

There is very little chance of preventing at least so m e of the

veno m getting i nto the blood circulation but t hat will no t m at ter ,

provided a fat al dose has not been absorbed Every mo men t .

is precious as t he veno m after i ts inj ection under t he skin is

,

being greedily sucked up an d carried int o t he body by t he

absorbent vessels .

Knowing that per manganate o f potash destroys any veno m

i t may actually co m e i n contact with i t is presu med you will ,

have so me at hand A sharp penknife and a s mall tube or

.

pill -box full of per mangan ate S hould be carried by everybody

who runs any risk o f snake bite I n a country like that of South
.
40 2 TH E SNA KE S O F SOUTH AFRI CA .

then rub i t i nto the wounds I f a friend be at hand he m ust be . ,

m eanwhile applying a ligature or else you can be doing this

, ,

while he attends to the scarifyin g an d per m angan ate applica

tion The l igature must be applied between the wound and
.

the heart at a spot best calculated to co m press the blood vessels

( veins ) and ly m phatics I f bit ten on the foot or an kle -region a .
,

ligature j ust above the knee is best I f on the forear m or hand .

,

apply the ligature above the elbow j oin t To tighten the ligature .
,

a strong twig a lead penc il or a broken walking -stick should

, , ,

be i nserted i n a l oop i n the ligature and twisted up but not ,

F IG 1 5 l ig tur i b t pp li d b v th k b u t h r i l y
I — Th e a e s es b a e a o e e n ee , ec a se e e s on o ne o ne, c o n
q u tl y h p r ur i m r u i f rm ll r u d h l g Th bl k r d l i bv
. .

se en t e ess e s o e n o a o n t e e e ac c o s se n es a o e
k th i i i v r h i t f h f g pu tur
.

t h e so c a re e n c s o ns o e t e S e o t e an nc es .

su fficien tly tight t o cause pain Tie the stick against the leg or a rm .

as the case may be t o preven t i t reversing i tsel f after you let i t ,

go I f a syringe be handy a t easpoon ful of solution of per

.
,

m anganat e with water m ay be inj ected obli quely under the ski n
over the site of the fang punc tures .

I t is a doubtful poin t whether the scarifying and applicat ion

of the potash or the ligature S hould be applied first I f the per
*
, .

m angan ate can be applied al m ost i nstan tly then i t is preferable ,

to scarify and apply i t firs t I f there is any del ay or i f no .

,

D ry pulv riz d n ti v no m u ru m if v il bl
e e a - e o s se , a a a e, is m o e r fica i u s
ef c o

th n a th e p t h if rubb d i n t t h i n i i n o v r t h it
o as e o e c s o s e e S e o f th e bit e .
 TH E TREATMEN T OF SNA K E B I TE .
40 3

crys tals be at hand t hen instantly a ffix the ligature A good ,

.

plan is to j erk out your handkerchief and tie it as tightly as you

can with your hands and t hen scarify the punctures and apply ,

your potash Afterwards the ligature can be tightened to a

.

greater degree by the insertion of a stick * .

I f a friend is at hand then both operations m ay be carried ,

out si m ultaneously .

As a general rule i f a ligature can be applied within a m inute ,

of the infliction of the bi te i t is best to affix i t first then apply , ,

1 52 S h ul d
— k i fli t bit th f r rm pp ly l i g tur b v th l b w
o a sn a e n c a e on e o ea a a a e a o e e e o

Ji t d b ldl y rify th fl h v r h i t f h f g pu t r
.

o n an o sc a d b i e es o e t e S e o t e an nc u es an ru n
p rm g t f p t h T h gr du ll y d p r gr iv l y l - h l i g tur d
e
,

an an a e o o as en a a an o ess e o o se n t e a e an
r m v i t ft r h ur T h i mu t l y b r g rd d d r m dy A ti
.

e o e a e an fi o s s on e e a e as a rs t a i e e n
v m u um h ul d b I j t d p i bl
. .

eno o s s er s o e n ec e as s o o n as o ss e.

t he potash as soo n after as possible Everything depends upon .

expert ness and pro m pt ness .

After t he per m anganate has been applied and the li mb ,

ligatured press and rub the parts about the incisions wit h the
,

fingers with a V iew of forcing out as much blood as possible

, .

The severing of tw o or three s m all veins i n the ligatured me mber ,

helps to get rid of the poison ed blood I f there should be no .

Do tig h t n th e lig a tur e t o m u c h o yo u will c ru sh t h e fl h

n ot e o r es and

cau i nj ury d s v r p i n A v ry tig h t lig tur e is t n sary

se an e e e a . e a no ec es or

d e ir bl
s a e .
40 4 TH E SNA KES OF SO U TH AFR I C A .
40 6 TH E SN A K ES OF SOUTH AFRI C A .

Elevating the li mb will o ften stop the bleeding or sewing ,

up th e wound with two or three fin e stitches

.
.

I f a snake S hould inflict a bite upo n the face head neck or , ,

trunk scari fy the punctures freely to m ake as m uch blood as

,

possible fl o w out and then apply per m an gan at e of pot ash I f

,
.

a friend be at hand get h im to suck the wound i f no perm angan ate

,

be available Before S ticking the punctures S hould be sc arifi ed

’

.
,

to facilitate the withdrawal of the veno m .

Bear i n m ind especially that there is grave danger of

, ,

mo rtific atio n of the li mb setting i n i f a ligature is left o n too ,

long After h alf an hour or as soon as you have applied potash

.
0
,

or bled the li mb S lacken the ligature very S lightly for j ust

,

one inst ant and tight en u p again Repeat this operation every
,
.

five m inutes or so for half an hour to an hour The obj ect of .

this is t o allow only a s m all quan tity of the poisoned blood at

a ti m e i nto the body an d thus give N ature s resistan t forces a ’

chance to cope with overco me and expel the poiso n before a

, ,

fresh supply enters Should there be a good deal of veno m i n

.

the blood of the ligatured li mb i t is obvious that i f allowed all ,

at once to ru sh i nto the body it would be likely to overco me ,

’
N ature s resistance and cause death .

Abou t a yard of strong rubber o f about the calibre o f a

lead pencil m akes a S plendid ligature or a strong st rip of linen ,

t ape Rubber grips the flesh u ni fo rmly all rou nd the li mb an d

.
,

i f twist ed round a cou ple or more t i mes i ts constricting power

would be very great .

A red cross bandage is also highly serviceable .

On e ligature as a general rule is su fficient but i f enough

, , ,

materi al i s at h and to convert i nto several ligatures i t is desir ,

able t o be more thorough and apply ligatures as S hown i n the,

acco m panying illustrations When a snake bites i t often i nj ect s

.
,

veno m i nto the muscular tissues I n the c ase of the Pu ff Adder .

the fangs may penetrate about h alf an i nch I n these cases i t .

will be necessary t o S cari fy the punctures to that depth As a .

general rule i t i s ad v isable to m ake the c u ts abo u t a quarter of

,

an i nch deep The veno m often spreads out i n the tissues hence
.
,

the n ecessity of freely cutti ng the S i te of the bi te so that the

per m angan ate o f potash when ru bbed i n m ay reach all the
, ,

veno m or most of i t No w when snake veno m is i nj ected i nto

, .
,

the tissues i t i s rapidly sucked up and carried to t he larger blood

 TH E TREATM EN T OF SN AK E BI TE .
40 7

F IG 1 55 bi tt by v m u k
—I f en a h fi g r
en o rify th i t f th pu tur
o s sn a e on t e n e sc a e s e o e nc es as
h r h w r h fi grl ty v r th i w Th m ppl i
. .

e e s o t n , no ac o s s t e n e es ou se e e s ne s e sa e a es to
d i llu tr ti I th t h i r d h bit h mu l f h f r rm
.

th e sec o n s a on n e I t e e is o n t e s c es o t e o ea n
th i ut m y b ri r d Th r w h y m r th l i g tu
. .
,

th
s c ase e c s a e c ss -c o s se e ea s o n s o e an o n e a re i s

d ir bl i d h t xt I f th b i t m pl t by du lt
.

es a m
e are en t o n e in t e e e e is n o t a c o e e o ne an a

h ig h l y v m u k h pu ur d t b ri fi d fr l y h w i
.

en o o s sn a e, t e n ct es n ee no e sc a e so ee as s o n n

th i rd i llu tr t i s A l g itu di l l it v r h pu tur Wi ll u ffi

a on . on na s o e ea c nc e s ce .
40 8 THE SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

vessels t o b e subsequent ly p u mped all over t he body by t he

heart I t i s therefore obvi ous that i f a ligature i s appli ed as
.
, ,

close above the pu nctures as possible i t wi ll tend to delay the ,

absorption Of t he veno m and confine i t to that regi on of the lim b .

Then i f another is appli ed higher u p i t will act as a second safe

,

guard A third ligature would also t end to help The use of

. .

tw o or three ligatures is highly desirable i n cases o f poisoni ng

by all the species of snakes whose veno m acts m ai nly u pon the
blood and i ts vessels — such snakes for i nst ance as the Boo m slang
and the Adder fa mi ly whi ch i ncludes the Pu ff Adder Horned
, ,

Adder Berg Adder an d Night Adder

, , .

I have recently arri ved at thi s conclusion after expe ri m ents

on ani mals I found t hat by applyi ng a ligature j ust above the
.

S ite of the bi t e I was able to prevent the veno m acti ng upon the

m uscles above the ligature N ow for i nstance i f a m an were

.
, ,

bi tten o n t he i nstep and he appli ed on e ligature above t he k nee

the m uscles of the leg fro m the foot to the ligature would prob ably
be charged wi th extravasated blood which l ater might resu lt ,

i n mo rtifi c atio n of the li mb .

I n applyi ng a ligature t h e obj ect i s to prevent the return

,

of the venous blood and lym ph fro m t he S ite of the entry of the
veno m The Obj ect i s not to constri ct an artery
. .

I n conclusi on i t m ust be borne i n mi nd that ligaturi ng and

,

applyi ng perm angan at e Of potash i s Of li ttle or n o antidot al

value i f not appli ed wi thi n t en mi nutes o f the i nfliction of the
bi te I n the maj ori ty of cases i f not applied wi thi n five m i nutes
.
,

death will ensue shoul d a fatal dose of veno m happen to h ave

,

been i nj ected .

Ligaturi ng i s at best bu t a first-aid te mporary measure , ,

the Obj ect bei ng to gai n ti m e for other re medi al m easures such ,

as the i nj ection Of anti -veno mous seru m which is as I h ave , ,

already menti oned i n thi s book the only antidote recogni z ed ,

by sci ence and the only on e which I have found to be of value

,

a mong all t hose wi th which I have experi m en ted .

TH E S ER U M T R E ATM E N T— M ETH O D S OF I NJ ECTI ON .

The n ext thing to do is to procure and i nj ect an ti -veno mous

serum wi th the least possible delay .

Wi th a suitable seru m s yrin ge i n ject th e seru m u n de r th e

41 0 TH E SNA K ES OF SO U TH AFR I CA

seru m m ay conveniently be i nj ected at one spot More may be .

i ntroduced under the ski n in one place but i t is absorbed m ore ,

rapidly when inj ected in several places The ar m s and legs are .

usually selected because the S ki n does not adhere firmly to the

muscles on those parts and i t is therefore easier to inj ect the
,

seru m under the S kin Moreover i t circul a tes much better

.
,
.

After the seru m has been inj ected g en tly ru b the inj ected part ,

to m ake the seru m dissipate under the S kin .

I f the bite has been pro mptly treated wi th per m anganate

and the part l igatured withi n five minutes of being bitten and
no sy m pto m s of poisoning have set i n then 2 0 or 2 5 c c anti , .

FIG 1 57
— I j ti g ru m u d r th ki f th th igh Alw y th ru t th
n ec n se n e e s n odl p i t
e a s s e n ee e o n up
t w rd th b dy D t i j t i t l ig tur d l i m b b l w h l ig tur
. . .

o a s e o . o no n ec n o a a e e o t e a e .

venene m ay be inj ected B ut i f after an i nterval dangerous .

, ,

sy m pto ms appear then i nj ect a second dose and even a third

, ,

or fourth I t can do no har m and will probably m ake all t he

.
,

di fference and save the life O f the patient At such crit ical ti m es .

i t is extre m ely false econo my to withhold an extra dose or two

of seru m Always bear i n m ind that the m ore you inj ect the
. ,

better the chance of a co m plete recovery .

I f seri ous sy m pto m s of poisoning have set i n t he se ru m S hould ,

be st rained carefully an d inj ected direct in to a vei n so that it

m ay be carried as rapidly as possible throughou t the circulation .
 M ETHOD S OF I NJ ECTI ON .
41 1

When sy m pto ms of poisoning have begun t o appear it m eans ,

t hat the poison has started its deadly work of benu mbing
the nerve cells or destroying the blood or both therefore i t is
, ,

i m perative that there should be as little delay as possible i n

bringing the seru m i nto actual con tact with i t Anti -venene .

S eru m
, i f inj ected direct into the blood -strea m is considerably ,

stronger i n its power of neutralizing the veno m than i f inj ected

under t he skin This must be carefully born e i n m ind
. .

To m edical men and others experienced i n the use of a seru m ,

syringe I would reco mm end that i n all serious cases the S eru m be
,

FIG I I j t i g rum i t v i i th f r rm S l t
5S
— n ec n se n o a e n n e o ea e ec
ur f v i t th b k f th h d m
. . .

f th
o ne o e s ac e e ns a e ac o e an ar or
l g e Pu h h dl p i t I t h v i l g it ur
s t e n ee e o n n o t e e n a on s co
,

se ,
d l wl y i j t Alw y i j t h ru m u pw rd i
.

an s o n ec a s n ec t e se a s n
di r t i f h h rt
.

th e ec on o t e ea .

inj ected direct i nto a vein The vei n in t he forearm n ear t he .

elbow is a suit abl e on e B ef o re select ing a vein for inj ect ion
.
,

apply a t e m porary ligature t o m ake t he veins bulge G rip t he .

ve in between t he finger an d t hu m b t o st eady it an d carefully ,

t hrust i n t he po int of t he n eedle A lways inj ect in t he way t he .

blood runs viz t owards t he heart

,
. Should a swelling occur .

when inj ect in g t he seru m it in di cat es it is escaping i nt o t he ,

t issues . R e m ove t he n eedl e an d t ry again An ot her plan is .

t o use an e m pt y S pringe an d when t he needle is i nserted draw

, ,

out a lit tl e blood i nto the syringe to m ake certain the vein has
41 2 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFR I CA .

been pu nct ured re move t he ligature fill t he syringe an d inj ect

, ,

t he seru m .

I nj ec t the seru m S lowly but forcibly Here I would .

warn the O perator to see t hat no air-bubbles or particles Of solid

sedi men t are inj ected i n to the blood as they might cause serious ,

m ischief and eve n death

,
I t is safest to strai n th e seru m i f it
.

is to be inj ected d irect i nto a vein Drainin g i t through butter .

muslin will do Re me mber the syringe should be co m pletely

.

filled with seru m S O as to allow no space for air D O not i nj ect .

the whole o f i t L eave a li ttle i n t he syringe This will preven t

. .

any chance of air -bubbles b eing inj ected I t is wel l t o pu t a .

piece of but ter musli n i n the box wi th t he seru m S O as t o be

ready for use *
.

I n drawing u p the seru m i nto the syringe pull the pisto n rod ,

S lowly . Do not j erk i t u p rapidly because air is likely to get i n

,
.

So m eti mes the knob of the piston rod does not fi t the barrel
su fficien tly tightly to cause a full charge to be sucked u p But .

i t usually gets tight enough when a little seru m is taken up as ,

t he fluid causes it t o expan d The syrin ge which I have desi gn ed .

for t he purpose is m ade i n such a way t hat it can n ot possibly go

wron g Ordinary syrin ges can n ot b e relied on
. .

O f course the syringe and needle m ust be scru pulously clean

, .

So m et i m es a ki nd of nettle rash appears where the seru m has

been inj ected bu t this need cause no alar m I t will disappear
, .

i n a day or tw o .

I f the seru m b e inj ected direc t into a vei n i n su fficien t quantity

before any sy m pto ms of poisoning h ave set i n i t will neutrali z e ,

the poison and no poisonous sym pto m s will appear I f very .

alarm in g sy m pt o m s of poisonin g have s et i n such as ext ensive ,

swellin g subcut an eous h ae m orrhage n ausea cla m m y skin or

, , , ,

c o m a before t he inj ect ion Of se ru m t hen it is advisable t o use a ,

doubl e dose I n a case which ca m e un der my Observat ion where

.

t he m an was in a st at e of i nsensibilit y an d s inking fast 5 0 c c of ,

se ru m were required t o save his life 1 0 0 c c is t h e largest dosage . .

I have known t o be given Provided su fficien t seru m has been

.

i nj ected and i f t he patien t s nervous syst e m is not paralysed

,
’

or his blood da maged beyond recovery then he should begin ,

slowl y to m end Fro m hour to hour he will i m prove un ti l

.
,

H o ld t h e s yri ng e wit h n eedl e u pw a rd s T h e n by g en tly pu sh i n g t h e

.

pi s t o n u n til t h e liqu id o o es o u t a n y a ir t h er e ma y b e in th e b a rr el will b e

z ,

d riv en o u t .
41 4 THE SNA K ES OF SOUTH AF R I CA .

So m erset East who is an enthusiastic advocate of scientific

,

m ethods for the treat m ent of snake bite deter m ined personally to ,

test the anti -venene se ru m which is n o w specially prepared for

t he treat m en t of snake bit e .

Procuring a kid ( goat ) five months old he allowe d a l arge ,

Pu ff Adder which had been freshly caught to bit e i t upon t he

, ,

thigh The snake gripped hard and hung on worrying the flesh
.
,

for on e m inute I t was then re m oved and a bo ttle of an ti

.
,

venen e containing 2 5 c c which is al m ost an ounce in bulk was

, ,

i nj ected u nder the ski n of the bitten ani m al I t died in an hour . .

I n this case the snake bit fully and was perm itted to retai n its ,

hold for the space of a m inu te Being a fresh snake so m ething .

,

l ike ten or fift een drops of veno m must have been inj ected Three .

drops of t he veno m were su fficien t to kill the kid withi n a few

hours O ne dose of ant i -venene seru m was not su fficien t to
.

neutralize enough of the veno m i n this instance to avert a fatal

issue .

I explai ned this to M r Norsworthy and he decided to try a

.
,

more satisfactory t est .

Taking a tough old goat an adult m ale Pu ff Adder which had,

bee n in captivity a few weeks was i nduced to bite it I t st ruck , .

t he goat o n t he hind leg j ust above the hoof and instantly with
drew I t struck again near the sa m e spot
. Both bi tes were .

of t he n ature of peeks The snake did not grip or retain i ts hold

.

for more than an i nst ant .

About an hour later the li mb began to swell fro m the S i te

of t he punctures The swelling gradua lly extended upwards a n d
.

along the abdo men The leg swelled to three ti m es its norm al size
. .

The goat was bi tten at 1 1 a m and was kept i n a war m S hed . .

At p m h ae m orrhage began near the site of the bites and

.

up t he l i mb At 7 a m the followi ng m orning the swelling

. .
,

had extended all along the abdo men and between the forelegs ,

and the h ae morrhage had S pread nearly all over the body t he ,

swollen S ki n being n o w purplish -black owing to the extensive

h a mo rrh ag e through the walls of the capillary blood -vessels .

The goat re m ai ned i n this conditio n until i t died twen ty -si x

hours twe nty -fi v e m inutes after being bit ten I t fell down .

on t he ground o ne and a half hours before death and did no t

rise again Y et it at e food at i ntervals u ntil shortly before
.

i t di ed .
 OTH E R E X PER I M ENTS .
41 5

B ITTEN AND I N J ECT E D WITH A NTI -V EN E N E .

M r N orsworthy c aught an adult fe male Pu ff Adder which

. ,

was forc ed t o bite the hind legs of an O ld goat at 1 1 a m Fou r .

full bites were given The snake was allowed to retain i ts hold
‘

and firm ly grip and worry the bi tten parts .

Two bottles of an ti -venene seru m were the n inj ected i n

several places under the skin of the inner parts of the legs and
between t he shoulders E ach bottle of seru m cont ained nearly .

an ounce v iz 2 5 C C Shortly after being bitten t he leg swelled

,
. .
,

S lightly After S ix hours the leg swelled so m ewhat m ore and

.

the sites of the bites looked infla m ed The goat see med i n its .

usual heal th and continued so After eight or nin e hours the .

,

swelling began to subside There was no S ign of h ae m orrhage .

under the S kin The goat m ade a co m plete recovery M r

. . .

N orsworthy i nform s me that several pro m inen t far m ers witnessed

these experi ments and all agreed that the bites inflicted were
,

full and co m plete ones I n fact Mr Norsworthy co m plained .

,
.

that they were too exacting .

A freshly caught adult Pu ff Adder is capable of inj ecting at

least ten drops of veno m at a single bite When a snake is i n a .

st ate of extre m e anger as was the case wit h the on e which bi t ,

t he goat t he glands m anu facture veno m at an exceedingly

,

rapid rate t herefore i t is fairly safe to assu m e that the sn ake

,

i nj ected t en to fifteen drops of veno m i nto the goat four of ,

which were su fficient to kill it .

Mr E B u rlS a well -known far m er who witnessed the ex peri

. .
,

m en t and who is the owner of the goat writes to Mr Norsworthy ,

.

as follows The goat has quite recovered I defy any one t o .

detect anything wrong with her Y ou can safely tell F itz S imo n s .

t hat the seru m cured her She had a rou gh ti m e of i t but that .
,

was I believe owing to her having four bites and t he broken

, , ,

”
teeth at the fourth bite were not taken out .

O THER EX P E R I ME N T S .

I have m ade nu mbers of experi m ents with ant i -venom ous

seru m This seru m is polyvalent an d is m ade by i mm un iz in g
.
,

horses an d m ules t o t he m ixed veno m of African snakes I t is .

equa lly st rong in its act ion against t he veno m s of t he C obra an d

Adder groups of s nakes .

I found that if a Pu ff Adder was allowed to deliver one full

41 6 TH E SNA K ES OF SO U T H AFR I CA .

bi te o n the leg of a full -grown Chac m a b aboo n or a large dog ,

and i f 2 5 c c of anti -venene was i mm ediately afterwards inj ected

. .

under the skin t he ani m als recovered although a certai n degree

, ,

of h mmo rrh ag e and swelling occurred The ani m als were so m e .

t i mes in a state of nerve depression for a couple or three days .

I f fi v e drops o f Pu ff Adder veno m were inj ect ed with a syringe

under the S ki n an d a dose of 2 5 c c of anti —venen e was
,
.

inj ected i n a si m ilar m an ner before poisonous sy m pto ms had set

i n the ani m als recovered in all instances although i n som e cases
, ,

they showed sy m pto ms of poison ing such as h a mo rrh ag e ,

swelling and n erve depression The hair in so m e instances ca m e

, .

O ff for several inches around the site of the inj ection of the veno m ,

and the ski n was S hed along with dried blood and dead tissue , .

When 2 0 c c of an ti —vene n e were inj ected direct i n to

. .

'

a vei n i mm ediately after t he inj ect ion of th e v en o m i nto the

t issues t he only parts a ffected were t he vicinity of the punctures
, .

On e of t he ani m als was killed after it had apparently m ade a

co mplete recovery and i t was found that there was rather ,

extensive h ae morrhage abou t the S ite of the en try of the veno m

and along t he leg for a short distance By the appearance of the .

tissues i t was eviden t t he dead blood was being absorbed and

, ,

the inj ured tissues were beginning to assu m e their norm al

appearance .

When 2 5 c c of seru m ( n early one oz ) were inj ect ed di rec t i nto

. . .

a vein after sym pto ms of poisoning had set in the ani mals i n all ,

i nstances recovered although they see med to have rather a b ad

,

t i me . B ut after pronounced S igns of poisoning appeared I ,

found that although the i nj ection of 2 5 c c i n severa l places

,
. .

u nder the ski n delayed death i t did not i n every instance ,

avert a fatal issue .

Fro m these experi ments therefore I was convi nced that , ,

unless two doses each of 2 0 or 2 5 c c were i nj ect ed sub

,
. .
,

cut an eously death would so m et i m es occur in t he hu man subj ec t

i f very serious sy m pto ms of poisoning had already set i n .

The s m all ani m als usually died i f a Pu ff Adder delivered a

full bite or i f six or eight drops of the veno m were i nj ected i nto
,

the m uscles wi th a syringe foll owed by an i nj ection of 1 0 c c . .

of an ti -ven ene un der t he S kin I n these c ases I O c c of the .

,
. .

anti -venene was evidently not su fficien t to overtake and neutrali z e

enough of t he veno m in t im e to save the lives of the creatures .
41 8 TH E SN AK ES OF SOU TH AFR I CA

see m ed si ck an d weak I exa mi ned the m and found that the .

i n j ected thighs an d wi ngs were S wollen t o n early twi ce t hei r

n or m al si z e a n d co n siderabl e h a mo rrh ag e i n those parts had
'

t ake n place .

For t hree day s the fowls re m ai n ed i n about the sa m e co n

di tion whe n o n e recovered i ts n orm al cheerfuln ess a n d see med
, .

well . I exami ned i t an d found that t he swellin gs had sub

si ded an d the vici n i ty of t he i n j ectio n s were n ot so purplish as
,

before T h ree days l ater the parts were gree n ish -y ellow in
.

appearan ce i n di cati n g t hat t he dead blood u nder the S kin and

,

in the m uscles was bei n g rapid ly re -absorbed .

The other fowl di d n o t fare S O well Evi dently i t had re .

c eiv ed a s lightl y larger dose o f ve n o m than t he other fowl or ,

else i t was more susceptible t o the poiso n Bot h i ts li mbs .

becam e p aral y sed owi n g m ai n ly to ext e n si ve h aemorrh ag e u n der

,

the s ki n of the thighs .

On the S i xth day after the i nj ectio n i t began t o recover ,

the use o f i ts l egs I the n killed i t a n d m ade a careful .

exami n ation I fou n d that t he S ki n o n bot h t hi ghs was dead

.

an d came away when I pulled i t revealing a m ass of coffee ,

coloured m at ter practic all y dr y undern eath This was the

, , .

resi due of the blood w h i ch had oozed ou t of t he blood -vessels .

The flesh un der t his for n earl y a quarter of an i nch deep was , ,

dark brown an d in a j elly -li ke co n di ti on

,
Beneat h t hi s l ayer .

t he flesh was perfectly sou n d The heali ng processes were well .

procee di ng an d the fowl would h ave n o doubt m ade a co mplet e

, , ,

recove ry On exa mi n ation t he flesh of the breast was st ai ned

. ,

with blood in s mall pat ches owi n g t o sli ght h ae m orrhage t hrough ,

the capi ll ary blood -vessels of those parts .

The an t i -ven omous serum w hi ch is n o w prepared is of higher

efficienc y in dest royin g snake ven o m an d 2 0 c c are suffi cient in , . .

t he m aj o ri t y of cases of s n ake bit e if t reat m ent has n o t b een

u n dul y delayed I f very serious sym pt o ms have already set in
.

0 c c ought t o b e in j ect ed i n diff erent part s of t he body un der

4 . .

t he S kin .

A NTI -V EN OMO U S S ER UM AND I TS P RE P ARATI O N .

The preparat ion of ant i -ven o m ous seru m is slow t e dious , ,

an d expensive an d t he revenu e receive d for se ru m disposed of

,

sel do m covers t he cost of its product io n .

ANTI -VEN OM OU S SE RUM AN D I TS PRE PA RATI ON .
41 9

FIG I 59 Wh— h rg enf t i -v m u r m i t k p i t h b rr l f

a c a e o an en o o s se u s a en u n o t e a e o a
yr i g p r vi u t i j t i g th t t u d r h ki d i t i t v i i
. .

s n e e o s o n ec n e co n en n e t e s n or re c n o a e n, a r
is o ft d r w p l T p l h
en a n u h ld h
a so yr i g W i t h h p u p w rd
o ex e t e a i r, o t e s n e t e Oin t a s
d g tl y p r h pi t t i ll h ru m b g i t fr m h p m f h
.

an en ess t e s on t e se e ns o ooze o t e o t o t e
n ee dl e
 ,

42 0 T HE SNA K ES OF SOUTH AF R I CA .

H orses an d som et i m es donkeys an d mules are used for t he

, ,

purpose The n orm al fat al dose of sn ake veno m for a horse is

.

carefully ascert a in ed an d t he i mmuni zing operati ons are begun,

FIG 1 6 0 — I A d i ti h w i g th r m rk bl v m gl d f th Nig h t D m
s sec on s o n e e a a e en o an s o e or e on
A dd r ( C Th 3} i l g
. . .

e h mh m )
a us u s r o h
lus e s e a re nc es on
d i ti g h i N i g h t A dd r l y v m g l d w f u d Th r
. .

2 Wh en sse c n t s e on o ne en o an as o n e e
tr wh t v r f h r lt h u g h b th f g w r i t t Th ,
. .

w as no ac e a e e o ano t e a o o an s e e n ac e
p im w pt i ll y l rg Th d i t i h w h i gl , .

s ec en as an e xc e o na a e o ne e sse c on s o s t e s n e
gl d d h p wh r h th r h ul d h v b
.

an an t e s a ce e e t e o e s o a e een .

by inj ect in g t he ani mal wit h considerably less t han a fat al dose .

The dosage of ven o m is gradually inc reased unti l t he ani mal is

abl e t o wi t hstan d eight y t o on e h u n dred or din ary fat al doses at
42 2 THE SNA K ES O F SOUTH AFR I C A .

Africa proved useless when I carefully t est ed t he m s o m e indeed ,

were act ually poison ous M an y a hu m an life has b een lost

.

t hrou gh t he poison ous effects of alleged sn ake -bit e ant idot es .

Usually a m an who has recovered aft e r bein g bitt en on ce o r

t wice by a ven om ous snake i magin es hi mself t o b e imm un e t o
,

t he poisons of sn akes but he is n ot so ,

Should he have been .

seriously poisoned his body wil l ce rt ain ly b e m ore resist an t t o

,

ven o m t han a man who has n ever b een bit t en but it m ust be ,

born e i n m ind t hat a sn ake is capable of inj ect in g m an y t i m es .

a fat al dose of ven om Shoul d a m an have ren dered hi mself

.

i mmun e t o say on e ordin ary fat al dos e of snake poison an d a

, , ,

sn ake inj ects two ordin ary fat al doses int o h im he w ill recover ,

fo r t he reason t hat his blood seru m is capabl e of at on ce

n eut ralizing half of t he poison an d t he resist an ce set up by t he ,

n atural defensive forces of t he body will dest roy about on e —half

of t he rem ain der an d so prevent a fat al issu e However i f two

,
.
,

an d a half or di nary fat al doses of veno m have been in j ect ed his ,

body will n ot succ eed i n overpowerin g su ffi cient of t he poison t o

ren der recovery possible .

Again should a m an have recovered aft er bein g t hree or

,

four t i m es bitt en by on e of t he Adder fa m ily of snakes he will ,

only b e S l ight ly resist ant t o Cobra ven om for t he reason t hat ,

t he latt er is a n eu ro to xin or n erve poison while t he form er is ,

m ai n ly a h aemo rrh ag in or blood p oison an d t he s m all a m oun t of ,

n erve poison it cont ai ns would n ot have been su ffi cient t o have

ren dered t he man s body st rongly resist ant t o C ob ra veno m
’
.

On t he ot her han d S hould he have recovered even m an y ti m es

,

fro m bit es by Cobras or fro m art ificial in j ect ions of t heir ven o m
, ,

he will be in n o way i mmun e t o t he blood -poison in g an d

h ae m orrhage i n duced by t he ven oms of Adders alt hough he ,

woul d event ually recover unless he had received an unusually

large dose of poison which of cou rse wou ld cause h aem orrhage
, , ,

un der t he skin an d int o various organs of t oo serious a n atu re

for t he defences of t he body t o overco m e .

It m ust b e re m em bered however t hat t he n eurot oxin or , ,

n erve p oison in snake ven o m is t he port ion which is th e most

viru len t an d i f t his ele m ent is n eut ralized in Adder ven o m t here
, ,

is far less likelihood of t he vict i m dying .

B y inj ect ing in creasin gly large doses of ven om ext en din g
over a long period t he b ody is able slowly t o bring about a
,
AN TI -VEN OMOU S SE RUM AN D I TS PR E PA RAT I ON .
42 3

chan ge in t he n ature of t he blood se ru m makin g it capable of ,

ent irely dest royin g t he p oison ous propert ies of snake veno m .

Takin g advant age of t his fact we i mm un ize an i m als t o snake

ven o m t o a v ery high degree an d us e t heir seru m for inj ect ion
,

i nt o ot her ani m als an d men bitt en b y ven o m ous sn akes an d ,

t hus m en an d ani mals may b e s aved which woul d ot herwise

have cert ainly died .

When i mmu n izin g an im als it is dis t in ct ly dan gerous t o

att em pt t o hast en t he process for t he ani m als usually die if
,

inj ect ed at t oo frequen t in t ervals The great est care m ust b e

.

t aken t o see t hat only absolut el y pu re veno m is used ot herwise ,

sept ic aem ia is likely t o superven e an d cause t he deat h of t he

an i m al The ven o m fro m a dead sn ake should n ot b e used
.

un less t he rept ile has b een freshly killed as I have fou n d t hat ,

t he veno m in t he glan ds b egin s t o decom pose i m m edi at ely t he

dead snake gets st ale ; an d if used for exp eri m ents t he results
are cont ra di ct ory for t he reason t hat t he an imals exp eri m ent ed
,

o n so m et im es die of septic ze m ia an d n ot b y t he sn ake ven o m

,

in j ect ed Those who us e sn ake ven o m for experi m ent al pu rposes

.
,

or for imm unizing an im als or in t he t reat ment of diseas e in t he

,

h uman subj ect should b e careful t o obt ai n t heir ven om from

,

livin g sn akes b y makin g t hem bit e in t o a glass t hrough ant i

sept ic clot h as outlin ed an d illust rat ed els ewhere in t his book
,
.

The horses used for t he pu rp ose are fed o n t he very b est of

foods ; are kept in well -lit t ered warm st ables an d do n o m ann er
, ,

of work which is all t he retu rn we c an m ake t o t he m for t he

,

blood wh ich t hey periodi cally part wit h for t he savin g of hu m an

lives an d t he lives of dom est ic an i m als .

S om e an ti viv isec tio n ists I am aware con demn t his pract ice
s

, ,

of i mm unizing horses for t he pu rpose of preparin g an ant i

ven om ous se ru m ; but s hould a dearly beloved wife husban d , ,

or chil d of on e of t hem b e b it t en by a ven o m ous snake I do ,

n o t for on e m o m ent doubt but t hat his or her conscient ious

scruples woul d in st antly van ish I f such a case should a rise

.

an d ant i -ven om ous seru m was delib erat ely wit hheld t hen I ,

S houl d un hesit at in gly denounce t he ant i -vivisect i onist as a

m urderer if t he bit t en p erso n died The ant i -vivisect ion is t
.

m ove m ent is a good an d useful on e for it act s as a check on

,

t he t en den cy t o in flict t ort ure on ani m als in t he na m e of science

when n o pu rpose calculat ed t o b e of last in g b en efit t o hu m an
42 4 THE S NA K ES OF S OU T H AFR I CA .

an d sub -h um an life is likely t o en su e The ravages of plagu es . ,

which in t he p ast have prematu rely swept off m illions of hu m an

b e in gs an d an i mals ha v e b een checked an d ult i m at ely con quered
,

by t he e ffo rt s o f scient ist s who howeve r were obliged as a , , ,

gen eral rule t o experiment o n an i m als t o discover t he life

,

hist ory of t he m icrob es n atu re of t he disease an d t he physio

, ,

logical act ion o i v ari ous subst an ces when an an t idot e was b ein g
sought .

P O LY VA L ENT AND S P ECIA L A NT I -VEN OMOU S S ER U M .

A n t i -v en o m ous seru m is m ade polyvalent as a general rule ,

v iz
. capab le of n eut ralizing t he venoms of t he C ob ra an d Viper
fa m ilies of s n ak es This n ecessit at es t he i n j ect ion of horses wit h
.

t he ven o m s of bot h C ob ras an d Vipers The ven o m of t he .

C ob ra is an in t ensely v irulen t p oison kn own as neurotoxin On .

t he con t rary t he v en o m of t he Adders act s o n t he blood an d

,

blood vessels caus in g bleedin g u n der t he S kin in t o t he m uscles

, , ,

vit al orga n s an d from t he m ucou s m emb ran es I t is in c on

, .
,

sequ en ce t echn ically called h femorrh agin

, .

Alt hough n eurot oxin is predom in ant in Cobra v en oms an d ,

h aemo rrh a g in in Adder veno ms yet a ll sn ake poisons cont ain ,

what is kn own as a fi brin f ermen t which causes clot t in g of t he ,

bl ood un der cert ain circu mst ances This is present in Cobra .

veno m s but is mu ch st ronger in t he ven o ms of Adders W hen

, .

sn ake v en o m is inj ect ed direct in t o a vein t his fibri n ferm ent ,

causes t he blood t o clot an d in t hese inst an ces even an t i ,

v en om ous se ru m is powerless an d deat h rapidly ensu es— som e ,

t im es wit hin five m inut es of t he in flict ion of t he b it e F o rtu .

mat ely however a v ei n is seldom pu n ctu red by t he fan g of a

, ,

snake whe n it st rikes S pecial seru ms are als o prepared on e

.
,

for use in t he t reat m ent of b it es by a ll species of Co bras a n d th e

dea dly M a mba an d an ot her for t he t reat ment of t he b it es of a ll
,

sp ec ies of Adders I t is possible t o raise t he i mmu n it y of a

.

horse t o a very high degree by in j ect in g wit h only one fo rm or

k in d of s nake poison eit her a n eurot oxin or a h aemo rrh ag in
,

separat ely H en ce t he desirab il it y of havin g t hese special

.

s eru m s ava ilable I f t he sym pt om s of Cob ra an d Adder ven om

.

poison in g are carefully stu died it is easy as a gen eral rule t o , , ,

diagn ose whet her t he bit e is fro m on e of t he C ob ra sub -fa m ily

of snakes or on e of t he Adder grou p
,
.
42 6 TH E SNA KES OF SOUTH A FR I C A .

C o b ra veno m is a lm ost en tirely co m posed an d which Adder ,

venom s have a s mall percentage of t here is com parat ively lit tle
,

dan ger of a fatal issu e t o a healt hy m an or large an i m al S uch ,

as a horse or ox Therefore polyvalen t s e ru m s S hould always be

.

of as high n eut rali z in g power agai ns t t he n euro to x in as possibl e .

C ob ra venom is m ore di fficult t o procu re i n Sout h Africa

t han Adder veno m an d S hould t he operator fa ll sho rt of it he
, ,

can eas il y procure enough n eu rot oxin by heatin g Adder veno m

t o 7 5 C when t he h aem o rrh ag in is dest royed leav in g t he n erv e
°
.
,

poison portion u n changed .

Th e serum ot herwise kn own as plas m a is t he li quid port ion

, ,

of t he blood an d is t ran sparen t an d al m ost colou rless chan gin g

, ,

t o st raw yellow on exposu re t o light Slight ly m ore t han o n e .

hal f of t he blood is seru m t he rest is m ade u p of corpuscles

,
.

To obt ai n t he se ru m t he blood is allowed to st a n d in a pail t ill

it has clott ed firm ly It is t hen a fi rm red m ass com posed of
.

fib rin and corpuscl es the se rum or liquid port ions havin g been
,

squeez ed out .

I N S TR U CTI O N S IN B RIE F F OR THE USE OF A NTI -V EN OM O U S

S ER U M .

( 1 ) A nti venene i s the seru m of horses highly i mmu ni z ed

- *

with Cobra an d Vi per veno m s ( Colu brin e an d Vip erin e) .

I ts curative properties have bee n tested o n ani m als agai nst

t hese veno m s and found to be highly e ffective .

( 2 ) I n case of ei ther C obra or Vi per bi te whe n the patien t i s

at hand and before s ym pto m s have set i n 2 0 to 3 0 c c of ,
. .

anti -venene S hould be i nj ected u nder t he skin i nto any par t

o f t he body where the S ki n i s loose such as i n the regi o n o f ,

the flanks . For pre ference i nj ect i nt o the loose tissues or

folds o f t he abdo m en at t he sides be tween th e l ast rib and
pelvis Children requ ire as large a dose as adult s — Oft en larger
. .

( 3 ) I n a case whe n a patient i s n o t see n until sy m pto m s

o f poisoni n g have set i n t he sa me a mou nt o f se ru m m ay be
,

given by i nj ection direct i n to a vei n But when the sn ake i s .

l arge an d the bi te i s a full one wi th bot h fangs an extra dose ,

is desirable if given under the S kin o r int o t h e m uscles .

( 4) I f seru m has been i nj ected under the S ki n and i f the ,

A nti -v enen e is a no t h er nam e f o r anti -v eno m o u s seru m .

 SUMMAR Y .
42 7

patien t see ms to be developi ng alar mi ng sy mpto m s i t i ndicates ,

t hat an unusu ally large dos e of v en o m has been i nj ect ed .

( 5 ) For i ntravenous i nj ection a vei n of the forear m should

,

be selected for preference The vei n should be m ade pro mi nent

.

by pressure above The syri nge and needle S hould be held

.

al most parallel to the vei n keepi ng the oblique openi ng at t he

,

poi nt of the needle upwards The operator stea di es the vei n wi th

.

hi s left han d and i ntroduces the nee dle When the needle is kep t .

parallel t o the vei n wi th the S lant at the poi nt upwards steady ,

pressure carries i t i n to the vei n wi t hout di fficulty and avoi d s ,

punctu ri ng both walls o f the blood -vessel AS soon as the needle .

is i n the vei n re m ove the pressu re above and slowly i nj ect the
, ,

seru m . A local subcut an eous swelli ng appeari ng duri ng t he

operation of i nj ection S hows that the needle is not i n the vei n ,

and a fresh atte m pt S hould be m ade t o i ntroduce i t .

( 6 ) I f there are any albu mi nous deposi ts or fl o ccu li i n the

bottle the seru m S h oul d be filtered through the corner of a clean
,

li nen pocket —ha n dkerchi ef or a piece of clea n rag i nto a wi ne

glass o r other conve n i e n t recept acle previous to usi n g i t This
, .

is n o t essential if i nj ecti n g un der t he S ki n .

I f boili n g water be at ha n d di p t he cloth in to i t and wash

,

out the vessel before strai ni ng A one per cent solution of per
. .

m anganate of pot ash or boraci c aci d would do i nstead of boili ng

water for sterili zi n g the clot h and vessel
, .

( 7 ) The seru m syri nge should be perfectly clean The best .

plan i s to boil i t i n water to whi ch so m e borax has been added .

Then oil an d put i t away i n i ts case ready for use Exa m in e i t , .

occasionall y to see t hat the needle i s no t get ti ng rusty .

I f any antisepti c s uch as st rong alcohol or per m anganat e

in solution be at ha n d wash the S i te of the proposed i nj ecti on
,

wi th i t I f no antisepti c is t o be had then rub the S p o t clean

.
,
.

( 8 ) A n albu m i n ous preci pi tate i n the bottle does not i ndi cate
conta mi nation and would be qui te har mless i f given sube n
,

ta n eo u sly .

For obvi ous reasons i t would not be safe to i nj ect a preci

,

pi tate o f any ki nd di rect i nto a vei n hence the necessity for ,

fil teri ng the seru m through a clean cloth or m uslin before in

jec tio n i n t o a vei n .

( 9) Be sure th at your sy ri nge i s i n good wor ki ng order so ,

that i t will t ake up a charge of seru m wi thout an y difli culty .

 42 8 TH E SNA KE S OF SO U TH AFR I CA .

( 1 0 ) The seru m co n t ai n s n o toxi c or poisonous subst a n ce s

o f a n y ki n d .

( 1 1 ) I t does n o harm i f i n j ected a n d i t i s subseque n tly dis ,

covered t hat the s irake whi ch i n fli cted the bi te was a h arm less one .

( 1 2 ) The bottles o f seru m should be kept in the dark an d in ,

the coolest pl ace i n the house He at and li ght are the two chi e f
.

causes in brin gi ng abou t a deteri oration in the strength of the

a n ti toxi c properties of the seru m .

( 1 3 ) Whe n kept i n a dark and cool pl ace the seru m loses very ,

li t tle of i ts a n ti toxi c properti es in a year probably n o t more —

than 5 per ce n t eve n i f as m uch An i n crease of dose woul d

.
, .

m ake up for t h i s loss .

( 4)
1 So m eti m es a k in d of n ettle -rash appears o n the s ki n

after t he subcuta n eous i n j ectio n o f seru m Thi s will disappear .

in a d ay or two and n eed cause n o alar m *

, .

( 1 5 ) Seru m i n j ected in excess does n o harm So meti m es .

what i s k n own as seru m si ck n ess ( an aphyl ax is ) supervenes ,

i f th e patie n t has b een in j ect ed wit h s e ru m at so m e previous

t i me .

( 1 6 ) I f n ervous about i n j ecti n g seru m direct into a vei n t he n ,

i nj ec t copiousl y u nder t he S ki n in bad cases Use even as much .

as 5 0 cubic ce n ti metres (n early 2 o z ) i f n ecessary . .

( 1 7) I t is advisabl e t o ren ew li quid seru m every two years .

S ECO N D AR Y T REATMENT F OR S NAKE B ITE E FFECTI V E IN ,

A LL S ERI O U S C A S E S .

We wi ll suppose t he pu n ct u res have been thoroug h ly scari

fi ed per m anga n ate o f pot ash rubbed i n a li ature applied
,
g , ,

an d t he patien t i s n ow at ho m e and has been i nj ected wi th ,

-
an ti ve n o mous seru m an d the ligature re mo ved He must be .

stri pped and put i n to bed at o nce and kept warm Apply , .

-
hot water bags to his feet s to m ach and abdo men I f n one, ,
.

are avai lable fi ll stone j ars bot tles or anythi n g handy

, , ,

which will hold ho t water Wrap these separately i n fla n nel

.
,

or so m e o ther kind o f cloth t o preven t the m burni n g the ,

If an a b sc s f r ms a t th e
e s o s ea t o f i nj ec ti o n it i ndi c a t s t h e syri ng e
,
e
w as not in an a pti c nditi o n
se c o or th e s ki n a t t h e p i n t o f n try f th e
o e o
needl e w as d irty
,

.
43 0 TH E SN A KES OF SOUTH AFR I C A

S TIM U L ANT S .

I n cases of C obra M am ba bite t easpoo n ful dose s of ho t

an d ,

brandy and water will do n o har m *

The aim should be to pre .

ven t the poiso n fro m be n u mbing the n erve cen tres beyo n d the
possibili ty of recovery I n all c ases of A dder an d Boo msl an g
.

ve n o m poisoni n g alcohol is dist in ctly h arm ful Nux vo mica .

,

which is a preparatio n of strych n in e ad m inist ered i n tern ally ,

in m edicin al doses will te n d te mporarily to rouse the n ervous

syste m So too will t he i n j ectio n o f strychni n e This however
.
, ,
.
, ,

is dangerous unless the operator kn ows the exact dosage Tab .

loids cont aining t he proper dose for i n j ectio n m ay be obt ai n ed

.

fro m an y che m ist I t h a s however n o an t idot al power

.
, , .

The best n erve sti mulan t at these t i m es is a fresh hot in fusio n ,

o f tea M ake i t very stro n g bu t do n o t allow i t to in fuse m ore

.
,

than t wo to three min utes Tea co n t ain s a powerful alkaloid

'

drug k n own as Thei n e which powerfully st imulat es t he n erve

, ,

centres I f the t ea is brewed for five min utes or longer the

.
,

i nfusio n cert ai nl y gets stro n g but i t is then i mpregn ated with ,

t an nic acid which is highly i n j urious G ive the tea to the patien t
, .

i n s m all S ips so as not to upset or overburden his sto m ach which

, ,

at this ti m e is apt to rej ect a n ything swallowed G ive the hot .

tea off a n d o n at i n tervals so as to keep up the sti mulatio n ,

.

Strong coffee m ay b e used in place of tea .

Never dose the patien t with large doses of alcohol or a mmoni a ,

and do no t on an y accoun t rub pipe oil ( n icotine ) in to the wounds

m ade over th e S ite of the bite or allow i t to b e swallowed , .

I f you keep the patien t warm and apply the hot bottles or
fo m en tations and give s m all repeat ed doses of very strong
,

freshly brewed tea that is all that you c an do to aid N ature

, .

I f no seru m h as been i nj ec ted the n c arry ou t all the fore ,

going secondary treat men t if possible more energetically I f , ,

.

the patient con tinues to shiver and if the surface of his body ,

feels cla mmy and cold i t woul d do h im good t o soak his bod y in
,

a bath o f ho t water now and the n for five minutes at a t i me .

After such a bath he m ust inst antly be put back in bed an d

covered up .

When t he patien t shows S igns of reviving and see ms o n the ,

Al c o h o l sh o uld ot b e giv en w h en eru m h as b n o r is g o i ng

n s ee , to b e ,
i nj ec t d a it seri o u sly h i nd r s its v e m -n eu tr li i ng pr o p ert i s
e , s e no a z e .
 A RTI FI CI A L RESPI RATI ON .
43 1

road to recovery ceas e to ad minister sti mulants or give the m

, ,

at longer i ntervals .

The s c arifi ed S i te o f the bite must be regularly washed wi th

a n antisepti c and carefull y bandaged aft er s motheri n g it wi th ,

boracic acid Thi s m ust o n no account be n eglected

. D O it .

t wice a day .

During convalescence fro m snake bite the diet S hould be

very light such as hot m ilk taken i n s m all S ips m ilk puddings
, , ,

artificial infants food rusks soaked in m ilk soft ripe fruit well
’

, , ,

co oked rice and m ilk etc D o no t give m eat or m eat soups ,

.
,

or any food containing added fat or fried foods The organs of , .

t he body at this t i m e must be handicapped as little as possible ,

for i f the veno m be that of an Adder or Boo m slang there will b e

m ore or less extensive h a mo rrh ag e This dead blood will require .

t o be reabsorbed an d cast out of t he body by the various organs ,

else mo rtifi c atio n and death will occur .

M any cases have been related to m e of re m arkable cures

having bee n e ffected by cert ai n roots herbs tinctures alcohol , , , ,

etc but on close investigation it was evident the patien t would

.
,

have recovered j ust as quickly if nothing had been a dm in is

tered .Whe n snake veno m does not kill recovery is usually ,

very rapid and this is invari ab ly attributed to so m ething i n the

,

way o f an antidote given the patient No know n m edicine .

t ake n i nternally is a re m edy for snake bite .

P AR A LY S I S OF THE R E S P I RATO R Y N ERVE C E N T R E S .

Wh at to do if t he breath ing sh ou ld su dden l

y s to p .

The veno m of the Elapin ae or sub —fam ily of sn akes to which

the Cobra belongs acts powerfully upon the n erve -centres and ,

tends to paralyse t heir act ion I ts principal e ffect is upon t he .

nerve -centres controlling the auto m atic m ove ments of the lungs
and diaph rag m By paralysing these nerve -centres the lungs
.

collapse breathing ceases and the patien t dies

, ,
.

I f you are nursing a person su ffering fro m the bite of an y

on e of these sn akes and i f you observe the breathing to grow
,

shallow and hurried carefully watch h im Then i f the breathin g

,
.
,

should cease altogether you should instantly resort to artificial ,

respirat ion m ethods and keep them up without a pause for,

a n hour at least or until a m e di cal m an tells you to desist

,
.
43 2 TH E SN A K ES OF SO U TH AFR I C A .

The easiest and most e ffi cient m ethod to apply is as

follows : Pl ace the patien t straight out upo n his chest an d
abdo m e n o n a fairly hard and flat surface turn his head slightly ,

to one side so that his m outh an d n ose may b e free K neel

, .

beside his legs facing his head Place the pal ms of your hands
,
.

flat upon the lower parts of his ribs one ha n d o n each side and , ,

FIG Ten — Th i s is t h e b tw
es ay to p rf rm th rti fi i l br th i g p r ti
e o e a c a ea n o e a on wh i ch
full y xp l i d i th t xt
.

is e a ne n e e .

press gently bu t fir m ly not with a sudden j erk Pause a second

,
.

’
or tw o and then draw your hands back raising t he patient s
, ,

chest an inch or so with your fingers as you draw b ack ( see Fig 2 .

of picture) When you press the rib -region downwards you are
. ,

driving the air out o f the lungs The m o ment you let go the lungs . ,

agai n expand and air rushes i n Ti me your m ove m ents so that

,
. ,

they m ay be as near as possible to the ordin ary breathing of a

43 4 TH E SN A K ES OF SOUTH AFR I CA .

of th e above m ethod over o thers is that there is n o n ecessity t o

pull out and secure the tongue to prevent it blocking the entran ce
to the wi ndpipe Whe n t he patien t lies on his abdo m en and
.

chest and the head slightly turned aside the tongue n aturally
, ,

falls forward and any froth m ucous or water will ru n out of

, , ,

the m outh or n ose without in any way obst ructi n g the air
passages .

The second m ethod is as follows I t is however n o t so .

, ,

practical and S i m ple as the first .

Place t he patien t flat upo n his b ack pu t a p illow under his ,

shoulder-blades let his head han g slightly back pull his tongu e
, ,

forward and faste n it k n eel over h im as S how n in t he illustratio n

, , ,

seize his elbows in your ha n ds and with a quick move m en t bri n g ,

his ar ms over his head as far as they will go so as to expan d t he, ,

chest to the utterm ost pause an instan t the n bring the m fo rward
, ,

and press gently but strongly agai nst his ribs to expel the air
in his lungs Keep o n doing this without pausing The quicker
. .

you start the process after n atural breathing ceases the

better .

The inst an t t he patien t starts to breathe of his o w n accord ,

cease your m anipulations and m assage his legs and body vigor
o u sly AS soo n as he is able t o swallow give a little very stro n g
.
,

freshly brewed tea or a few S ips of hot brandy and water I f

,
.

you S hould notice the breathing beginning to cease or if i t should ,

suddenly stop the n at once resu me the artificial breathi n g

,

operations These e fforts should be kept up for an hour at

.

least or until a medical m an pronounces life to b e extinct

, .

H OP E OF R ECOVER Y F OR THE A P P ARENT LY DEA D .

The veno ms of all species o f Cobras exert a poisonous para ,

lysing i nfluence upon the nerve centres and nervous syste m ,

generally di ffering more or less i n their pathological e ffects

,

according to the species .

However although the veno ms o f the di fferen t species of

,

C ob ras vary more or less in t heir effects yet t hey one and all , , ,

act as powerful n erve poisons I t has been urged by so me .

wri ters and lecturers that a dose of veno m su flflc ien t to kill a
healthy man will assuredly prove fat al i f seru m has n ot been
 POSSI B L E R ECOVE R Y .
43 5

inj ec ted unt il aft er co m a has set in for the reason that t he veno m ,

destroys the nerve cen tres beyond the possibility of recovery I n .

other words the veno m actually annihilates the life of the nerve
,

cen tres by so altering the structure of their cells that i t is quite

,

i mpossible for recovery to take place .

Others ridicule the idea of a m an s life being saved after ’

breathing has ceased Consequen tly they m aintain that i n

.

cases of snake bi te it is useless to resort to artificial respira

t ion
.

I n ani m als inj ected with fatal doses of Cobra veno m no

destruction of the nerve cells was Observed if they died with in
six hours But i n all cases where life was prolonged for twelve
.

hours or more it was noticed that preparations of nerve -substance

, ,

st ained by Nissel s m ethod S howed that the veno m had acted upon
’

, .

considerable nu m bers of nerve cells I n so me instances the outer .

coating of the cell had vanished ; in others the W hole cell was
co m pletely destroyed This was particularly noticeable i n the
.

S pi n al cord .

However except in extrem e cas es due to an excessive dose

,

of Cobra veno m su fficien t nerve cells are not destroyed to be the

,

actual caus e of death .

Sn ake veno m like hypnotic drugs b enu m bs the nerve ce ntres

, ,

i n the brai n m edulla Oblo n gat a and spi nal cord m ore or less
, ,

I n accordance with the nature of the poison and the quanti ty

i ntroduced into the blood Alcoholic liquor also causes exten .

sive destruction of nerve cells but does not usually destroy ,

suffi cien t to b e a direct cause of death .

Ani m als which have been paralysed by snake veno m often

recover I have kept such ani m als for m any m onths and i n
.
,

no c ase have they showed any sy m pto m s afterwards of da m aged

n ervous syst e m s .

Hu m an beings who recover fro m snake bite beco me healthy

and strong again I have see n men lying i nsensible and appar
.

ently too far gone to recover Y et they rallied and m ade .

co m plete recov eries The case of Mr J a mes Willia m s m y

. .
,

assistant is an excellen t illustration

,
He was bi tten by a .

Tree Sn ak e or Boo m slang ( D isp h olidu s typ us) and was as near ,

death as it w as possible for a man and yet he lived He l ay ,

.

for days al most insensible and co m pletely paralysed fro m head

t o foot.
43 6 TH E SN A K E S OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

Now if snake veno m per mane n tly destroys t he n erve ce n tres

, ,

ren dering the m for ever i n capable of resu ming t heir funct io n s ,

how co mes i t that Willia m s m ade a co m plet e recovery ? I

have kept h im u n der observatio n for seven years an d have ,

failed to detect an y har m h avi ng resul ted to his n ervous

syste m His m e n t al fu n ct ions re mai n uni mpaired Physically
. .
,

he is as vigo rous as he was prior t o being bitte n For so me .

m o n ths there were so me S light after -e ffects such as giddi n ess , ,

but this c an be at tributed to t he terrible be n u mbi n g i nfluence

which the ve n o m exerted upo n his whole n ervous orga n izatio n ,

a n d t he m ucous m e mbra n es of his body I t is a m at ter of surprise .

to all that he m ade S O rapid a recovery for the co n ditio n he was ,

in for a week or two was m ost serious To be reali z ed fully i t .

had to be wit n essed H e was n o t t reat ed wit h seru m

. .

Whe n sn ake ve n o m does n o t kill men recovery i n variably ,

t akes place rapidly I have observed the sam e rapid recovery

.

in ani m als Those which I i nj ected with a s mall a mount of

.

ve n o m appeared as though about t o die After a ti m e t hey .

'

rallied and soo n were as well as ever excepting perhaps for

, ,

local swellings or patches of blood which had oo z ed fro m the

,

s m all blood -vessels an d accu mulated under the S ki n Rapid .

recoveries however are n o t usu al with men who habitually

, ,

use alcoholic liquor I n t hese cases I have observed m ore or

.

less serious after-e ffects superve n e such as the sloughing of ,

the flesh at an d n ear the site of the bite a n d eve n mo rtifi c atio n ,

which n ecessitated a m putation This sloughin g of t he flesh at .

t he sit e of t he bit e S o m et im es occurs at i n t ervals for t wo or

t hree years .

C U RAR I AND S NAKE V EN OM .

*
Curari is a powerful poiso n of vegetable origi n used by t he ,

natives o f the northern parts of South A m erica for poiso n ing

t he tips of their arrows C urari acts upo n the n erve ce n tres in
.

very much the sam e manner as s n ake ve n o m L ike the l atter .

,

i t is har mless i f swallowed providing of course there are n o , , ,

abrasions of the mouth or cat arrhal conditio n s of the sto mach

, .

When introduced i nto the blood t hrough a scrat c h punct ure or , ,

woun d it causes paralysis of t he n erves of t he respirat ory organs

,
.

A qu eo u s xtr ac t
e of a tr ee ( S t yr ch n os toxif era ) .
43 8 TH E SN A KES OF SO U TH AFRI CA .

o f the body then i t is possible for recovery t o t ake pl ace when

,

otherwise death would have ensued .

I f c on siderab lv m ore veno m is taken i nto the body than is

su fficient under nor m al conditions to kill artificial respiration ,

would be useless but no m an can know j ust how m uch the snake
,

has i nj ected and therefore i t is desirable to resort to artificial

,

respiratio n whe n the victi m of snake bite has ceased to breathe ,

part icularly s o if s eru m has been inj ect ed .

EX P ERI MENT S ON A NIMAL S .

Experi m ents have been made on ani m als by i nj ecting the m

wi th snake veno ms and resorting t o artifici al respiration im
mediately breathing ceases I n this way life has been prolonged .

m any hours I n o ne n otable case a dog was bitten by a Sea

.

Sn ake Two hours later i t ceased t o breathe apparently dyi n g

.
,

in co nvulsions Artificial respiration was resorted to This was

. .

kept up for so m e hours A galvanic curren t was then applied .

,

but no m uscular con tractions were aroused and the eyes con ,

tin u ed t o b e gla z ed dry and i nsensible t o the t ouch

, ,
.

The ani mal see med as dead as i t was possible for it to b e N o .

S ig n of life re m ained Any m edical m an would have pronou nced

.

i t so The l ast S park of life see med t o have gone out Bu t

. .

art ificial respiration was kept up by rel ays of assistants .

After S ixteen hours the dog S howed signs of life The g alvan ic .

b at tery w as again applied This ti me the muscles contracted .

,

and caused various m ove men ts of the body The bowels an d .

bladder acted Another five hours showed still m ore advanced

.

signs o f recovery i n the dog The eyes were no longer dry and .

glazed Tears were secreted and suffused the eyes

. Saliva ,
.

flowed The eye -lids closed and opened when the now sensitive
.

cornea was touched or when drops of water were poured i nt o

,

t he eyes The dog m ade atte m pts to swallow when water was
.

poured i nto i ts mouth I t eventually partially recovered its

.

senses and moved i ts body and wagged i ts t ail Twice the

, .

ani mal relapsed and artifici al breathing was again resorted to

, .

However after twen ty -four and a h alf hours when recovery

, ,

see med certai n the dog began to sink The heart S lowed down
, .
,

and even tually ceased to beat All subsequent att em pts at .

resuscit ation failed .

 E X PER I M ENTS ON AN I MA L S .
439

Although this dog was to all in tents and purposes dead

, , ,

yet under artificial respiration m ethods it revived and recovered ,

t he use of its muscles brain and nervous syste m to a certain

, ,

degree Y et although t he dog did no t even tually recover the

.
,

experi men t de monstrated clearly that an ani m al apparently

dead of snake veno m could at least be te m porarily revived .

The dose of veno m was eviden tly too great in this case to
make recovery possible . I n the case of curari the sa m e thing
happens I f t he dose is l arge artifici al respiration m ethods
.
,

fail to revive the victi m .

The power of resist ance to sn ake veno m is m uch greater i n

vigorous healthy hu m an beings than i t is i n m ost ani m als such
,

as dogs m onkeys goats S heep rabbi ts A full bite fro m an

, , , ,
.

adult Cobra will kill a large dog or m onkey within an hour I n .

my experi m ents so m e died i n ten m inutes A healthy hu m an .

being would survive fro m two t o S ix hours .

Dr Vi ncen t Richards succeeded i n keepi ng a man bitten by

.

an I n dian Cobra alive for thirty hours by m eans of artifici al

respiration after nor m al breathing had ceased I f i t is possible .

to keep a man alive for thirty hours i n this way i t is qui t e ,

possible to save his life because i f ant i -venene has been in

,

jec ted i n su fficien t quantity into a vein i t will n eutralize the,

poiso n if the victi m c an b e kept alive long enough I f a su fficien t .

dose of ant i —ve n ene has been inj ect ed in to a m an and he S hould
cease to breathe an hour or two later it i n dicates that t he re medy
,

has not had su fficien t t i m e to penetrat e i nto the ly m ph and ,

co m e into su fficiently close cont act wit h the poisoned nerve

cent res an d en din gs to exert its veno m—neutralizing properties .

Therefore i f the patien t can be kept alive for a few hours by

-venene ti m e
m eans of artificial respiratio n an d S O give the anti
to act fu lly upon t he poison there is no reason why he S hould
,

not m ake a co m plete recovery .

44 0 TH E SN A K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

FIG I 6 3 — rum u d r th ki f th bd m
ln je c t in g se n P ull
e p th l
e s ki d n o e a o en u e o o se s n an ru n
d l p i t f h l f i h b li q u l y u d r h ki d l wl y i j t h t t
. . .

t he n ee e o n or a an nc o e n e t e s n an s o n ec t e c o n en
o f h yri g I j t h y i g ful f
t e s n e n ec m i d fl
ea c pl
s Wi th d r w h
r n e o s e ru n a i e ren t ac e . a t e
d l wi t h q m k m v m t d b l i ttl ll d p ur l h l i di th r
.

n ee e a c o e en an ru a e co o in , e a co o o n e, o r o e
an t i p ti v r th pu tur
se c o e e nc e.
, ,
4 42 TH E SN AK ES O F SO U TH AFR I C A .

P re ul a r a littl e narro w er t h a n th e o c ul a r in c o nt ac t
oc ,

w it h th s c o n d l bi l o n ly ; di am et e r o f b dy 2 3
e e a a o
t o 3 t i m es in t o t a l l en gt h
0 T f orn si ii a n .
~

btu ly a ng ul ar n o t trenc h an t h o ri
.

I I S no ut w it h
. o se , ,

o t al e dg ez n .

2 4 sc a l s r o u n d t h e b o dy
e p raeo c u la i c o n tac t wit h t h e r n

s c o n d a d t h ird l a bi a l s
e di a m et er o f b o dy 3 0 ti m s
n e

i t o t l l n gt h n a e T mossa mbic us .

3 0 o 3 2 s a l s r o u nd th e b o dy
. .
0

r c p ae o c u l r in c o n t c t
e r a a

with th e se o n d l bi a l o n ly di m t er o f b o dy 2 4 c a a e

ti m s in t o t l l en g th eye o t di sti n gui h abl

e a T n c h ietce n s e . a .

3 0 to 3 4 sc a l es r o u n d th e b o dy ; p ae c u l r in c o n t a c t r o a
with th e sec o n d l abi a l ( ra r ely s c o n d a d th ird ) ; e n

di m t er o f b o dy 2 8 to 3 6 ti m es i t o t a l l en gth ; y
a e n e e

di sti nc t T bibron i i .

I I I S n o ut with sh a rp tren c h an t h o riz o n t a l edg e

. .

. .
, ,

A S n ut n o t b o o k d (i pro fil )
. o e n e .

2 8 to 3 sc a l es r o u n d b o d y ; di m e t e r o f b o dy 3 5 t o 5 0
0 a

ti m es i n t o t a l l ngt h T d l lan dii

e . e a .

3 0 t o 3 8 sca l es r o u n d b o dy di a met er o f b o dy 2 5 to 3 5
ti m s i t o ta l l n gt h e n T mu cru so
e . .

3 4 to 4 sc a l es r o u n d b o dy
0 di am t er o f b o dy 4 2 to 4 6 e
ti mes i t o t l l ngt h n a e

4 t 4 4 sc a l es r o u n d b dy
0 o d i m t er o f b o dy 2 5 t o 3 0 o a e

ti m s in t t l l en gth e o a

B S n o ut h o k ed . 2 4 or 6 s c a l s r o u d b dy o 2 e n o
di m et er f b o dy 4 5 to 5 7 ti m s i t o t al l en gth T ch i z i
a o e n . s n .

r T Y P H L O P S VE RTI C AL I S
. .

O y h o ph lu s ve tic lis S m ith I ll R ept pl liv

n c ce a r a , , .
, . . .

Typh lops v ti li B ul n g t e p 3 er ca s, o e .
,
. .
, . 2 .

I nt eri o r o f S o u th Afri c a .

M a l m sbury ( H Gird ) e . .

2 T Y P H L O P S F OR NAS I NI I B i anc o n i S p c 2 0 0 1 Mo a m b p 1 3 pl iii

.
, , e . . s . .
, . .

fig 1 B o ul n g t p 3 8 . e .
, . c .
, . .

P o rtugu ese E t Afri c a as .

D ela g o a B a y ( D e C o s t er) .

3 T Y P H L O P S M O S S AM B I C U S
. .

O yc h eph lu s moss mbic us P e t er Mo n B erl Ac 1 8 5 4 p 6 2 1

n oc a a , s, . . .
, , . .

Typh lop moss mbicu B o ul en g t c p 4 1 s a s, .

, . .
, . .

P o tu g u sea t Afri c a Z ulul a n d

r e s , .

4 T Y P H L O P S AN C H I E TE
. B o cage J o r n S c L i b xi 1 8 8 6 p 1 7 2 ; , , . . s . .
, .

B o ul n g t c p 4 0 e .
, . .
, . .

An g o l a Tr a n s v aa l , .

5 T Y P H L O P S B I B R O NI I
. .

O ych o ph lus bibro ii S mit h I ll R ept pl li fig 2 a n d li

n ce a fi gs n , ,
.
, . . . .
,
v . .

Typh lo ps bibro n ii B o ul en g ,
.
, p .
44 .

C p e C l o n y B s ut o l a n d N a ta l
a o , a ,
.

C p e C o l o n y : M l m bury ( Gird) ; B th ur st D i tri c t ( B ec k er) ; P o rt

a a es a s

S t J h n s ( S h o rtridg ) ; M t a ti l e E a s t Griqu a l a n d ( Tyrr l) ;

. o e a e ,
e

L ittl e N a m a qu a l a n d ( P é i g u ey) r n .

B a s ut o l n d : M o rij a ( D yk e) a .

Tra nsv aa l : L yd nburg ( Ki lg o ur) e .

6 . T Y P H L O P S D E L AL AND I I S ch leg Abbild p 3 8 pl x xx u fi g s 1 7 -2 0 ; , . . .

, . . .

B o ul en g t c p 4 5 .
, . .
, . .
 L I ST OF SOUTH AFRI CAN S NA K ES .
4 43

Cap e C o l o ny N a t al O r an ge R iv er C l o n y Tr nsv aal S o uth r n

, , o , a ,
e
R h d si o e a .

C a p C o l o n y : C a p e P eni nsu l a ( F i b idg de S o u z P ur ll) ;

e a r r e, a, ce
M l m sbury ( Gird) ; B urg h ers d rp ( K
a e m ye ) ; Tulb a g h o an n e e r

( Kl ei nsc h midt) ; P ri n c Alb r t ( P r c ll) ; K n y sn ( Ma ritz) ; e e u e a

P o rt Eliz b t h ( W ea l e D r g ) ; Midd lburg ( P i r s)

a e C lvi n i a , o e e e a

( L ipo ld t ) ; C l ed o n ( B urg r ) W o rc t r ( P ur c ll P y n t er) S t el

e a e es e e , a
l b o h ( L ig h tf o o t)
en sc R b t s n ( M ll ) H n v r ( S h r i n r ) o er o e e a o e c e e

G a fi -R i n t ( P a y n t r ) ; T o uw R iv er W o r c est er D i tri c t ’
e
ra e e s , s

( P ur ll ) L ittl N m a qu a l n d ( P é i g u ey)
ce e a a r n .

O r ang Riv er C l n y : S m ith fi eld ( K an em y )

e o o n e er .

7 . T YP H L OP S MU C R U S O .

O y h oc ph a lu m
n c e u o P et e r s Mo s B rl Ac 1 85 4 p 6 2 1
acr s , , n . e . .
, , . .

Typh l ps m ru
o B o ul n g t c p 4 6
ac so , e .
, . .
, . .

Tro pi a l Afri a to P rtug u ese E st Afri c a S o uth r n R h o d si a n d

c c o a , e e a,
Tra ns v l aa .

Tr a nsv l B rb er to n ( R en d ll)
aa a a .

S o ut h er n R h d s i : S li bury ( D rli n g M r h ll )
o e a a s a , a s a .

P o rtugu se E s t Afri a
e D l g o a B a y ( D e C o st er)
a c e a .

8 . T Y P H L O P S D I N GA .

O y h o ph lu s di g
n c ce P e t er s Mo n B rl Ac 1 8 5 4 p 6 2 0
a n a, , . e . .
, , . .

Typh l p di g B ul n g t
o s n p 45
a, o e .
, . c .
, . .

P o rtugu se E as t Afri a S o ut h r n R h d i a
e c ,
e o es .

9 . T Y P H L O P S S CH L E G E L I I B i nc o ni S p c 2 0 1 Mo mb p 1 3 pl iii , a ,
e . 0 . sa . .
, . .

fig .B o ul en g t
2 p 44 .
, . c .
, . .

E ast n d C n tr l Afri c a t o P o rt u g u ese E s t Afri c a a d S ut h er n

a e a a n o

R h d si o e a .

D el g o
a B y ( D e C o s t r)
a a e .

I O . T Y P H L O P S S CH I NZ I B o ettg er B r S en c k G es 1 8 8 7 p 1 5 4 pl v
, , e . . .
, , .
,
. .

fi g 1 B o ul ng t p 4 7
. e .
, . c .
, . .

N o rth r n p a rt s o f C ap C o l n y
e e o .

L ittl e N m q u l n d ( Tu l ) C a r n a rv o ( H a a )
a a a a r e n n n .

F AM I L Y G L AU CON I I D X
E .

A s in g le Gen u s i n S o u th Af ric a .

1 . G L A U CO N I A .

Gra y , Ca t . L iz p . . 1 39 ; B ul n g C t o e . a . Sn . i p
. .
59 .

S ix S pec ies in S o u th Af ric a .

I . S upra o ul a r pr es n t
c e .

A R o str l s p a r t d fro m th e s uprao c ul r by th e

. a e a e a

upp r p rt f th e n l ; di m t er o f b o dy 4
e a o a sa a e 0

to 6 ti m s i t o ta l l ngth
0 e n e G . n ig ric a n s .

B R stra l i c o n t ac t w ith t h s upr a o c ul r

. o n e a .

R o str a l o t m o r t h an t w i e th w idth o f th e
a . n e c e

n as l xt en di n g t o o r s ligh tly b y o n d
a , e e a

li n c nn c ti ng th e p o st eri o r b rd r s o f th
e o e o e e

e es

fi
.

D i a m et r e i t t l l gt
b o y 4 7 t o 7 0 t mes in o a en h
of
D i m t r
a e e of o b dy
9 0 to 1 1 0 ti t t l l ngt
m es in o a e h
b .os a R tr l v ry l rg
e a l t twi
e, a t ea s c e as br d
oa as
th e a sa n l
an d e ext n di ng b y n d
e o a li n
e
co ec nn ti n g
th e p t ri r b rd r
os e o o e of th e
e es ; y di
am e e t r b dy
of o 5 0 to 8 0 ti
mes in
o a le t t l ngt
h .
4 44 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

S no u t r o u n d ed G . sc u ti ron s f .

S no u t with th e p ra o ra l p r t c o nc a v
a e, a pp eari n g ligh tly s

b o o k ed in pr o fil e
II . No supr o c ul a r a

1 . GLAU C O NI A N I G RI C A N S .

Typh l p ig i o s n S c h leg Abbild p 3 8 pl x x x u fi gs 2 1 -2 4

r c an s , . . .
, . . . .

Gl u o i ig ica s B o ul eng t c p 6 7
a c n a n r n ,
.
, . .
, . .

S ut h Afri ca
o .

C a p e C o l ny : K en t n i ( K o lb ) ; S w ll en d m ( F ry) E ng c o b o ( Wei s
o
‘

a e e a
b ec k er) P o rt E liz a b et h ( Weal e D rege) , .

2 . GLAU C O NI A C O N JU N C TA .

S t ost m
en o ju
o tu m J
a c an Arc hn 2 0 0 1 A na t P h y s i 1 8 6 1 p 1 8 9
nc , , . . . . .
, ,
. .

Gl u o i co j u cta B o ul n g t c p 6 7
a c n a n n , e .
, . .
, . .

S o ut h n d E as t Af ri c a
a .

C p e C l o n y : S w ell end m ( F ry) E n gc o b o ( Wei sb e k r)

a o Aliw a l a c e

N o rth ( W i sb k er) B u rgh er s d o rp ( K n em ye )

e ec an e r .

B s ut o l n d
a K o r o k o r o ( S c l t er )
a a .

N a ta l : U m v o ti ( F ry) .

Transva l : L yd enb u rg ( F ry) Mo dd erfo n t ei n ( P ur c ell)

a .

3 . GL A U C O N I A G RA CI L I O R sp 11 , . .

C p e C o l o ny
a .

V n R y sdo rp ( A W R o g er )
a n M atj sfo n t ei n ( P u r c ell ) Cl a nwil li a m
. . s e

( L eip o ldt) .

4 . GLAU C O N I A S CU TI F R O N S .

S ten o sto ma sc utif ro n s P e e s Mo n B e Ac 1 8 5 4 62 , t r . rl . .

, ,
p . 1 .

G la u c o n i a scu tif ro n s B o en tc 68 , ul g .
, . .
, p . .

G la u co n i a la tif ro n s S e n e S it z b G es Na t Be , t r f ld , . . . Fr . rl .
, 1 90 8, p .
94 .

So ut Afri A g l
h ca n oa , .

C p C l y
a e o on urg r d rp
: B he s o ( K an n em eyer) .

N t l
a a : Um o v ti ( F ry) .

Tr v l i t r burg
a n s aa : P e e s ( D a n eel) .

ut r R d i
So h e n ul w y K lb
h o es a : B a a o ( o e) ; Ma to p p o H ill s ( P ill a u s)
i bu y M r ll
S al s r ( a sh a ) .

5 . GLAU C O NI A D I S TA NTI B o ul eng in D i t n t Na t T a s p , . s a , . r n v . . 1 75 , fi g .

,

and t p 62 . c .
, . .

Tr nsv aal S o ut h r n R h o d i a B riti h C n tr l Afri c a

a , e es ,
s e a .

Tra nsv a l : P r et o ri ( G o ugh ) P i t r sbu rg ( D a n l)

a a e e ee .

S o ut h r n R h o d es i a : P a l py
e B ec h u a n l a n d ( F ry) a e, a

6 . GLAU C O NI A LAB I AL I S S t er n f eld t c p 9 2 , , . .

, . .

S o ut h -V est Afri c a V
.

FA M I L Y B O I D ZE .

A s in gle Gen u s i n S o u th Af ri c a .

1 . PY T H ON .

Da d u . H i st R ept v p . . . . 2 6 6 ; Bo ul eng . Ca t S n . . i .
p 85. .

I . P Y TH O N S EBE .

C Gm l S N i p 1 1 8
o lu ber sebae , e . . . . . 1 .

P yth s b
on B ul n g t
e ze , p 86 o e .
, . c .
, . .

N ta l Z ulul n d Tra n va al S o ut h er n R h o d si a
a , a , s , e , P or tugu ese E as t
Afri c a Tr pi c l A fri ca , o a .

N t l : D urb n ( B wk r)
a a a o e .

S o ut h r n R h o d i a : S a li s bu ry ( T h o mas)
e es .
4 46 THE SNA K ES OF SOUTH A FRI CA .

R o tr l mo d ra t n stril in a i n gl e semidivid d nasa l

s a e e o s , e A mplorh in us .

R o tr l mo d era t e ; n stril b tw en tw o n s l s a d th e
s a o e e a a n

i n t r n l m xill ry t t h sub equ l

e asa a a ee a
R tr l l rg pro j ti ng no u t p o i n t d
os a a e, ec ,
s e

R tr l m o d ra t e ; n tril b etw e n th e n asa l s o e o

os a e os e n r

tw o m iddl e m a xill a ry t t h m u c h n l rg ed ee e a

B S c les k l d i 1 o 2 1 r w s eye . a ee e , n 0 r o

v ery l rg a e

P upil h o riz o n t l ; c ye l rg ; s c a l es in
. a e a e

1 9 ro w b o dy v e y s l n d r s r e e

B E ye s mall. v ry ma ll h d o t di t i n t fr o m or e s ea n s c

n k ec .

1 S b -c u d ls i p ir s
. no p
u c u la a a n a rze o r .

S l es i 1 5 ro w s n i te a ls
ca n o n rn sa

S c a l es in 1 7 o 1 9 r o w i t sals pr esen t
r s n ern a
S u b c u da l Si n gl e
2 . a s .

S a l es
c 3 to 2 7 r w s ; o p
In 2 o c u la o n ra
e r

S l s n 5 ro w ; n l o nt t wit h a p a oc u la '

o
ca e i 1 s a sa In c ac r r
I II P . t oglyph a
ro er wit h gro o v d f n g s a t th e n t ri o r ,
e a a e

n d o f t h e upp r j w — P i
e no u e a . o so s .

A T il c o m pr es d o a -sh ap d h d n rr w d
. a se ,
r e ea a o an
l o ng t e ; o di sti nc tly nl a rg ed v en tra l s ( S
e a n e ea
sn k ) a es H ydrus
B T a il Cyl in dri c a l en d
.

. ing i a p o i nt , n .

1 H d sh o rt . ea .

S l s i 1 7 r o w o m o r e ; i n t er n a s a l
a . ca e n s r
b o rd ri ng th e no stril e .

R s tr a l mo d ra t sc al es smo o th
o e e

R str al m o d ra t sc a l s str ngly k l ed

o e e e o ee

R tr l v ry l rg d t c h d o th s id s sc a l es s mo th
os a e a e, e a e n e e o
o k e l d o p o t ri o r p a rt f b o dy
r e e n s e o
b S l i 1 3 o 1 5 ro w . c a es n r s .

N tril b tw en t w nas 13 s l s i 1 3 ro w s ; eye

os e e o a
°
ca e n
s m ll a E lapec h is .

N o tril i
s in gl n asa l ;
n a c al s i 1 5 r o w s ; eye v e ry
e s es n
m ll
s a

2 H d n rr w l o ng a t sc al v ry bliqu e
. ea a o , e e es e o ,

i 9 t 2 3 ro w b o dy Sl n d r
n 1 o s e e

A — A CL Y P H E .

I . TR O P I D O NOTU S .

Ku h l , B ull . S c Na t . . ii .
,
1 8 2 4, p . 81 Bo ul en g . Ca t S n . . i p . . 1 92 .

Tw o S pecies i n S o uth Af ric a .

V n tr l 1 6 — 1 8
e a s n l en tir e 2 T l viss mu s0 a a . ce .

V n tr l 1 3 — 1 4 9 n l divid d
e a s 1 T o li us a a e . va ce .

I TR O P D O NO TU S L E V I S S I MU S
. I .

N tri x I i im
a G i th A Ma g N H ( 3 ) ix 1 8 6 2 p 1 2 4
a v ss
'
a, rn . nn . . . . .
, , .
,

P1 ix fig 4
T o pid rt s l i im s B o ul n g
ono u p 2 6 a v ss
’
u , e . . 2 .

G yi l bri
ra W S l a t r A n S Afr Mu i 1 8 9 8 p 1 0 9 pl V
a u ca , . c e ,
n . . . s . .
, , .
, .
,

fig . 1 .

C p C l ny N t l
a e o o ,
a a .

T mo Tr an k i D i stri t — Typ e o f G yi lu b i
so ,
s e c ra a r ca .
 L I ST O F SOUTH A FR I C AN SN A K ES .
4 47

2 . TR O P I D O N O TU S O L I V A CE U S .

Co ro n ella o liva cea P e e s Mo n B e Ac ,

t r , . rl . .
,
1 85 4 , p . 6 2 2 .

Tro pido n o tu s o livaceu s B o en tc ul g p , .

,
. .
, . 2 2 7 .

Tr pi l Afri
o ca c a to S o he n h o es a ut r R d i .

M l d
a sh o n a a n Sa s ( a sh a ) li bury M r ll .

2 . AB L AB OP H I S .

Bo ul en g . Ca t S n . . i p . .
31 8 .

1 . AB L A B O P H I S RE FULU S .

Co ro n ella ruf u la L ic h t en st ,
V eru , . D o u bl . Mu s . B erlz . p . 1 0 5 .

A bla bo ph is ruf u lu s B o en , ul g t .
,
. c .

So hut Afri ca .

C a p e C o l o n y : C p e T o w n ( de S u z O kl y) R o bb n I l n d ( F i k)
a o a, a e e s a s

S t ll enb o s h ( P é i g u ey)
e K ny sna ( Gr o m) P o rt S t J h n
c r n o . o s

( S h o rtridg ) T o uw Riv er W o r st r ( L F evr ) P ri n

e
’
s ,
ce e e e ce

Alb rt ( P urc ell) B urgh er d o rp ( K

e m y ) Cl nwillia m s an n e e er a

( L ip o ldt) G rg e ( L ip ldt) P o rt E li ab t h ( D g M r
e eo e o z e re e, oo

h o u se ) ; Alb n y D s tri c t ( F r n c h ) a i e .

N a t l : D urb n ( B o wk r S nd r n)
a a e ,
a e so .

Tr a nsv a l M o dd rf n t i n ( H a g )
a e o e a n er .

S o ut h -W es t Afri c a : D a ma r a l n d ( P a lgr a v ) a e .

3 . L AMP R O P H I S .

S mi h t ,
I ll , . R ept . Bo ul n g e . Ca t S n . . i p . .
32 0 .

F o u r S pec ies .

I . in
S ca lro ws
es 2 3 .

I n t ern a sa ls a littl Sh o rt r th an th e p aef o t ls l o r l

e e r r n a ea

littl e l o ng r t h n d p
a e L u a ee . a ro ra .

I t n ls m u h sh rt r t h n t h p
ern a s a f o t als
c lo r l t o e a e rae r n ea a

l eas t n rly twi as l o n g as d p ea L i

ce t s ee . n o rn a u .

I ten s ls l o n g r t h a n t h e p mf o t ls
rn a a l o r al as l ng a s
e r r n a e o
d p o r a littl e l o n g r th n d p
ee e a ee

I I S a l s in 1 9 r w s
. c e o

1 L A M P R OP H S AU R O RA
. I .

Co lu b r u o L i n S N i p 3 79
e a r ra , n . . . . . .

L mp o ph is ua r B o ul n g t p 3 1
a ro ra , e .
, . o .
, . 2 .

C p C o l o n y O r ng F ree S t t Tr n vaa l
a e , a e a e, a s .

C ap C o l o n y : C p T o w n ( S t v n G rdi ner E A M o rri ) B urgh r s

e a e e e s, a , . . s ,
e

d rp ( K m y ) o an n e e er .

O r a n g F r ee S t a t : S m th fi ld ( K
e m eye ) e i e an n e r .

Tr ansv aa l : M o dd erf o n t i n ( H aag ) e n er .

2 L A M P R O P H I S I N O R NA TU S D u m
. B ibr E p G é vii p 4 6 4 , . . r . n . . . .

C p Co l o nya e .

C p T w n ( F r nc h ) Al 2 6 5 5
a e o e . so .

3 L AMP R OP H I S F S K I I B u l n g P Z S
. 1 887 p 3 9 8 pl xxxiv
I d t , o e . . .
, .
, . .
, an . e
.

p 32 2 . .

Cap Co lo ny e .

W r s t er ( L e F evr )
o ce e .

4 L A M P O P H I S F U S C U S B ul n g Cat S
. R i p 3 2 2 pl xx fig 4 ,
o e . . n . . .
, . .
, . .

C p f Go o d H o p
a e o e .
4 48 THE SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFR I CA

4 . B O O D ONu

D um . B ibr . Mem Ac . . Sc . xxiii 1 8 5 3 p , .

46 0 ; Bo ul en g . Ca t .

Sn i p 32 7 . . . .

F o ur S pec ies i n S o u th Af rica .

I . l es in 2 3 o r 2 5 r o w t h r ee l a bi l s en t eri n g th e eye
S ca s a .

Tw o p o sto c u l s pre o c ul a r n o t xt endi n g to upp r

ar e e

s urf ac e o f h ea d v en tra l s 1 7 5 -1 9 6
T h r ee p o sto c ula s p aso c ul r ext en di ng to upp r surfac e
r r a e

o f h ea d v n tr l s 1 9 6 -2 1 e a 0

I I S ca l es i 2 7 t 3 3 r o w s ; v en tr a l 1 9 2 -2 3 7
. n o s .

Tw o ( r a r ly t h r e ) l a bi a l en t eri n g th e eye t w o p ir s o f
e e s a

h i n-shield s i c o n t a c t with ac h o t h r
c n B li e tus e e . n a .

T h ee l bi l s en t eri n g th e eye ; o nly o n e p a ir o f c h i n

r a a

shi ld s m e ti ng o th m di a n li ne
ee nB men talis e e . .

1 B O O D O N I N F E R NAL I S G un th Ca t Co l S n p 1 9 9
. B o ul en g t c p 3 3
,
. . . . . .
, . .
,
. 0 ,

pl xxi fig 1 . . . .

E st a d S o uth Afri c a
a n .

C a p e Co l o n y : C p T o w n ( S o u th y O a kl y) i C a p e D ivi si o n ( L a y a rd
a e e ,
e

S o uth e y O a kl y S c l a t er) R o bb en I sl a nd ( D e y so P é in g u ey)

,
e ,
n s n, r
K ny sn ( Gro o m) P o rt S t J o h n s ( S h o rtridg e) Ki mb erl y
a .
'
e

( F r en c h ) Ki ng Wil li am s T o w n ( G dfr ey) '

o .

2 B O O D O N G U TTAT US
. .

L yco d g u tt tu s S m it h I ll R pt pl xxiii
on a , ,
.
,
e . . .

B o do g u tt tu s B ul en g t c p 3 3 1
o n a ,
o .
, . .
, . .

Cap e Co l o ny .

C ap e T o w n ( L a y a rd) O o ki p ( H o w a rd ) B urgh er sd o rp ( K ann e ’

e

m y r) e e .

3 B O O D O N L I N E AT US D u m
. B ibr E rp G én i p 36 3 , B o ul e n g t c . . . . Vi . . .
, .

P 3 32 °

Tro pi l ca ut h Afri c a
and S o

m
.

C p C o l o n y : C p e D ivi i o n ( n o histo ry) B u gh e sdo ( Ka nn e

a e a s

K n y sn ( Gr o o ? T o uw s
r r

m y r) ; P o rt S t J o h n s ( S h o rtridg )
’ '
e e . e a
Riv er Wo rc st er D ivi si o n ( L F vr e P urc ll ) B ea c o fi eld
,
e e
‘
e ,
e ns

( P y n t er) ; R o b ert o n ( M ll ) ; H ano v er ( S c h r ei n er) ; B ea ufo rt

a s e e

W e t ( H ag n ) O g ab is L ittl N a ma qu a l n d ( S tr a u s)
s a er r , e a s .

N ta l : D urb n ( B o wk r S an d erso n)
a a e , .

Tr n v aal : M o dd rfo n t ei n ( H g n e ) P o t c h ef str o o m ( Gil c h ri st)

a s e aa r .

R h d esi a : M z o ( D rli ng) ; S a li sbury ( D a rli n g M a r sh all T h o mas)

o a e a , ,

L ivi n g t o n ( S yk ) s e es .

P o rtu gu E ast A fri c a : D lago B ay ( D e C o st er)

ese e a .

4 . B O O D O N ME NTAL I S G th A Mag N H ( 6 ) i 1 8 8 8 p 3 3 1 pl xx
, un . nn . . . . .
, , .
, . .

fi g A ; B o ul n g t c p 3 3 5
. e .
, . . . . .

D m r al a nd
a a .

5 . L Y CO P H I D I U M .

D um . B ibr . Mem Ac . . Sc . xxiii 1 85 3 ,

p .
46 2 ; Bo ul en g . Ca t .

Sn . i p . .
336 .

Two S pec i es in S o u th Af ri c a .

V n tr l s
e a 1 6 4— 2 0 8 ; s u b -c au da ls 3 0 —
45 L . ca pen se .

V ntr l s
e a 1 4 6 -1 5 6 ; s u b -c a u d a ls 30 L . se mi a n n u lis .
45 9 TH E S NA KE S OF SOUTH AFRI C A .

8 . C H L O R OP H I S .

H a ll o w . P ro c . Ac P hila d . .
, 1 85 7 , p .
52 Bo ul en g . Ca t S n . . Ii. p .
91 ,

F o u r S pec ies i n S o u th Af rica .

I V n tr l with o ut k e l s
. e a s e .

Tw o l a bi l s n t r in g t h eye su b c a u dals 8 5 — 1 7
a e e e ,
0 C h aplog aster
. .

I I V n tr a l s wit h di s ti n c t l a t er l k eel
. e a s .

Tw o l bi l s en t ri n g t h e eye ; a Si n gl e a n t eri o r t emp o r a l ;

a a e

s u b c a u dals —1 1 C n eglectus
77 4 . .

Tw o l a bi a l en t ri n g y ; u s u lly t wo up rp o sed
s e th e e e a s e

a n t ri o r t m p o r a l s
e su b -c a u d ls 1 1 4 1 4
e C t l s a — 0 . n a a en s i .

T h re l abi l s n t ri n g th eye su b-c au d ls 9 4— 1 3 3

e a e e C i g ul i e a . rre ar s .

1 C H L O R O P HI S H O P L O G AS TE R
. .

A h wtu ll h pl g t r G ii th An a o o Ma g N H ( 3 ) xi 1 8 6 3 p 2 8 4
as e , n . n . . . . .
, , . .

Ch l ph is h opl g t r B o ul n g t c p 9 3 pl v fig 2
oro o as e , e .
, . .
, .
, . . . .

S o ut h Afri c a C n tr l a d E a t Afri c a , e a n s .

C a p e Co l o n y : Wy nb erg ? ( G rd ner) ; P o rt Eliz ab eth ( C go M o r a re e, o

h ou ) P rt S t J o h n s ( S h o rtridg )
se K ny sn ( B i mbridg )
o . e a a e .

N a ta l : D urb an ( B o wk er S n d r so n) , a e .

Tr nsv a l B a rb erto n ( R en d all)

a a .

2 C H L O R O P HI S N E G L E C T US
. .

P h il th m u s gl ctu
o a P t er s Mo
n neB rl Ac 1 8 6 6 p 8 9 0
e s, e ,
n . e . .
, , . .

C h l ph i s gl t B o ul en g
o ro ne p 94 ec u s , .
,
. .

E st Afri c a S o uth r n R h d si B riti sh C ntra l Afri c a

a , e o e a, e .

S ut h r n R h o d e i a : S li sbury ( M r h ll)
o e s a a s a .

3 C H L O R O P HI S N ATA L E NS I S
. .

D d o ph i s
en t le si
r S m ith I ll R ept pl lxiv
na a n s, ,
.
, . . .

C h l ph i t l
o ro is B o ul en g t
s n a a en s p 94 ,
.
,
. c .
, . .

S ut h od C n tr l Afri c an e a a .

C p C o l n y : M o el B y ( L y rd) ; P o rt S t J o h ns ( S h o rtridg )
a e o ss a a a . e

P o rt Eliz b t h ( M o o r h o u s ) Ki m b rl
a y ( F r neh ) T so mo e e e e c

( Wa term eyer) .

N a t a l D urb a n ( S a n d erso n)
. .

Tr a nsv a a l : L yd en bu rg ( K ilg o u) .

N o rth -W t r n R h o d i a : K afu e Riv er ( D rury)

es e es .

4 . C H L O RO P HI S I R R E G U L AR I S .

C l b i egu l i L a h i B o wdi c h Ash n t ee p 4 9 4

o u er rr a r s, e c ,
n ,
a , . .

C h l ph i s i g u l i B o ul ng t c p 9 6
o ro rre a r s, e .
, . .
, . .

Tr pi l Afri S o ut h r n R h d i
o ca ca, e o es a .

S ut h r n R h d i : M a z o e ( D r li n g )
o e o S li bury ( Ma r sh a ll T h o m
es a a a s , as ) .

9 . P H I L O TH AMNU S .

Sm it h , I ll .
,
R ept . Bo ul ng e . Ca t S n . . ii p . .
98 .

A s ng le i S pec ies i n S o uth Af r i ca .

P H I L O TH A M N U S S E MI V A R I E C A TU S Sm h ,
it , o p . c .
, p ls . lix . an d lx
Bo e p tc , 99ul n g .
, . . . .

Tr pi l
o ca ut Afri
an d S o h ca .

C p C l ny
a e o o ugl rp n
Do as (O e ) .

Tr n v l rb rt n R n d ll
a s aa : B a e o ( e a ) .

R d i li bu y T
h o es a : S a s r rli n g
( h o mas D a ) ,
L ivi n g s to ne ( S t ep h en so n) .

Portugu E t A fri
es e as ca D ela g o a B a y ( D e C o t r) s e .
 L I ST OF SOUTH AFRI CAN SNA K E S .
45 1

1 0 . P R O S Y MN A .

Gra y , Ca t S n . . p . 80 Bo ul n g e . Ca t S n . . Ii . p . 2 46 .

F ive S pec ies i n S o u th Af rica .

I . S ca l es s m o o th
ro w , in 1 5 s .

A I n t r n asa l p a ir d ; t w o s up rp o sed a n t ri o r
. e e e e

t emp o ra l s P su d v llii . n e a .

B I n t r n a sa l Si n gl e
. e a Si n gl e a n t ri o r t m p o r l e e a .

Widt h o f th e fro nt a l o t h lf t h e width o f t h h ea d ; n a e

v en tral s 1 6 7 su bc au d ls 5 P f o t lis a 0 . r n a .

Widt h o f th fr o nt l m o r e t h a n h lf th width o f th
e a a e e
h d v en tr l s 1 3 1 -1 5 3 s bc a d l 1 9— 3 4
ea a P mbigu u u a s . a a .

Widt h o f th fr n t a l mo r t h n h lf th e widt h o f th e
e o e a a
h d ; v ntr l 1 6 9 - 1 8 5 u b c u d ls 3 8 —4 9
ea e a s s a a
I I S c a l es k l d i 1 7 r o w
. ee e a s i n gl i nt rn s l
,
n s e e a a

I P R OS Y MNA S U ND E V AL L I I
. .

Tem rh y h u s s u d v llii S mi th I ll R pt App p 1 7

no nc n e a , , .
,
e .
, . . .

P osym r su n dev llii B o ul n g

na t p 2 47 a , e .
, . c .
, . .

C p C l o n y N ta l O ra n g F r S t t Tra nsv a l
a e o , a e ee a e, a .

C ap e Co l o n y : B urgh er s d o rp ( K m y ) Cl anwil li am ( S l bb er) an n e e er a

H no v er ( S h r i n r) Gr aa ff-R i net ( P yn t er) Tulb g h ( L igh t
a c e e e a a

fo o t) L ittl N ma qu al a n d e a .

P R O S Y M NA F R O NTAL I S .

Tem h y ch u f o t lis P et r s M
n or n B rl Ac
s 1 86 7 p 2 3 6 pl
r n a , e ,
on . e . .
, , .
, .

fig 1 . .

P ro ym sf t lis B o ul n g t c p 2 4 8
na ro n a ,
e .
, . .
, . .

S o ut h - W est Afri c a A ng o l a , .

P R OS Y MNA AM B I G UA B o c a g J o rn S c L i sb iv 1 8 7 3 p 2 1 8 B o ul ng ,
e, . . . .
, , . e .
,

t p 2 48 . o .
, . .

S o ut h er n R h o d es i Z ulul a n d E s t Afri c a A n g o l a a, , a , .

4 P R O S Y M NA B E C E RI L i n d h o l m J h b N ss u V
. K lv 9 2 p 5 7 , , a r . a a . er . .
, 1 0 , . .

S o ut h - W st Afri c a e .

5 P R O S Y MNA JA N I B i a n c o ni Mem A
. B o l g n a ( 2 ) i 1 8 6 2 p 4 7 0 pl i
, , . cc . o .
, .
, . .

B o ul n g t c p 2 4 9 e .
, . .
, . .

P o rtugu es E a s t Afri c a Z ulul n de ,

a .

1 1 . H O MAL OS O MA .

Wa gl er , S y st A m ph p . . . 1 90 ; B o ul n g e . Ca t . Sn . ii p. . 2 73 .

Two S pecies i n S o u th Af rica .

V n tr l 1 1 5 — 1 4 4
e a H . lu trix .

V entr al s 9 7— 1 1 0 H . va rieg a tu m .

1 . H O MAL O S O MA L U TR I x .

Co lu ber lu trix L nn S N i p 3 75 , i . . . . . .

ul g t p 2 7 4
H o ma lo so ma lu trin B o en , .
, . c .
, . .

H o ma loso ma s h ira n u m B o ul en g t c p 7 6 , .
, . .
, . 2 .

ut Afri C tr l
So h ca en a and E a st Afri c a,
.

C ap C o l o n y : C p e T o w n ( O a kl y) E ast L o n d o n ( Wo o d) C l d o n
e a e a e

( B urg e ) P o rt S t J o h ns ( S h rtridg ) K n y sn ( Gr m)
ss . o e a oo
B urg h r s d o rp ( K n m ye ) Midd lburg ( P i er ) P rl ( P ur ll )
e a ne e r e s aa ce

P o rt Eliz b t h ( M o rh o u s ) L ittl e N a ma qu l n d ( P é i g y)
a e o e a a r n ue .

T r ansv l : B rb rt o n ( R end a ll )
aa a e .
 45 2 THE SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI C A .

2 . H O MA L O S O MA VARI GAT U P et er s
E M , , Mo n . Be rl . Ac .
, 1 8 5 4, p . 6 2 2
ul g
B o en tcp 2 76 .
, . .
, . .

Po rtugu
ese E t fri
as A ca Zulul a nd , .

C t r
D ela g o a B a y ( D e o s e ) .

1 2 . D AS Y P E L T IS .

Wa gl er , S y st . Am p h . p . 1 78 ; B o ul en g . Ca t S n . . Ii . p .
353 .

A s in g le S pec ies i n S o u th Af ric a .

I . D AS Y L TI S S CA RA
PE B .

Colu ber sc a ber L inn S N , . . . i p . .

3 84 .

i
D a sypelt s sc a bra B o en ul g t c p 3 5 4 , .
, . .
, . .

Tr pi l
o c a an d S o ut fri E g ypt
h A ca , .

C p e C o l o n y : C a p T o w n ( F ill ans) S w ell n d am ( C a ir nc ro ss) Wo

a e e r

c st e( L F evr ) Mu rr y bu rg ( Ty so n)
er e E ast L o n d o n ( Wo o d )
e a s

P o rt S t J o h ns ( S h o rtridg )
. B urg h er s d o rp ( K a em y ) e nn e er

Cl anwillia m ( S ch l c h t r) ; H no v er ( S c h r ei n r) ; Gr ff-R i n t e e a e aa e e

( P a y n t er) P o rt E liz b et h ( D eg e) L ittl e N a m a qu a l a n d a r

( W a rd en) .

B a ut l a n d : M o rij a ( D yk )
s o e .

N t l : D urb n ( B o wk er)
a a a .

Tr ansv aal : J o h annesburg ( R OSS) M o dd erfo n t i n ( H aag ) e n er .

S o ut h r n R h o d si : S li s bury ( T h o m a
e e D a rli ng )
a a s, .

P o rtu gu se E a s t Afri c a : D ela g o a B y ( D e C o t e r)

e a s .

B — OP I S TH OGL YP H /E .

1 3 . P Y TH ONO D I P S AS .

G u n th . An n . Ma g N H ( 4) . . . i .
, 1 86 8 ,
p .
42 5 ; Bo ul en g . Ca t .

Sn . iii p . .
45 .

1 . P Y TH O N O D I P S ASCARI N ATA ,
G u n th .
, tc . .
, p .
42 6 ; B o ul ng e .
,
lo
. .

b i
Z a m es D a m a ,
r l nd a a .

D a ma a a n (r l d N ig h ti ng l ) a e .

1 4 . TA R B O P H I S .

F leisc h m D a m . l . no v . Se rp . G en . p . 1 7 Bo ul n g e . Ca t S n . . iii p . .
47 .

A s i n gle S pec ies i n S o u th Af ric a .

1 . TAR B O P H I S S E MI A NN U L ATU S .

Telesco pu s semian n u la tu s S m it h I ll R ept pl , ,

.
, . . lx xii .

Ta rbo ph is s emia n n u latu s B o ul en g t c p 5 1 , .

, . .
, . .

B as ut l n d T r ansv l R h o d si a
o a , aa , e , Po rtugu e se E a st Afri c a , C n tra le
E ast A fri c a .

B as ut o l n d : S sh k ( J ll )
a e e e e a .

Tr n v l : B rb rt o n ( R a nd all )
a s aa a e .

P rtugu
o E ast Afri c a : D l g a
ese e a o B ay ( D e C o st r) e .

1 5 . L E P TO D I R A .

G u n th . Ca t Co l S n . . . p . 1 65 Bo ul ng e . Ca t S n . . iii p . . 88 .

A s n g lei S pec i es i n S o u th Af r ic a .

I . L E P TO D I R A H O TA M B osi A .

C oro n ella h o ta mba ia a ’

, L ur en ti , S yn . R ept p . . 85 .
45 4 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH A FR I CA .

1 9 . R H AMP H I O P H I S .

Pe t e rs ,
Mo n . Be rl . Ac .
,
1 85 4 ,
p . 6 2 4 Bo u l en g . Ca t S n . . iii p . . 1 44 .

A s ingle S pec ies i n S o u th Af rica .

1 . R H A M P H I O P H I S MU L TI MA CU L ATU S .

Co ro n ella mu ltim a c u la ta S m h I ll , e ,
it ,
. R pt pl lxi . . .

ul
Rh a mph io ph is m u lti ma c u la tu s B o e tc 1 48 ,
ng p .
, . .
, . .

N rt r n p rt
o he aC p C l ny r
s of a e o o O a e ee S a e S o h - es A ,
ng F r t t ut W t fr c ,
i a .

C p C l n y L ittl N
a e o o : qu l n d
e ama a a ( o a ) e h a ( S c h ec h H w rd K n rdt l t r) e

H n v r
a o e r in r urg
( S ch e e ) B he s o ( K an n em e yer) r d rp .

r ng Fr
O a e t t
ee S a e S m ith fi eld ( K a n n e meyer) .

AMM OP H I S 2 0 . PS .

Boi I i 8 2 7 p 5 2 1 B o ul en g C t S n iii p
e, s s, 1 , . . a . . . . 1 52 .

Te S pe i s i S u th Af i a n c e n o r c .

I S . l es in 1 7 r o w s ; v n tr l s 1 5 4—1 9 8
ca e a .

A An l en t ir tw o praao c u la s
. a e . r P . n o to stictu s .

B A n l divid ed ( r a r ely n t ir )
“

. a e e .

1 P ee o c u la .xt ensiv ely in c o n t ac t wit h th

r r e e

fro n t l f o r eh d c o n a v e t w o l bi a l s a ea c a
n t eri n g th ye e e e P .
f u rca tu s .

2 P wo c u la n a rr o wly i n c o n ta c t wit h r
. r r o

sep a r t d fr o m t h e fr o n ta l a e .

a Tw o p o c ul s r tr al co n sid er a bly
. ra
e ar os
bro d r t h a n d eep a e .

8 upp er l a bi l 3 e n t ri n g t h ey
a s, e e e P . tra n sva alien s is .

9 upp r l bi a l e 2 n t ri n g t h e ey
a s, e e e P . trigra mmu s .

9 upp er l a bi l s 3 en t ri n g th ay ,
e e e e P . boc ag ii .

b A s i n gl p aeo u la . r o s tr l s d eep a s e r c r a a

br d Slig h tly bro d er t h n d p oa or a a ee

t w o l a bi a l s en t ri n g t h eye e e .

F ro n t l i th e m iddl n a rr o w r t h n t h e s upr ao c ul a r
a , n e, e a
s u b -c a u da ls —1 6 P s ibila n s
90 1 . .

F ro n t l i th middl e n rly bro d a s t h e s upr a

a , n e , ea as a
o ul r cub -
c adals 6 4—9 5 s au P br virostris . e .

II S . l s i 1 5 ro w
ca e n s .

P woc u l
r ext n iv ly in c o n ta c t wit h th fro n ta l '
ar e s e e
v en tr l 1 6 5 — 1 7 7 a s P j ll e . a a .

P ae c ul
r o ot r c h i n g th
ar n fr o n t l v n tr al s 1 3 6 —1 5 5 P c uc if e
ea e a e . r r .

I II S l es i 1 3 r o ws v n tra l s 1 4 1 — 1 5 5
. ca n P g l sis e . an o en .

1 P SA M MO P HI S NO TO S TI C TU S
. P t er s Mo n B rl Ac 1 86 7 p 2 37 ; , e , . e .
, .

B o ul n g t a p 56 e .
, . .
, . 1 .

S o ut h A fri A n go l a L o w r Co n go
ca, , e .

C p C l o n y : C ap T o wn ( R o ss r L igh tfo o t) S t ll enb o c h ( F r nc k )

a e o e e , e s a e
°

Gr h m t o w n ; Midd lburg ( P i r ) V i c t o ri W t: ( P i r s)
a a s e e s a es e
T uw s Ri v r ( L F evr ) ; B a ufo rt W s t ( J c k o n) ; Gr ff
o
’
e e e e e a s aa
R i n t ( P y nt r) B urg h ersd o p ( K a m y ) M l m sbury
e e a e r n ne e er a e
D i vi i n ( Ki l ) C r ( P urc ll ) C l d n ( B urg ) R b rt so n
s o se e es e a e o es o e

( M ll ) H n v r ( S c h r i n r) P rt S t J h n ( S h o rtridge)
e e a o e e e o . o s

L ittl e N m qu l n d ( S h l h t r) a a a a c ec e .

O r ng e F r a St t S m ith fi ld ( K
ee m y ) a e e an ne e er .

S ut h -W t Afri c a : D m a r a l a n d ( Nig h ti n g l )
o es a a e .
 L I ST OF SOUTH AFR I CAN SNA K ES .
45 5

2 . P SAMM OP HI S F U R CA TU S P t er s t c p 2 3 6 B ul n g t c p 6 4 , e , . .
, . o e .
, . .
, . 1 .

C ap e C l o ny Tr n v l S o ut h r n R h o d si a S o ut h -W t Afri
o ,
a s aa ,
e e , es ca .

C p C o l o n y : C p T w n ( F i sk) B urg h r d rp ( K a n m ey ) L ittl e

a e a e o ,
e s o ne er ,

N m aqu l n d ( P é i g u y S c h l ec h t er) O g b i s ( S tr u )
a a a r n e , , ra e a ss .

P s mm ph i leigh to i B o ul n g P Z S
a o s 1 9 i p 1 2 6 pl xii I o w
n ,
e . . .
,
0 2 , . .
, . n

r g rd as o t sep ra bl e fr o m P f u tu th h i f diff r n
e a n a . rc a s, e c e e e ce

b i ng t h t th e d a rk a n d ligh t m rki ng s o n th e b a k o f th h ea d
e a a c e

e tr a n s v r
ar i t h e f o r mer l o n gitudi n l i th l a tt er
e se n ,
a n e .

3 . P SAMM P HI S T A NS V AA L E NS I S G ugh A
O R T Mu s i 1 9 0 8 I ,
o ,
nn . ra n sv . . .
, ,

p 3 I fig ‘ '

Tr an sv l aa .

4 . P SAMMO P HI S TRI G R AM MU S G u n th A Mag N H ( 3 ) xv 1 8 6 5 , . nn . . . . .

, ,

p 9 5 pl ii fig E B o ul n g Ca t S iii p 1 5 9
.
, . . . . e . . n . . . .

N m qu l nd
a a a a .

5 . P SAM M O P HI S CA G I I B ul n g Ca t S BO iii p 6 pl viii fig , o e . . n . . . 1 1 , . . . 1 .

S o ut h r n R h d i
e A ng o l a o es a , .

V i t o ri F ll ( S c l t r)
c a a s a e .

6 . P SAM M O HI S S I I LA N S
P B .

C lu b s ibil s L i nn S N i p 3 8 3
o er an , . . . . . .

P samm ph i ibil o B o ul en g l
s s an s , .
, . c .

P samm ph is th m i G ug h A
o T Mu i 1 9 8 p 3 fig
o as ,
o , nn . ra n sv . s . .
, 0 , . 0 ,
.

E gyp t Tr o pi c l Afri a n rt h r n p a rt o f S o ut h Afri c

, a c , o e s a .

C a p C o l o n y : L ittl e N a m a qu al an d ( S tr u s )
e a s .

Tr nsv a l : L yd sd o rp ( N rt n) I r n ( T yl r)
a a e o o e e a o .

R h o d esi : S li bury ( T h o m s)
a M z o ( Al t o n)
a s K afu e Riv r a a e s e

( D rury) .

7 . P S A MMO P HI S B R E V R I O S T I S P t rs S it b G N tur i F 1 88 1 R , e e ,
z . es . a . r .
, ,

p 8 9 B ul ng t c p 6 6
. o e .
,
. .
,
. 1 .

S ut h Afri c a A n g o l a
o , .

C ap C o l o ny : C p D ivi i o n ( F L Al c o c k) Tulb gh ( K l i a )
e a e s . . a e n ns .

N t l : D urb n ( B wk r) P i n T w n ( M K )
a a a o e e o c err .

8 . P SAMM O P HI S JA L u E P cc B ll Mu s T r n X 8 9 6 No 5 5 fig
,
era a, o . . o i . L ,
1 , . 2 , .

S ut h r n R h d s i a
o e o e .

I mp o rtu ni D i stri c t ( P ill ) an s

9 . P S A MMOP HI S C R U C I F E R .

C lu be c u cif
o r D ud H i s t R pt
r ii p
er, 89 a . . e . v . . 1 .

P s mm ph is c uc if r B o ul en g t
a o p 169 r e ,
.
, . c .
,
. .

S o uth Afri a c .

C p C l n y C a p e P eni nsul a ( F i k T a yl o r H o w S o uth ey) S t ll n

a e o o s , , es , e e

b sc h ( P urc ll ) K ny sn ( Gro o m) P o rt Eliz a b et h ( M r h u

o e a oo o se ,

W l ) ; B urg h r sd o rp ( K
ea e m ye ) ; B c o sfi ld ( F r en h ) ; e an n e e r ea n e c

Gr h am st o w n ( J upp ) B uf rt W t ( Ri ) L ittl e Nam a q a

a ea o es ce u
l n d ( S ully S c h l ec h t r)
a c ,
e .

Tra nsv a l : Krug r sd o rp ( Wa t so n) ; J o h nn burg ( C g o ) ; L yd n

a e a es re e e

burg ( Kilgo ur) .

B sut o l a n d
a M o rij ( S c l a t er) a .

I O . P SAMM O P HI S A N G O L E N S I S .

A mph i ph is g l o i B o c ag e J o r n S an L i sb iv 8 7 p 8 2
o en s s , , . c . . .
,
1 2 , . .

P mmoph i
sa g o l sis B ul n g t s an p 7 en , o e .
, . a .
, . 1 0 .

E t a d C ntra l Afri a A ng o l O ran g e R iv er C o l o n y

as n e c , a, .
 45 6 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

2 1 . TH E L O TO R NI S .

it
S m h , I ll .
, R pt e . Bo ul en g . Ca t S n . . iii p . . 1 84 .

1 . TH E L O TO R N I S K I R TL AN D I I .

L eptoph i s h irtla n dii H a ll o w P r o c Ac P h ila d , . . . .

,
1 8 44 ,
p . 6 2 .

Th elo to rn is kirtla n dii B o ul en g t o p 1 8 5 ,

.
,
. .
, . .

Tro pi l Afri c S o ut h rn R h o d e i a P o rtugu ese E t Afri c a Z ulul an d

ca a, e s , as , ,

N a t al .

N a t l : D urb an ( B o wk r)
a e .

P o rtugu E ast Afri c a D ela g o a B ay ( D e Co st r)

ese e .

S o ut h er n R h o d i a : I o m ( B l c kb ea rd ) es Z a m b s i ( C h a p m an) r e a e .

2 2 I
. D SP H O L I DUS .

D uv r no y
e , An n . Sc . Na t . xxvi .
,
1 832 p 15 , . 0 ; Bo ul n g e . Ca t . Sn . iii .

p . 1 86 .

I . I S H L I US
D P O D Ty p U s .

it Z l J u r iv
B u ceph a lu s typu s S m h oo p 441
o n , ,
1 82 9 , . . .
, . .

i ul g
D sph o lidu s typu s B o en p to 1 87 , .
, . .
, . .

Tr pi l
o ut Afri
c a an d S o h ca .

C p C l y C p
a e o on : i ul
a e P en n s y rd H w s S l t r) K ny sna
a ( La a o ,
e ,
c a e

Gr
( o o m) urg r d rp
B he s o P o rt S t J h ns ( S h o rt
( K a n n em eyer) . o

ridg e) rt Eliz b t M r u
Po a e h ( o o h o se) .

N t l
a a : D urb wk r
an ( B o e ) .

Po rtugu E t Afri
ese as ca C t er)
D ela g o a B a y ( D e o s .

ut r R d i
So h e n li bury
h o es a : S a s rli g M z o ( D a rli ng ) S h an g n i
( Da n ) a e a

i tri t
D s c ( P illa n s) .

2 3 . AMB L Y O D I P S AS .

Pe t rs
e ,
Mo n . Be rl . Ac .
,
1 85 6 ,
p .
5 92 ; Bo ul eng . Ca t S n . . iii p . . 2 44 .

1 . AM B L Y O D I P S A S M I CR O P H TH A L M A .

C a la ma ria microph th alma B a n co n ,

i i , S p ec . Z o o l Mo sa m b p . . .
9 4, pl xii
. .

fig . 1 .

A mblyodipsas micro ph th alma B o ul en g , .

, lo . .

Po rtugu ese E a t Afri c a s ,

Z ulul n d a .

2 4 . CAL AME L AP S .

G u n th . An n . Mag N H ( 3 ) . . . xviii 1 86 6 , p . 2 6 ; Bo ul eng . Ca t S n . . I ii .

P 2 45 ,

Tw o S pecies i n S o u th Af ric a .

S ca l es in 1 9 ro ws v n tr l s e a 1 6 1 —1 74 C warren i
. .

S ca l es i n 1
7 ro w s v ntr al e s 1 33
—1
34 C co n colo r
. .

I . CA L A M E L AP S W A R R E NI , B o ul eng . An n . N t la a Mu s . i .
, 1 90 8, p . 2 3 4, fig .

Z ulul nd
a ut l nd
B as o a , .

k ut l nd J ll
S esh e e, B as o a ( a e) .

2 . CA L AME L A P S C O N C O L O R .

Ch i t d or s o l S m it h I ll R pt App p 1 8
o n co n c o o r, , .
, e .
,
. . .

C l m l p
a a e a l B o ul n g Ca t S
s co n co o r,iii p 4 6 e . . n . . . 2 .

C l m l p mi
a a e a i Mo c q u d B ull Mu s P a ri 9
s ro n 0 5, p
, ar , . . s, 1 .
77 .

Ca fl a i N t l
r r a, a a .
45 8 TH E SNA K ES OF SOU TH A FRI CA
‘

I NA I A H AI E
. .

C l ber h i L i nn S N i p 3 8 7
o u a e, . . . . . .

N i h i e B o ul en g t a p 3 7 4
a a a ,
.
, . .
, . .

S o ut h er n P l ti n N o rth a d E a st Afri c a S uth r n R h o d si a

a es e, n , o e e ,

Z ulul n d Tr an sv l a ,
aa .

P o rtugu E s t Afri c D l g a B y ( D e C o t r)
e se a a e a o a s e .

S ut h r n R h d i a : H
o e y i Riv r ( T h o m as D rli n g)
o S li sbury
es un an e , a a

( D rli ng) a .

2 NAI A ANCH I E rzE B o ag J o r n S c L i b

. 1 8 79 p 8 9 B o ul en g t o
,
c e, . . s . V ii .
, . .
.

P 387 .

A ng l o uth -W t Afri c a No rth -W st R h o d si a

a an d S o es , e e .

L ivi n g st n N o rt h -VVest R h o d e i a ( S yk e )
o e, s s .

NAI A FLAVA .

V p r fl
i e a M rr m T en t S y s t A m p h p 1 5 4
a va , e e ,
. . . . .

N i fi
a a B o ul en g t c p 3 7 6
a va , .
, . .
, . .

C p C o l n y S o uth -W es t Afri c
a e o ,
a .

C a p e T o w n ( F a i b idg ) W r st r ( L e F evr ) B urgh er d o rp

r r e o ce e e s

(K a m y ) D o ugl s
nne ( O rp n) Cal d o n
e Riv r sd l
er a e e e a e
K ny sn ; P o rt Eliz b et h ( M o o rh o u s ) & c
a a e .

NAI A NI G R I COL L I S R i h V id S lsk S k ift x 1 8 4 3 p 2 6 9 pl iii ,

e n . . e . r . .
, .
, . .

fig -
5 7 B o ul en g t c p 3 7 8
s . .
, . .
,
. .

F r m S n g m bi a d U pp er Egypt to Ang l a S uth -Wes t Afri ca

o e e a a n o ,
o ,

L ittl N am a qu l n d S o ut h er n R h o d s i a th Tr a nsv aa l a d
e a a , e ,
e ,
n

N t l a a .

C a p C o l o n y : L ittl e N a m qu al n d ( S c h l ec h t er)
e a a .

N t l V i c t o ri C o u n ty ( B wk r)
a a a o e .

Tr an v l : B rb rt n ( R nd all ) M o dd rf o n t i n ( H ag )
s aa a e o e e e a n er .

S ut h r n R h d i a : M z
o e ( D rli n g)o es a oe a .

S o ut h -W s t Af i c a : D a m a r l n d ( H ut h i n so n)
e r a a c .

2 9 . S E P E D ON .

M rr e e m , T nt e . S yst A mp h p . . . 1 46 ; B o ul n g e . Ca t S n . . iii p . .
3 88 .

I . S E P E D O N H AS MA C H A TE S .

C o lu ber h aemac h a ta L ac ep s Se Hi t
1 2 1 , . . rp ii p . . . .

S epedo n h e mac h a tc s B o e to 3 89 ul n g , .
,
. . , p . .

C p C l ny
a e o o a a O a e , N t l r ng F r
ee S a e a s aa S o h - es , t t Tr n v l ut W t Afri c a
, ,
.

C p C l ny
a e o o : a e Pe s C p
a ( B sh o , n i n ul
o es , e i a ) p H w Turl y C rr Tulb g h ,
a

K in( le sc h m ) so mo a s e ( Wa t erm eyer)

idt T Tr B ea , n k i uf rt W st o e

i ( R c e) eo e ( L eip o ld t) G rg .

ut l n d
B as o a : o a (D e) M rij yk .

Tr n v l
a s aa : oha es ( ) J nn burg F ry
e s o ( a ts o ) Krug r d rp W n M o dd er
f nt i n
o e ( H aa g n er) .

AS P I D E L AP S 30 . .

Sm it h , I ll , . R ept App B ul eng Ca t .

, . o . . Sn . iii p . .
390 .

Two S pec ies .

I n tern a s a ls in n t ac t b eh i n d th e r o s tra l t h i rd a n d
co
f u t upp er l a bi a l s ent eri ng th e eye ; s c a l es a ll
o r h

s mo o h t v en tr al s 1 4 6 -1 7 6 A lubric u s. .

I n te rn a sa ls se p r t d by t h r tr l f urt h upp r l bi a l
a a e e os a o e a
en t ri n g t h y ; s l
e p o t ri o r p rt o f b o dy
e e e c a es o n s e a
k l d v n tr l
ee e 5 1 35 e a s 1 1 — A sc uta tu s .
 L I ST OF SOUTH AFR I CAN SNAK ES .
45 9

1 . AS P I D E LAP S L U B R I CU S .

Na trix lu bric a L a ur en ti S yn R ept , , . . p . 80 .

A spidela ps lu bric a s B o ul en g l c , .
, . .

C p C o l o n y S o uth -W t Afri a R h o d si a
a e , es c ,
e .

C ap C o l n y : C p T o w n ( L y rd) D urb n vill ( S h b o t) M lm

e o a e a a a e c a r a es

bury ( Gird L igh tfo o t) ; R o b rt n ( H dg ) ; B urgh er d rp e so o es s o

( K a emeye ) nnCl anw l li am ( L eipo ldt S m lk L igh tfo t)

r i ,
o e, o

Midd lburg ( P i ers) U pi ngto n ; H n v er ( S c h r ei n er) P o rt

e a o

N o ll th ( H o w rd ) N am qu al an d ( P é i gu y)
o a a r n e .

Z a m b es i ( C h p m n) a a .

2 . AS P I D E LAP S S C U TAT US .

Cy toph is
r u t tu S m it h I ll R pt App p 2 2
sc a s, , .
,
e .
, . . .

A pid l p scu tatu B o ul n g t o p 3 9 1

s e a s s, e .
, . .
, . .

N a t l P o rtugu se E ast Afri a S o uth r R h o d i

a , e c , e n es a .

P o rtugu ese E as t Afri c a D el g o a B a y ( D C t r ) a e os e .

31 . E L AP E CH I S .

Bo ul n g e . Ca t S . n . iii p . .
35 8 .

Th ree S pec ies in S o u th Af ric a .

Po rti o n r o s tra l Vi sibl e fro m b o v o t h alf a s l o n g as

of a e n

its di st nc e fr o m t h e fr o n t l w h i c h sh i eld is a littl e

a a ,

sh o rt er t h a n th p a ri t l di m t r o f ye l s t h a n
e e a s a e e e es

it s di st a nc e fr o m th e n o s tril i t h a dult n e E g uen th eri

. .

P o rti o n f r o str a l Vi ibl fr o m a b o v

o t l a s t h lf as l o n g
s e e a e a

s it s di st a nc e fr o m th e fr o n t a l w h i h sh i eld is m u c h
a ,
c
h o rt r t h n th e p ri t l
s e a di am t r o f ye l e t h a n a e a s e e e ss

its di s t a nc fr o m t h e no s tril in th e a dult

e E . s u n devallii .

P o rti o n f r o s tr l vi ibl fr o m b o v e a t l e s t h a lf as l o n g
o a s e a a

a s its di st a n e fr o m th e fr o n t l w h i c h sh i ld is m u c h
c a ,
e

sh o rt er t h n t h e p ri et l a di am t r o f ey equ al to a a s e e e

its di t a nc e fr o m th e no s tril
s E . deco steri .

1 . E L AP E C H I S G U E N TH E R I .

E la ps o idea g u en th eri B o c a g J o r n S c L i sb
, e, . . . i .
,
1 86 6 , p .
70 , pl i fig
. . .
3 .

E la pec h is gu en th eri, B o e ul n g t p 3 5 9 .
, . c .
, . .

Tro pi c l Afri c a a , Tra ns v aa l .

2 . E L AP E C H I S S U N D E V A L L I I .

E la ps s u n devalli S m h I ll , , it , R pt pl lxvi
. e . . .

E la pec h is su n devallii , B o e ul n g t o p 3 6 0 .
,
. .
, . .

N t al
a .

E st co u rt .

3 . E L AP E C H I S D E CO S TE R I .

E la ps o idea dec o steri B o ul n g An n , e .

, . Mag N . . H .
(6 ) ii 1 888, p . 1 41 .

E lapec h is decosteri B o ul ng t c p , e .
, . .
, .
36 0 .

Po rtug
u ese as ca E t Afri Z ulul an d , .

D ela g o a B a y ( D e o s e C t r) — Typ e . .

H O M O R E L AP S
32 . .

J
an , R ev . et Mag . Z o o l 1 8 5 8 p 5 1 8 ; B o ul en g
.
, , . . Ca t . Sn . iii p. .
40 8 .

Two S pecies .

V en tral s 1 6 —2 1 5 0 H lac teu s

. .

V entral s 2 1 9—2 4 4 H dorsa li s

. .
46 0 TH E SNA K ES OF SOU TH AFR I CA .

1 . H O MO R E LAP S LAC T E US .

C l b r l ct u s L i nn S
o u e a ei p 381 , . . N . . . .

H m
o l p l teu s B o ul en g t a p 4 9
ore a s ac , .
, . .
, . 0 .

C p C o l ny N a t l O rang F r e S t t
a e o , a , e e a e .

C ap e Co l o n y C a p e P ni nsul a ( S ut h ey) Wo r c t er ( L yc et t) e o es

R o b rt s n ( H o dg e ) G o rg ( F r r ) P iq u etb u g ( Wa te m ye )
e o s e e e e r r e r

C l ed o n ( B urg ess P o rt E liz ab et h ( M t c h a m)

a Ki m b erl ey a

( F r en h ) c .

N a t l ( Ell m n)
a a .

Tr n v aal E r m l o ( Wa te m ye )
a s e r e r .

2 . H OMO R E LAP S D O R SAL I S .

E l ps d s lis S m it h I ll R pt Ap p p 2 1
a or a , , e .
, . . .

H m el ps do
o or a li B o ul en g t o p 4 1 rs a s, .
, . .
, . 0 .

E as t er n p rts o f C a p C o l o n y N a t l O r n g e F r e S t a t e
a e ,
a , a e .

O r a n g e F r ee S t a t : B r n df rt ( H aa g e ) S m ith fi ld ( K a n em eye )
e a o n r e n r .

33 . DE N D R AS P I S .

S c h leg V ersl . . Zo o l . G en . Amsterd . 1 8 4 8 ; B o ul en g .

, Ca t . Sn . iii . p .
43 4 .

Two S pecies in S o u th Af rica .

S ca l e i 1 9 to 2 3 r o w s i th e m iddl e o f th e b o dy ; 8
s n n

upp er l bi a l s ; u pp er a nt ri o r t emp o ra l n o t l ng r
a e o e

t h a n th l o w r e e D g u stic ps . an e .

S ca l in 2 5 ro w s 9 upp er l bi l s upp er n t eri o r t m

es a a a e

p o r a l twi c as l o n g a s th l o w er
e D m mb e . a a .

1 . D E N D RAS P I S A N G U S TI C E P S .

N j
a a an g u ti ps S m it h I ll R pt pl lx x
s ce , ,
.
,
e . . .

D d
en pi
ras g u ti p B ul n g t
s an p 437 s ce s, o e .
, . c .
, . .

N a ta l Z ulul n d Tr ans v aal S o ut h r n R h o d i E st a n d C en tr l

, a , ,
e es a , a a

Afri c a .

N t l : D urb n ( B utl r) Z ulul an d ( J o n es)

a a a e .

2 . D E N RAS P I S MAM B A G o ug h An n T a s
D Mu s i 1 9 8 p 3 7 fig , , . r n v . . .
,
0 , .
, .

Tr n sv l
a aa .

D .
— S OL E N OGL YP H A

FAMI L Y V I P E R I DZE .

G e er S yn ops is o f th e S o u th Af ric a n n a.

E ye m o d r a t with r o u n d pupil ; h ea d c o v r ed wit h

e e, e
l rg sy m m tri c l shi ld s l o r a l pr sen t
a e e a e e e Ca u s u s .

E ye m o d r t o s m a ll wit h v rti c l pupil

e a e h ea d c v r ed
r , e a o e
wit h c l s s a e B tis i .

E ye m i n ut with r o u n d pupil h d s m ll c o v r ed wit h

e, ea a , e

l rg y mmetri c l h i eld s l o r a l a b s n t
a e s a s e e A trac ta spi s .

CA U S US 1 . .

Wa gl r e , S y t A mphs . . p 1 7 2 B o ul en g
. . Ca t S n . . iii p . .
46 5 .

Tw o S pec ies i n S o u th Af ri ca .

S no ut o btu se mo r e o r l ess pr o m i nen t v en tr a l s 1 2 0 —1 5 5

, C . rh o mbea tu s .

S no u t p o i n t ed pro m i n en t m o r e o r l ess tur n ed up a t th e

, ,

en d v e tr l s
n a 1 1 3
—1 2
5 C defi lippi i
. .
46 2 TH E SNA K ES OF SO U TH A FR I C A .

3 . B ITI S ATR OP O S .

Co lu ber a tropo s L i nn S N i p 3 7 5 , . . . . . .

B itis a tro po s B o ul en g t c p 4 9 5
, .
, . .
, . .

C a p e C o l o n y Tr ansv a a l , .

C a p e C o l o n y C a p e P en i ns ul a ( F airb ridg e L ay a rd L igh tf o o t) K ny sna , ,

( O a kley) E as t L o nd o n ( W o o d ) P o rt Eliz ab et h ( D rege ,

M o o rh o u s ) e .

Tr ansv a l : L yd enburg ( Kilg o ur)

a .

4 . B ITI S I N O R NATA .

E ch id a i n or t nn S mi t h I ll R ept pl iv
a a, , . . .

B itis i n o t B o ul en g t c 4 9 6
n ra a , .
, . .
, .

C ap e C o l o n y .

5 . B ITI S CO R NU I A ’ ‘
.

Vip ra co
e t D a ud H i s t R ept vi p 1 8 8
rn u a , . . . . . .

B itis co u t rn B o ul en g t c p 4 9 7
a, .
, . .
, . .

C p e C o l n y S o ut h -W t Afri c
a o ,
es a .

C a p C o l o n y C p e P en i nsul a ( O a kl ey O gilvi e) C a lvi n i a Cl nwilli m

e a , ,
a a

( S c h l c h t er) W r c st er ( L F evr e P y n t r) S er o w B ec h u a n a
e o e e ,
a e e,

l n d ( S c h la d)
a L ittl e N a ma qu a l n d ( Tu le)
on nTulb a g h a r

( Kl i ns h m idt)
e c

6 . B ITI S C AU D AL I S .

Vip m c u d lis S m it h I ll R ept pl

e a a , , .
, . . vn .

B itis cau d lis B o ul en g

a t c p 49 8
, .
, . .
, . .

A ngo l t o th e no rth p a r t o f C p Co l o n y a d S o ut h er n R h o d es i a
a a e n .

C p e C o l o ny : L ittl N m a qu l n d ( H ir sc h S c ully T h o m s Tu le) ;

a e a a a , ,
a ,
r

V i c t o ri a W es t ( P i er ) S r o w e B ec h u anal an d ( B l a c kb ea rd ) s e ,
.

S o ut h e r n R h o d i I nsiz a ( F r enc h )
es a .

3 . A T R ACT AS P I S .

Sm h it ,
I ll .
, R ept .
; Bo ul en g . Ca t S n . . iii p
. .
5 1 0 .

Two S pec ies in S o u th Af ri c a .

V en tra l s 2 2 1 —2 6 0 A bibro m i .
’

V ntra l 1 9 9
e A du dem . er
’

1 . A T RA C TAS P I S B I R O NI I S m ith op pl lxx x B o ul en g t c p 5 1 5

B , , . c .
, . .
, . .
, . .

C p e C o l o ny Na t l Z ulul n d Tr an sv a l P o rtugu s E a s t Afri c a

a , a , a , a ,
e e ,

S o ut h -W s t Afri c a A n g o l e , a .

N ta l : D urb n ( B o wk r)
a a e .

Tra n vaa l B a rb ert o n ( K o lb e)

s .

P o rtugu se E t Afri c a D l g o B y ( D e C o st r)
e as e a a a e .

2 . A TR AC TAS P I S D U E R D E NI G o ug h Alb n y Mus R c ii 1 9 7 p 7 8 fig , , a . e .

,
0 ,
. 1 ,
.

N o rt h E a t K l h a ri s a a .

D E S C R I P T I O N O F NE W S P ECI E S .

GLAU C O NI A G R A CI L I O R .

S no ut r o u n d d upr o c ul a r pr s n t n o t m u c h l a rg er t h an th e fr o n t a l
e s a e e , ,

a li ttl br d r t h n l ng r o s tra l b o u t o -t hi rd t h width o f th e h a d

e oa e a o a ne e e ,

h rdly twi c e t h widt h o f t h n sa l n o t xt en di n g p t ri rly b y o n d t h e

a e e a , e os e o e

l v el o f th y s i o n t ac t b hi n d with t h fr n t a l a d th e s up ao c u la s
e e e e , n c e e o n r r

n s l c o m pl t ly divid d i n t o t w o o ul r b o rd ri n g t h e lip b tw en tw o
a a e e e c a e ,
e e

l bi l t h e nt ri o r o f w hi c h is v ry m ll B o dy v ry sl nd r its di amet r
a a s, a e e s a . e e e ,
e

9 t0 1 1o ti m s i t h t o t l l n gt h 1 4
0 e l s r o u n d th b dy L engt h
n e a e . sc a e e o .

o f t il 1 a to 1 5 ti m s in t o ta l l n gt h
0 U n if o r m bl c ki h br o w n
e T tal e . a s . o

l engt h 3 m m , 2 0 .

N u m r u p i m n s fro m v ri o u s l o liti i C ap C o l o n y (V a
e o s s ec e a ca es n e n

R y do p R o b rt o n Cl n willi a m M tj f o n t ei n)
ns r , e s ,
a , a es .
 C H A P TE R X I V

I TEM S OF S NAKE K N OWL E D GE .

A SU MMAR Y IN B RI E F FO RM O F TH E CO N T E N T S OF TH E BOO K
AND A D D IT I O NA L IN F O RMAT I O N .

N AK E S v lv d fro m L iz a rd -lik e c r tur s with l g s

S e o e ea e e .

F o ssil r em i n f F lyi ng R ptil s h a v e b n di c o v r d T h ey h d

a s o e e ee s e e . a
m em br a n u s wi n g s a d t il
eo li k e t h o o f b a t s T h eir l o n g bill -lik e
n a s, se .

j a w s w er t o t h d e o e .

B ird s e v lv d fr o m r eptil o Th e r eptil

e d v l o p ed m embra n eo u s es . e e e
wi ng s L a t r f a th er s w er e v o lv d
. e , e e e .

S na k a e r ptil
es B ird s v o lv d fr o m r ptil
r e es t h er ef o r bird s a e
. e e e es , e r
r el tiv es o f sn k s
a a e .

S n a k es a e f o u n d a ll o v er Tr o pi c a l
r d T m p r a t e p o rti o n s o f th an e e e

w o rld x c epti n g New Z al a n d

, e e .

No tr a s o f sna k s h a v ce v r b n fo u n d i N w Z al a n de e e e ee n e e .

I S o ut h A fri c a t h er e a e B urr o wi n g L iz a rd s w h i h h v
n o tr a c e
r f c a e n o

l g s T h y h i n lik e bur ni sh d c o pp r T h ir t a il s a blu n t T h y

e . e s e e e . e re . e
a re u s u lly m i st k en f r sn k s
a a o a e .

S o m e n a k s lay egg s
s O t h r s giv birt h t o y o u n g
e . e e .

Sn k ggs h v e n o h a rd sh ll lik t h o o f bird Th e c o v ri ng o f

’
a es e a e e se s . e

th e g g is so ft but t ug h
e d l t h ery
, o an ea .

S n a k es l y t h ir egg s i w r m pl ac s s u h s h l
a e i th gr o u n d n d
a e , c a o es n e , an

a m o n g s t d c a yi n g v eg et a ti n
e W h n v eg et bl m tt er i d c yi n g it o . e a e a s e a

g en ra t s h t s u ffi c i n t t o h c h sna k s gg
e e ea e at e
’
e s .

S n k s o n ly h v o e a c tiv e lu n g
a e I t is l o n g h o ll o w tub
a e n . a e .

A sn k s h a rt will c n ti n u b ti n g so m ti m f r fift n m i nut

a e
’
e o e ea , e es o ee es o r
mo r e a ft er its r m o v l fr o m t h b o dy
, e a e .

sn k h a d b e c u t o ff it s h rt will c o n ti n u t o b a t ft n f r
’
If a a e s e ,
ea e e , o e o

a w h o l e da y .

S na k es h i by xp lli ng ir fo rc ibly th r ug h th gl o tti s d no stril

ss e e a o e an s .

T h ey d t m k
o no y c tu a l so u n d a e an a .

S na k ra wl by m vi n g t h ir rib s Al by wriggli ng Th e rib

es c o e . so . s
o p er t th e sh i ld
a e th bd o m en T h ese sh i ld
e s on l v t d d t h ir
e a . e s a re e e a e an e

e dg s grip t h
e gr u n d tr o w h t ev er t h r ptil s c r w l v r
e o ,
ee , r a e e e a o e .

A m n m y b co m i m m u n to th e bit o f y p rti ul r ki n d f n k
a a e e e e an a c a o s a e

by i nj ti ng h i m s lf w it h v no m f th
ec m e p i es H m u t t rt e o e sa e s ec . e s s a

with v ry sm ll da e n d gr du lly i n r a it S u c h
o se , xp ri m n t
a a a c ea s e . an e e e

is no t to b r mm n d d e I t m ig h t pr v f a t l
ec o e e . o e a .

46 3
46 4 TH E SN A KES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

Th e Gras d S na k wh n a l a r m d glid e o ff o v er th s tu n t ed
s an d S an e, e e , e

h rb a g
e a d gr ass wit h
e n qui c k u n dul a ti n g m o ti o n S o qui c k a e th s . r e
m o v men ts t h t to th e ye t h y s em t b e b o wli n g a l n g lik e a h o o p
e a , e ,
e e o o .

Co l o ni st s k no w t h ese as W h ip S n k es a .

W h en a P u ff Add er is b o ut to s trik h e with dra ws h is h a d n d

a e e a

bu n h es up h is b o dy H e c a pro p l h i m elf th e full l ength o f h i b o dy

c . n e s s .

F lo . 1 64 —. T h r gr t hum —
ee ea c s a B l k Ml
ac o e S na k e, a b by P yth
a o n , an d a b by b
a oy .

u Add r d o t s trik b ac kw rd I n th a c t o f triki ng t h ey t h r o w

P ff e s o n e a s . e s

th e h e ad w ll b c k t h n f rw rd s o r s id w y s
e a ,
e o a e a .

T h r i n o s u c h r ptil s Tw -h a d ed S na k e P eo pl e o ften c ll
e e s e e a a o e . a

th e bli nd B urr w i ng S n k ( Typh l ps) a tw -h a d d sn k e b c u

o a e f its o , o e e a e a se o

blu n t t il w h i h h th pp a r anc e o f a h ea d
a ,
c as e a e .
 46 6 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

Th e w o rd S ep edo wh i c h is th e g n eri c na me o f th e R i ngh al s S na k en ,

e ,

m ea n s N o xio u s t o o th o r a t o o th c a u si n g pu t ridi ty ,
.

I f th a c tiv p a ir o f f a n g s o f a sn k b e e xtr ac t ed a n o th er p a ir w ill

e e a e ,

t a k e t h eir pl c e in b o u t a m o n t h s ti m e so m eti m s l ss o r mo r e
a a
’

,
e e .

I f th y e n a tur a lly sh ed t h e n ew f a n g s a e r ea dy f o r ac ti o n in a f ew
e ar ,
r

da y s .

Th e Am eri c a n B o a k n o w n a s t h e Anac o n d a is s t a t d to a tta i n a l en gt h

, , e

o f 3 6 f et e .

C a vi ng s o f s p nt s a e fo u n d o n n a rly all th e a nc i en t E gypti n

r er e r e a

sc ulptur s e .

I n I n di c a rvi n g s a d dr a wi n g
a, o f se p en t s a e t o b e se n e v r yw h e r e
n s r r e e .

F r o m p -h i st o ri c ti mes th e f a v o urit e p er so nal a d o rn men t s s u ch as

re , ,

ri ng s brac l t s c l asp et h a v e b e n f ash i o n ed a ft r th f o r m o f a

, e e ,
s, c .
,
e e e

se p n t
r e .

M o st sav a g s ttribut e gr t virtu s to th e v ri o u s p o rti o n o f a sna k s

e a ea e a s e
'

an to m y
a P o rti o n s a e u tiliz ed a s c h r m s an d a s m edi i n e
. r a ,
c .

Th a n c i n t t em pl s o f
e M exi c o w er b a utifully o r n m n t ed wit h
e e e e a e

c rvi n g s o f s n k
a a es .

S n k w o r sh ip i
a e I n di a m o ng t th e lo w -c ast e H i n d o o s is s till v ry
n a s e
c o mm o n I n c n qu en c e t h y will n o t kill a erp en t
. o se , e s .

I f a s rp n t h uld i n trud e i n t o a h o u s
e e s th e I n di n r ev er en tly en ti c s
o e, a e

i t i n to a v e s l a d c a rri s it a w a y to th j u ngl e
s e n e e .

I Afri c m n y n tiv es r fu s to kill P yth o ns a s t h y t h i n k su c h a

n a a a e e ,
e n

a ti o n w o uld bri n g m a n y
c vil s up o n t h em e .

I ndi ns a gr t b li v er i sn k e s t o n es s p ell s c rifi c s a d h erb s

a re ea e e s n a , s, a e ,
n

f o th e c ur e o f n k bit e
r s a e .

I S o ut h Afri c t h er a e d o z n s o f so -c ll d c ur
n a w h i h a e o f littl e r e a e es , c r e
or n o v lu e a .

M n y p o pl e di n t o f th ffec t o f th e na k e bit bu t o f t h e tr ea t m en t
a e e, o e e s e,

f o t h c ur
r e f am e e o s .

O o f t h e S o ut h A fri
ne n ur s is to sj m b o k th vi c ti m t o k e p ca c e a e e
h im w k e a a .

I cl n i c ti m a nc i en t d c t rs w r gr t b li v er s in so up s d c c ti o n s
a ss es , o o e e ea e e , e o ,

e ct o f V ip r s W e r e d o f u h t h i ng s s vip er wi n V p er br o t h vip er
e . a s c a e, i ,

s lta p wd r d vip r vip r o il tc pr c rib d f r v ri o u s h u m n il m en t s

s, o e e e , e , e .
, es e o a a a .

Sn k ah ar esh i fly by vibr a ti o n o f so u n d c o n v ey ed t h r o ug h so lid

e c e s
s ub t nc es
s a .

W h n tra v lli ng l o n g b a t n f o o t -tr a k s t h r o ug h sn k -i n f st d bu sh

e e a e e c a e e e

or gr by d y o nig h t it i g o o d pl n t o c rry a j i ngli ng ti k a d

a ss a r , s a a a s c ,
n

s trik t h e gro u n d wit h it ev ry f ew st p s S n k s h ri n g t h e no i se will

e e e . a e ea

c r wl o t o f t h
a u w y e a .

H r o d o g s a d m o t w a r m-bl o d d n i m l s em t p o s
s es , , n s o e a a s e o sses a
p w r f i n tuiti n w h i h w a r ns t h em o f t h e pr o xi m ity o f a sna k a lth o ug h
o e o o c e,
it m y t b e vi ibl e
a no s .

Th e h i s o f a n k w ill c u s a l a r m i
s ll w r m-bl o o d d a n i m a l s
s a e a e n a a e .

I c u d a n k in b x t h i s l udly n r c a g c o n t i n i n g a d o z en
se a s a e a o o s o ea a e a
C p B b o o ns a d V rv t M o n k y s T h y i nsta n tly sh o w ed sig ns o f wild
a e a n e e e . e

a l a r m d t up u n e rt h ly c h tt eri n g
,
an se an a a .

S n a k es i c a ptivity s u ff r a gr a t d
n l fro m ul c er at d mo ut h s e e ea e .
 I TEM S O F SNA K E K N OW L E D G E .
46 7

T h y fr qu en tly i nj ur t h m selv e t h ro ugh s triki n g t h ir h d s a g i n t

e e e e s e ea a s
th gl ass o f t h e c g e w h n lu n gi n g t s p ec t a t o r s
e a ,
e a .

S na k es do n o t t h riv in c ptivity u nl ss t h ir pl ac es f c o n fi n em n t e a ,
e e o e
a e m o r e o r l ss t h
r s m e t em p er tur ee t h ir n a tiv h u nt s
e a a as e e a .

S n a k s do n o t gr o w a n w t il if t h ir s sh o uld b e a c id en t lly c u t o ff
e e a e c a .

M n y liz a rd s
a t h c o n tr a ry gr o w n ew t il
,
on e , a s .

P yt h o n s w h i c h r fu s e f o d m y b f d n c e w e k o lu mp f b f
e o a e e o a e n s o ee
an d d ad r t s e Th f d m u s t b f o r c ibly pu h d d o w n t h t h r t o f t h
a . e oo e s e e oa e

r eptil e w it h s mo o t h r o u n d ed sti k I t c a t h en b easily w o rk ed d w n

a c . n e o
t th st m
o e h wit h th fi n g r
o ac e e s .

To pr v n t th e P yt h o n di g rgi n g th e m a t ti a lig tur e b tw een th e

e e s o e ,
e a e
me t a d t h m o ut h
an K e p it o f e b o ut h lf a d y D o n t ti it t
. e n or a a a .
’
e oo
tigh tly .

FIG 1 6 6 — B ac k vi w e o f h ea d an d n e c k o f th e u S h i l d S k ( A pid l p
v en o mo s e na e s e a s
ll d b u l rg urv d h i l d i ut
. .

s c uta tus ) , so -c a e ec a se o f th e a e c e s e on ts sn o .

yt h o ns in a ptivity b c o m v ry luggi h a d ll o w t h m elv s to b e

P c e e e s s n a e s e

h a n dl d wit h ut
e y pr o t s t b y o n d a
o cc i n l h i ss
an e , e n o as o a .

P yth o n s h a v b n k n o w n t f s t f a t l ea t t w o y rs
'

e ee o a or s ea .

M n y o f th n tiv e trib f S o u t h Afri will d v o u r th e fl sh f th e

a e a es o ca e e o
P yt h n w h en v r pp rtu n ity o ff er s
o Th fl h is t n d er a n d h
e e o o a ni . e es e , as ce
fl a v o ur w h n grill ed e .

Th e Aglyp h s n k t h o s w h s t th e s lid wit h u t y tr e

a a es a re e o e ee ar o , o an ac

o f gr o o vi n g T h ey e all h r m l . ar a es s .

M l e sn k s v ry in c o l r ti o n mo r t h n y o t h r sp i o f S ut h
o a e a o a e a an e ec es o

Afri n s a k e
ca n .

Th D asyp elti s s k o r E i r V t
e is th o n ly n k i th e w o rld
na e, e re e r, e s a e n

wh i c h h s sp ec i l a pp r tu s in its b c kb o n f s wi ng t h sh ell o f gg s
a a a a a a e or a e s e .

T h i nsi t s o f a l o ng w o f b n y pr c ss s tipp d wit h na m l j utti ng

s co s ro o o e e e e e ,

i n t th gull t i n th e n ec k r gi
o e e e on .
46 8 TH E SN A K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

O pi t h glyph sn k a t h o s w h i c h p o ssess f ng s set h a lfwa y b ac k

s o a a es re e a

in th eu pp r jaw T h i divi si o n o f sna k s is all mo r o l ess v eno mo u s

e . s e e r .

Th y e i t h tr n s iti o n s t a g o f f n g d ev el o p m en t
a re n e a e a .

Th B m l n g h as b en pr v en to b e a s v eno m u s a t h C o br
e oo s a e o o s e a .

B o m l a n g s a e ti mid a d r etr e t i n t o tr ees o o t h r h erb g e o n th

o s r ,
n a r e a e

l st l a r m
ea a .

B o m sl n g a d M m b
o a
a tr fr qu nti ng sn k es
s n a as re ee - e e a .

D uri n g N o v m b r 1 9 7 Mr J a m s Wil li m s w a s bitt en by a B o o m

e e ,
0 ,
. e a

s al n g d n rly di d
,
an ea e .

D uri n g 9 9 v nty - igh t c s s o f d th fro m sna k bit e w er r egi

1 0 , se e e a e ea s e e s

tere d i S o ut h Afri c
n T h i s d s o t i n lud e B sut l n d B c h u n l n d a . oe n c a o a , e a a a ,

an d m o s t f t h n tiv t errit ri s o e a e o e .

Th fluid s p t o u t by t h e Ri n g h l
e S pitti n g S n k is pur v en m
a a s or a e e o .

Th e fluid will kill j u t s r a pidly if i n j ec t ed s ub c ut n o u ly a s th e v n o m s a a e s e

t k en fro m th gl n d o f t h n k e
a e a e s a .

B l c k a d y ell o w S ea S n a k s a e ft en as t up
a n h o r by t h tid s e r o c on s e e e

a l o n g t h S ut h Afri a n c st s B ew r h o w yo u h ndl e t h m T h ey
e o c oa . a e a e .

a re h ig h ly v e n m o u s o .

Th y e brigh t y ll o w o th e u n d erp rt s a d s id
a re a d bl a k e n a n es , n c

a bo v e .

T h er e e f o u r v ri ti es f C p C o bra T h y ll b el o ng to t h sa m
ar a e o a e . e a e e

sp i
ec es T h y diff r i o l o u r o n ly I c ptivity C bras o ft n figh t d
. e e n c . n a o e an
k i ll h o t h r
ea c e .

Th n k rib s f th C br
e ec l o ng r t h n th r t T h ey f r m a r ug h
o e o a a re e a e es . o o
h lf - ir c l
a c h id e o f t h n k w h n r a i d
e o n ea c s e ec , e se .

Th n k ki n o f a C o br a is l o o
e ec W h n irrit a t d a C o br a el ev a t es
s se . e e
t h rib f it n c k f r min g w h t w t er m d
-
e s o s h e , o a e a oo .

S v n C o br
e h a d a pit h d b ttl
e in a asg in th P o rt Eliz b et h c e a e ca e e a
Mu u m T h y w r e ll bitt n a d di d S o m e li n g r d fo t w o
se . e e a e n e . e e r
m o nt h s .

Th f n g f th
e C o bras
a o t n a rly
s o o l o ng o urv ed a s t h o se o f
e a re n e s r c
th e Add r e s .

Ri ng h l S pitti n g S n a k fr equ n tly f ig n d e t h w h n tt m pt s a e

a s or es e e a e a e r
m d t c ptur t h m
a e o a e e .

If R i ng h l h uld pit i y o u r y es g t t h m w a h d i mmedi t ly

a a s s o s n e , e e s e a e
w i t h v ry w k luti o n o f p r m ng n t o f p t h I f t h r is
a e ea so e a a a e o as . e e no
p r m ng n t a t h n d w sh w ll wit h w t r a d pu t bl an d o il i nt o th
e a a a e a , a e a e n e
y
,

e es .

Th M m b i th m o s t d r e d d f ll S o ut h Afri c n s n a k s
e a a s e a e o a a e .

N v r tt c k M m b i th bu h u n l s yo u a e w ll a r m d d
e e a a a a a n e s e s r e e an
pr p r d to sh oo t it d ad I f y u o nly wo u n d it yo will s ur ly b e
,

aitt
re e a e e . o u e
,

en .

M mb a v ry pl n tiful
a s a re e e in t h e b u h y p rts
s a of N a ta l Z ulul n d a and
E t r n Tr nsv l
as e a aa .
,

d i ff r e in co o l u r o n ly .
470 THE SN A KES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

All th eV ip r a d C o br F a mily o f sna k es a re v eno mo u

e n a s .

O e o f t h e V ip r s n k es o f S ut h Afri c a h a s t k en t o burr o wi n g i
n e a o a n
t h gr o u n d
e I c o n s qu n . its b o d y h s b c o m e quit r o u n d ( yli n dri c al )
n e e c e, a e e c .

Th e p o i so n gl a n d f t h sn k es a s itu a t ed s o
e on e h sid o f t h e h ea d
e se a re on ac e .

T h ese gl an d m anuf c tur e th v no m a d s t o r e it up s a e e n .

W h n a na k e bit es c rt i n m u c l es wri ng t h e p o i so n gl an d s c u si ng
e s , e a s , a
th e v no m to u t h r o ug h a n a rro w c h ann l
e r d d o w n t h e h o ll w o
n e , an o r
gro o v d f n g e a .

Th e N ig h t Add r f S o ut h Afri c a is a r ema rk a bl e x c epti o n to t h e

e o e
g en era l rul I t p o i so n gl n d ext n d fo a b ut t h r ee i nc h es d o w n its
e . s a s e r o
b ac k T h y lie o n e c h s id e o f t h e b ac kb o ne as seen in th e illu tr ti o n
. e a , s a .

Sn k e t rats
a nd m i
es i gr e t n u m b r s R t s a d m i c e br eed
a a ce n a e . a n
v ry qui c kly a d w uld so o n b c o m e gr ea t pl gu e t o u s if t h ir n u m b r s
e , n o e a a e e
w r n t k ept i c h ec k
e e o n .

Th M o l e S n k e a d H o u s e S n a k
e quit h a r m l s T h ey a e b o th
a n e a re e es . r
g o o d ra t-c t c h ers T h ey a e o u r f i n d s n d sh o uld n ev r b kill ed
a . r r e , a e e .

S o m s n a k es s w a ll o w egg s w h o l
e T h y c a nno t s u k egg s e . e c .

Th e s t o mac h j ui c es di o lv e th e sh ll an d r el ea th e c o n t en t s ss e se .

Th e D as yp el ti s o E g g -ea t er S na k e o f S o ut h Afri a h as t eet h i it s r c n

b a c kb o ne T h ese a e its saw I t s wall o w

.
gg s w s th e h ll
r d . s an e ,
a s e ,
an

s pit s it o u t .

S na k s h v e m a n y n a tur a l en mi es
e a Mu ng o es M eer c t s a d e . o s , a ,
n

Mu i h n d s eat t h em S o do m o s t o f th e bird s o f prey

s o . .

M o s t sn k a e a nn ib a l T h ey o t o nly ea t th o se o f o t h er sp ec i s
a es r c s . n e ,

but o f t h ir o w n t o o e .

Sn k do a t c h w t h ir f o o d
es I t is s w all o w e d w h o l e
no e e . .

S n k s do o t o v er t h eir pr y wit h sa liv a b fo r e s t rti n g t s w a ll w i t

a e n c e e a o o .

S a liv ru ns a bu n d a tly i n t o t h e m o ut h duri g t h s w ll o wi n g pr o c s

a n n e a e s,

an d lubri c t t h pr y it p ss s d o w n t h e t h ro t
a es e e as a e a .

W h n i nj ur ed e a l ar m d sn k e will u s u lly di g o rg e a n yt h i n g it
or e ,
a a a s

m y h v s w ll o w d
a a e a e .

P yt h o n s M o l e S n k es H o u , S n k es d s m e o t h r ki n d s o fa ,
se a , an o e non

v no m u n k kill t h ir pr y by t h ro wi ng t w o o m o r
e o s s a es il r u n d it e e r e co s o ,

an d c ru hi n g it t d a t h
s o e .

V no m u s n k s n v er c o nstri c t t h ir pr y T h y kill o r p r ly s it
e o s a e e e e . e a a e

wit h t h ir v eno m e .

Th f rk d t n gu o f a s n k i n o t its s ti n g
e o e o Th t o n gu e is v ry
e a e s . e e

se n itiv a d c t s a f l r lik e th e tip s o f y ur fi ng r o a c a t s w h i s k r

s e n a s a ee e ,
o e s, r
'
e s .

M t n k es liv e up o n th gr o u nd lt h o ug h th m j o rity c a c li m b
os s a e ,
a e a n .

O t h r liv l mo t e ti lv in tr
e s T h y a e k no w n a s rb o r ea l o
e a s n re ee s . e r a r

Tr e S n k se a e .

S o m ki n d f s n k s liv
e n tir ly in w t r All t h e S S n a k s liv e
s o a e e e e a e . ea e

i th o c a n
n e d f ed e fi h d o t h r m a ri n c r tur
, an e on s an e e ea es .

Th e S a S na k es a e ll p o i o no u s
e T h y h v fl tt n ed o -lik e t il r a s . e a e a a e ar a

for pro p lling t h m lv es t h r ug h t h e w a t er T h y br th e ai lik o t h er

e e se o . e ea r e

s n k a es .
 I TEM S OF SN A K E K NOW L ED G E .
47 1

k es e
S na at ma ny ki nd s of livi ng c r tur ea es , m o s tly r t a s, mice , liz rd sa ,

fro g s t o a d s, bird s , an d .

S na k es a n o t m igr a t o ry re .

O n th e a ppr o ac h o f wi n t e r n k es c r wl a w a y i n t o r vi h ol , s a a c e c es , es ,

u nd r r fu se b hi n d th b rk o f tr s etc
e e , d lie d r m n t m r e
e le
e a ee , an o a , o or ss ,
till th e spri ngti m D uri ng t h i ti m t h y do n o t ea t dri n k e . s e e or .

S n a k s l o v e w a r m t h a d s u n sh i n
e I t i lif t o t h m n e . s e e .

S na k es s tr o n gly di slik e t h s m ll f di i n f c t n t s Th e fu m s kill e e o s e a . e

th m e .

Th o il fr o m t h e s t m o f a t o b a c o pip e if p u t i n t o t h mo ut h o f
e e c , e a
s n a k e wi ll , l m o s t i n t ntly kill p r ly it
a s a or a a se .

O e dro p o f t h i h ig h ly p o i so n o u s o il will kill th l a rg es t s rp en t

n s e e .

S o me s k es a quit e bli n d T h y b urr w in th gr u n d

na re d lo o k . e o e o , an
m o r lik w o r ms t h a n n k
e e Th h d d th e t il l o k n ea rly a lik s a es . e ea an a o e .

S o m e p eo pl e s y t h y e t w o -h a d d s n k s a e ar e e a e .

M o t o f t h ese burr o wi n g sn k s h v e a s m ll spi n n th

s d o f th e a e a a e o e en
ta il . N o ne o f t h em a e v eno mo u s r .

S o ut h Afri c a P yt h o n s gr o w to 2 5 f t in l ngt h n T h e y pr e fer r o c ky ee e .

m o i s t v ll ey s w h r t h r i pl n ty o f w t r
a , e e e e s e a e .

A P yt h o n s w a ll o w a full - s iz d D ik r B u k
c an e u e c .

A s na k e s m o u t h n d t h r o a t c n s tr et c h o r m o usly Th e b o n s o f
’
a a en . e
th e l o w er j w t j o in d ia fr n t c s qu n tly t h y n b e p ush d
a re n o e n o , on e e e ca e

wid e a p a rt Th e s ki n o f th e mo uth a d t h ro t tr et c h es lik e in di rub b e

. n a s a r.

P yt h o n s o ft n r fu se t t in c ptivity e e o ea a .

S o ut h Afri c a n P yt h n s lay m n y a s 5 egg s T h ey v r g e 5 3 o o as a 0 . a e a z .

i w ig h t
n e .

A P yth o n w as dug u t o f a n A a rd V a k s h o l e I t w as f o u n d c o il e d o r
’
.

up a r o u n d l a rg b t c h o f gg s rig h t t th b tt o m o f th h o l
a e a It w s e a e o e e . a
h a t c h i ng th m e .

S o m sn k s kill t h ir pr e y by
e a tri c ti o n O th rs by p o i so n S o m
e e c o ns . e . e,

s u c h as t h Gr en Wa t er S na k s s i mply s w ll o w t h ir vi ti m s li v
e e e ,
a e c a e .

Th b o n es o f sna k e s h a d l o e T h a t m ean s t h ey ’
e a not e a re o s . a re

fir m ly j o i n d t o g t h r i th rigid m nn r o f t h o s o f th h ig h r a ni m l s
e e e n e a e e e e a .

S n k es t t h a f o gr a pi n g h o ldi n g t h e ir pr y
’
a ee re r s or e .

Th t t h e r c urv ed T h ey a e h rp d p o i n t d
ee a re e . r s a an e .

T h er a e t h r l sses o f sn k es— th F r n t -f ng d o typi c l v no mo u s

e r ee c a a e o a e r a e
sn a k s th e B ac k -f a n g d n k s w h i h
, e m r l v no m u e d th s a e c a re o e or ess e o s, an e

S o lid - t o o t h d sna k es w h i h a e h r m l ss Th l tt r do o t p o s s y
e ,
c r a e . e a e n s es an

gro o v ed t t h o v no m gl a n d s
ee r e .

A B o a C o n tri c t o r i t h L o n d o n Z o o s w ll o w d h bl n k t W h n
s n e a e er a e . e

it w as pull ed u t it l o k d lik h ug e u sag o dw w et a d s li m y

o e e a sa e, a n as n .

S n k s ey es pro t c t d fr o m i nj ury by tra nsp a r n t sc l i fro t

’
a e a re e e a e a e n n ,

wh ic h is li k a ti n y w t c h -gl s in sh p e e a as a .

A B m sl n g in th e P o r t Eliz a b th Mu s u m w ll w d full -gr w n

oo a e e s a o e a o

Gr e n Wa t er S k e I t w irrit t d wit h s ti c k w h r up o it di g o rg d
e na . as a e a ,
e e n s e

it s vi c ti m w h i h w ,
no n th e w o r s f o wit h i n mi n ut o f b i n g c a t
c as e e, r, a e e s

up it c a ug h t a d sw a ll o w ed a fro g
, n .

On o t h er o c c s i o n a B o o m l n g
an w all o w d a n t h r n d w as f o rc d
a s a s e o e , a e

to di g rg e s I t b g n ag i
o . d w ll o w ed it a e o n d t i me
a a d w as a n an s a s ec ,
n

a ga i n m a d t o di s g o rg e Th vi c ti m w s a s liv ely a s ev r d did t

‘

e . e a e ,
an no

seem u n du ly a l a r m d e .
472 TH E SNAK ES o r SOUTH AFR I C A .

rt Eliz b th Mu seu m t wo sn k es will o ft en iz e a fr o g B o t h

I n th e P o a e a se .

s t a rt w ll wi ng W h n t h ir no
s a o m e t th e l a rg er u u lly en gulp h s
. e e ses e ,
s a

t h e s m all er a d s w ll w s h im w h o l e fr o g a d a ll
n a o , n .

Th s tudy o f sn a k es i c ll d O p h i o l o gy
e s a e .

P eo pl e sp a k o f t h e Wi d o m o f th e S erp en t
e T h ey h a v e n o m o r s . e

wi sd o m t h a n a liz a rd .

Sn k s a a n i m al s
e i nasm u c h a s t h y b el o n g t o th e gr t A n i m l
a re , e ea a

Ki ngd m o .

S n k s a e c l s d a s R ptili
a e r o f t h e O rd er O p h idi
as e e a, a .

Sn k c n b
a divid d i n t o fi gro up viz B urr wi n g S n k e Tr ee
es a e e ve s, .
,
o a s,

Sn k a F r esh -w a t r S n k S a S na k s T rr stri al o Gr o u n d S na k
es , e a es , e e , e e r es .

Sn k h u nt f
a est h ir pr y m o tly duri ng th e d a yti m a d t h e e rly
or e e s e, n a

p rt o f th v eni n g
a e e .

T h y a l so i s u e f o rt h
e w a r m m o nligh t n igh t s O n th e sligh t s t
s on o . e

a ppro ac h o f c h illi nes o f t h a i t h ey r etir e to t h eir r tr a t s s e r e e .

S n k s h v e b een k n o w n t o liv e o v er t w o y e r s wit h o ut f o o d

a e a a .

Y o u n g P u ff Add r s b o r n in th e P o rt Eliz b t h Mu u m gr ew t w o e , a e se ,

i nc h s i l ngt h a d a qu rt er o f a i nc h i br dt h wit h o ut f o d F r m
e n e n a n n ea ,
o . o

th m o m en t t h ey w r b o r n till t h r ee m o n t h s l t r t h ey r fu s d a ll f o o d
e e e ,
a e ,
e e ,

ye t t h y gr e w i l n gt h
e d g irt h n e an .

As so n s t h yo u g o f t h
o a k s a b o r n t h y sh ift fo t h mselv s
e n
‘
e sna e re e r e e .

T h eir m o t h er s t a k e n o h ed o f t h em e .

Sn k a t v ry h rdy
es a re W h n i nj u r ed ev n lig h tly t h ey f
no e a . e ,
e s ,
re

qu n tly d ev l p a b sc s es d d ie
e e o e s an .

I f a s n k e s br a i n d it h a rt o ith er b e r mo v ed it will s quir m

’
a an s e , r e ,
e ,

a l o n g w h il e .

A ft r v eri n g th h a d th e b o dy o f sna k e will wriggl c o il a nd quiv r

e se e e a e, e

f or m a n y h o ur s .

I f t h e n o se b e irrit t d th e j w f t h e e v er d h d so m ti m s o p n
a e , a s o s e ea e e e ,

th e f a n g pri n g r c t d th m o ut h c l o s s wit h a sna p

s s e e , an e e .

Sn k ca p n tr t i nt th i nn r mo s t r tr t s o f r t s a n d mi c e
es an e e a e o e e e ea a ,

h en c t h ir gr e t v lu
e e s v rm in d tro y r
a a e a e es e s .

L a rn w h ich
e th h r m l s ki n d s o f s n k a re a d pr o t c t t h m e a es a es , n e e .

Th y e y ur fri n d I f yo u w n t to m k e c rt i n s n d t h m to th e
a re o e s . a a e a ,
e e

a ut h r o f t h i b o o k d h will b pl s d to t ll yo u
o s , an e e ea e e .

Sn k i a ptivity w h en k pt w r m will
es n ca pt d a d f d e a ac c e e oo .

S n a k s h u n t h i fly by ig h t
e d m ell c e s an s .

I B nh u a n l n d a C br w s f o u n d i a f wl h o u
ec a a wit h fi w h l
,
o a a n o se ve o e

h nse gg s i n sid it Th e C o br w kill ed t h gg s t a k n o t a d set

'
e e . a as ,
e e e u n

u nd r h e aT h y ll h t c h d o t i n t o h lt h y h i k n
en . e a a e u ea c c e s .

A no t h r C br w di s o v r d i
e o h n a n t I t i mm di t ely d is
as c e e n a e
’
s es .
~ e a

g rg d ix gg n tir t h r n o t b i ng c r c k in a y o f t h m
o e s e s e e, e e e a a n e .

I ndi n m ti m s
a s tc h C o br by pl c i n g f o wl s gg i n sid
so e e w ir e
ca as a
'
e s e a

c g i th sn k h u nts Th C o br n t er s b tw n t h W r s w ll o w s
’
a e n e a es a . e a e e ee e i es , a

o ne o m o r egg w h o l e a n d o n sequ en tly c nn o t

r e s c pe , c a es a .

Th ut h o r h d p t E ng li h n ry O m o r n i ng h f o u nd sna k e
e a a a e s ca a . ne e a

c o il d u p i n id
e th g l p I t h d s w all w d th bird w h l
s e e ca d e, a s ee . a o e e o e, an

co uld t g t t h r o ug h t h w ir b r
no e f th c ag e e a s o e e .
4 74 TH E SNA KES O F SOUTH AFRI CA .

na k es a re livi n g b a r o met er s T h e y gr o w ac tiv e liv ely a n d s tro n g

S .
,

w h en t h e a ir is w a r m a n d th e su n sh in i n g I n th e d egr ee t h a t th e a ir .

gr o w s c o ld t h y in t h a t d egr ee b ec o m e luggi sh
,
e , ,
s .

A sn a k e m y b e quit e s tiff a n d to a ll o u t a rd a pp ea r a n c es d ea d bu t
a , ,

o n b ei n g w a r m e d it will r eviv e .

Th e s u sp ns i n o f t h e vit l f o r c s i r ptil s duri n g th e c o ld se so n

e o a e n e e a
c n b e c o m p a r e d t o t h t wh i c h v eg et ti o n u n d e rg o es in wi n t e r
a a a .

W h en sna k es h ib er na t e t h ey liv up o n th e f t t h ey h a v e a c c u m ul a t ed , e a
duri ng th e s u m m r T h i s fa t ac c u m ul a t es in th e a bd o m en in littl e c a k
e . es ,

co nn ec t ed wi th ti ss u e .

P yt h o n fa t is in gr ea t r equ es t a mo n g S o ut h Afri c a n n a tiv es a s a

lubri c n t f o r rh u m ti sm a d pul mo na ry o m pl i n t s
a e a n c a .

A P yt h o n h as a b o u t 3 0 sec ti o n s t o its b a c kb o n e a n d 1 5 0 p a ir s o f rib s 0 ,

.

I t is o t tru e t h a t C o br a s s u c k c o w s a n d g o a t s
n T h ey a e f o u n d in . r

c a ttl e a n d sh eep kr a a l s dr a w n t h it h er in s ea r c h o f r a t s a n d t h e w a r m t h
, ,

giv o ff by th e n i m l s
en a a .

A y o u ng sn k e will liv e f o ur m o n th s so m eti m s l o n g er wit h o u t f o o d

a ,
e ,
.

M t o f t h em h o w ev er die wit h i n t w o m o n t h a ft er birth if n o t f ed

os , ,
s ,
.

S n k s h a v e s tr o n g pr h n sil
a e o grippi n g p o w er in th eir t a il s I e e e r . n

th e P yt h o n s a d Tr e S n a k es it is h ig hly d ev el o p d
n e e .

T h er e is a wid pr a d b li f in S o ut h Afri th a t a sna k e k no w n a s

es e e e ca ,

th e H o o p S n a k e s w ll o w s it s t a il a d b o wl s it self a l o n g lik a h o o p
, a Th is n e .

is n o t a f c t a .

P er ma n g a na t e o f p o ta sh is o f littl o r n o u se u n l ess a pp li e d wit hi n ten

- e
m i n ut e o f b i n g bitt n
s e e .

P er m n g a n a t o f P o t sh h as n o a n tid o t a l eff c t if s w a ll o w e d
a e a e .

D o n t k e p a lig a tur e o f o m o r e t h a n h a lf an h o ur to a n h o u r I f yo u
’
e n r .

d o t h er e is gr a v d n g r o f m o tifi c a t io
, e a e r n .

Th o n ly s i en ti fic a n tid o t f r n a k e bit e is a eru m

e c I t is m d e e o s s . a

p lyv l n t
o d i pr p a r d fr o m t h e v n o m s
a e , an f A fri c n sn k es
s e T h is e e o a a .

s p i l ki nd is o f h ig h n tid t a l p w r
ec a a o o e .

Th e a c tiv e pri n c ipl o f pr c ti c a lly a ll th p t en t d c ur es ex c pt e a e a e

”
,
e

th e s ru m a n d p r m a n g n t
e o f p o t ash is s try h n i n
e n d a mm o n i a a e ,
c e a a .

Th ese n rv a re d h rt s ti m ul n t s o n ly T h y do n o t p o ss ss a y
e e an ea a . e e n

a n tid o t l p o w er S m o f t h e so -c ll d a n tid o t s h v c ert a i n h erb

a . o e se a e e a e
e xtr a t s in t h m All w h i h I h v t st d h a v e b een quit e w o rth less
c e .
,
c a e e e ,
.

D o n t w s t y o ur m o n ey o n t h n d ri s k l o ss o f li f
’
a e ese , a e .

P r o vid y o ur lf wit h th pr o p er s ru m p er man g a na t e l a nc et a n d

e se e e , ,

se ru m yri ng sd yo u a e sa f e, a n r e .

Th B u h m n o f o ld in S o ut h A fri a u d s n a k p o i so n l a rg ly in t h e
e s e c se e e

p i o ni n g o f t h ir rr o w -h ea d s
o s e a .

T h y firs t n r ag d th sna k e fo i d o i n g so th e gl a nd s g o t full a d

e e e e ,
r n ,
n
th e v n o m w s m o r virul n t
e a e e .

To pr v en t t h s n k w ti n g h is v en o m t h ey h ld it d o w n by pr ess i n g
e e a e as , e

its h a d g i n s t t h gr o u n d a d pr v en ti n g it O p n i n g its m o ut h
e a a e n e e .

C o bra v no m a c t s r a pidly o th n rv -c n tr c a u si ng p ra ly si an d
e n e e e e es , a s

r a pid d ea t h .
 I TEMS OF SNA K E KN OW L ED G E .
47 5

FIG . 1 69 — A ha
. ppy f mi l y b ki g i
a as n n th e g i l S uth A fri
en a o c an s u i
n sh n e.
4 76 THE SNA K ES O F SOUTH AFR I CA .

Add r v n o m c t c h i fly
e e th bl d a d th w ll o f it v ssel s
a s e on e oo n e a s s e ,

ca u si n g h ze m h g i n t th ti u o rr a e o e ss es .

Add r v no m c t m u c h m r sl o wly t h n C o br a v no m
e e a s o e a e .

Th e v n o m o f v ry sp ec i s o f s n a k e di ff r s m w h t i its a c ti n
e e e e e s o e a n o .

Th e wid e t di ff r n is b tw n t h e C o br a f a m ily a d th
s e e A dd r ce e ee n e e

f m ily f n k
a o s a es .

A s ru m i e w pr p r d by i mm u n izi n g h o r s s t o t h e v eno ms o f t h e
s no e a e e

d iff r n t l ss f s n k s
e e c a es o a e .

It i t h r efo r e
s, n tid t to th e bit o f
e y ki n d o f v n m u s
, an a o e e an e o o

sn k a e .

Th m o rt lity i
e I ndi fr m sna k e bit u n til l t ly h as v era g ed
a n a o e, a e ,
a
a y ar e .

All th p o pul a r n tid o t i I n di h a v b n pro v ed to b w rt h l e s

e a es n a e ee e o s .

D i n g a m a n wit h l rg qu n titi s f a l h l f
os sn a k e bit is d n g r o u a e a e o co o or e a e s .

Th m yt h i c a l D r g o n i b eli v d t h a v e h d it o rigi n i th P yt h o n
e a s e e o a s n e ,

o f w h i h t h er c m n y p i s i nh biti n g A s i a d Afr i
e a re a s ec e a a n ca .

I a Ch in
n w rk n titl d S h n H ai Ki ng d ti ng fr m 3 5 0 A
ese o e e a a o . D .
,

a gr ea t n k is r ef rr ed to w h i c h p o ss d t w o p a i r s f W i n g
s a e e ss e e o s .

I n C h i na d J p n t h e m yt h i l D r g o n is r pr
an n t d s b in g m r
a a ,
ca a e ese e a e o e

o rl sn k -lik but in th t h er p a rt s o f t h E a t a d th W t t d fl e s
ess a e e, e o e s n e es i i r

mo r o l e i sh p
r ess n a e .

Th G k w e d dr k o n c tu ally m ean t l a rg n k a d is so u s d
ree
'

or a a a e s a e, n e

by Ari st tl e d o t h r l ssi a l writ r s

o an e c a c e .

O Gr k v as i th p i n ti n g f gr t erp en t c l ld a D r a g n
n a ee e s e a o a ea s a e o

gu rdi ng th tr i t h g rd n o f t h H sp rid o w h i h gr w th
a e ee n e a e e e e es n c e e

g ld n ppl i qu st o f w h i c h c c o rdi n g to Gr k l eg n d , t h h r
o e a es , n e , a ee e e e o

H r ul s w n t Th figur r pr n t a l rg h rn d serp n t c d d o u d
e c e e . e e e es e s a e o e e o e r n

th tru n k o f tr
e w h i h th g ld n ppl s e h ngi n g w h i l e t h
a ee on c e o e a e ar a ,
e

fi gur f t h e H e p rid s a d H r c ul s a sh w n s t a ndi n g n e r

es o s e e n e e re o a .

A c rdi n g t B ibl h i t o ry it w as gr t rp n t w h gu a rd ed th e
co o e s a ea se e o

f rbidd n fruit a d w h i h t m pt d E t t k
o e d at
n c e e ve o a e an e .

Th rp n t w as w o rsh ipp d fr m x di ngly r em t ti m l n g

e se e e o e c ee o e es , o

b f r th o rigi n f th J wi h na ti o n
e o e e o e e s .

Th a n i n t Egypti n s w o r h ipp d a gr t s rp n t -g o d c all d

e c e I l -h a s e ea e e e a er

or gr t L o rd f f r a d t rr r
ea T h y b li v d t h t to h m th W i k d
o ea n e o .
”
e e e e a i e c e

w uld b h n d d o v r a d frig h tfully t o rtur d

o e a e e n e .

Th m u c h -f a r d Evil S pirit o f th S n di n vi a n m yt h o l o gy w a a
e e e e ca a s

gr t n kea s a e .

I R v l ti n xx 1 2 it sa y s Th dr g o n t h t o ld s rp n t w h i c h i
n e e a o .
, , e a a e e s

th D vil
e d S t an
e an a .

I th E n t ev n t t h pr s n t da y th s rp n t is r g rd d as b i n g p
e as e a e e e e e e e a e e os
se sse d of vil pirit d u d by u ns n p w r s f r pu rp
an e s o f v ng nc
an se ee o e o o ses e ea e .

H r d tu e o d P li n y b li v ed in th
o s an xi t n f wi n g d n a k Th e e e e s e ce o e s es . e

b li f i w i n g d sn k pro b bly r
e e n fr m l w h i h
e a n k -l i kes a a o se o ee s, c a re s a e e

i sh p
n a d p fi
e an w h i h w uld o dr a wi n g
o s sess d rvi n g s t a k th e n s, c o n s an ca e
sh p a o f wi n g s
e .

I D ut c h Gui n t h e n gr o s b li v t h t if th e l ea v
n a f th r e sp i s
a e e e e e a es o e ec e
o f tr t k n pulv riz d d ppli d t th
ees a re a e ifi d it
, f th b t e e e an a e o e sc a r e s e o e i ,

it is a c rt a i n u r f sn k bit e
e c e or a e .
47 8 TH E SNA KES O F SOUTH AFR I CA .

k k pt a f w m n th in c a ptivity yi ld l e s t h a n o e-h a lf th e v no m
S n a es e e o s e s n e

t tt y
ha h e a re p bl e o f in t h wild c o n diti o n
ca a e .

C o br s a d M a mb a s a f r m o r e to b dr ea d d t h an Add er s b ec a u se
a n re a e e ,

t h eir v eno m ac t s so r apidly .

Add er v n o m b i n g m u c h sl o w r t h er e
e e b tt r O pp o rtu n iti s o f
e e , ar e e e

a pplyi n g r medi l measur s wit h s u c c ess

e a e .

S luti o n s f v en o m i pur e gly c e ri n e will k p i n d efi n it ely

o o n ee .

I n a liquid c o n diti o n it w ill k p g o o d a c o upl f w ek s i c o rk e d ee e o e n a

b o ttl e I t t h n d ec a y s a d l o ses it p o i o n o u pr o p erti
. e n s s s es .

C br v eno m s p c i lly p a ra ly es th n rv e n tr s f r espira ti o n i

o a e a s e e ce e o n
th t o p o f t h e s pi n l c o rd k n o w n
e t h e M edull a O bl o n g a t a
a ,
as .

M o t sn k e v eno m s a t up n th n rv e c ll o f th e c n tra l n erv o u s

s a c o e e e s e

s y st m e .

O dro p o f t h e v no m o f a C p e C o br a i nj ec t ed i nt o th e h in d leg o f a
ne e a

do g kill d it i o e h o ur fi
e m i n ut es n n ve .

B o o m sl n g v en o m bulk f o r bulk is a p o w e ful as C o br a v en o m

a , O e , s r . n
dr o p wi ll kill a l rg e do g o a m o n k ey a r .

Cur a ri a S o ut h Am ri c a n p o i o n o f v eg et a bl e o rigi n lik e n k v no m

,
e s , s a e e ,

h s a no b d eff c t if s w ll o w ed but if i nj ec t d u n d er t h e s ki n c ts lik e

a e a ,
e a

s n k e v en o m
a .

T h r a e p pl e i S ut h Afri c w h o c tu lly b li ev t h a t if a m b
e e r eo n o a a a e e an e
i no ul t d with n k v no m o p o i so no u s serp n t will v r tt m pt
c a e s a e e , n e e e a e

t o bit h im T h y s y t h sna k k no w s by i n” ti n t h e i pr o f so t h y
e . e a e e s c s o , e
r efu s to w st t h ir v en m S na k i n stru c ti n is evid en tly b dly n d d
e a e e o . e o a ee e .

S nak v eno m di o lv es r e dily in w a t r I t is u u lly i nj ec t d in

e ss a e . s a e
s luti o n wit h w a t r w h n exp eri m en ti n g
o e e .

S n k e v n o m m y b e dri ed b tw e n s li p o f gl ss a d s t o r ed
a e a way e e s a n a

i n a dry d rk pl c e I t will k p fr h fo lif ti m

, a a . ee es r a e e .

O n e f t h e m th o d s o f tr ti n g s n k e bit i I n di i to s it r o u n d th e
o e ea a e n a s

bitt n p r o n a d h n t c h r m s
e e s n c a a .

F t h n i l d et ail o f th n t o m y o f S na k s s e E c yc lo pa di
or ec ca s e a a e , e n a
B rit nn i c a
a .

Sn k s a t a e rul pr o f a g i ns t t h ir o w v eno m but it u su ally

a re n o s a e o a e n ,

t ka big d o s t ki ll
es a dult sn k e e o an a a .

Sn k ft n di w h n bitt n b y o t h r sn k es o if v eno m is a rti fi c i a lly

a es o e e e e e a ,
r

i nj c t d i v ry l rg l
e e n e a e c o se s .

Th p s n f e e n k is o t n a n tid o t t o th e v no m o f a n th er
or o o on s a e n a e e o .

I f rubb d i n t o t h e w o u n d it c n id r a bly i nc r as
e th c h n c es f d ea t h o s e e es e a o .

Th e h d o f v en m o u s sna k is o ft n dri d a d pulv eriz d I t i

ea a o e e e n e . s
p pul rly upp o ed to b c ur fo n k e bit e I t i th e v ry r v er s
o a s s e a e r s a . s e e e .

Qui n i n e is f o n tid o t a l v lu e as a r me dy f o n na k e bite eit h r

a a e or s ,
e

i n j t d o ppli d t t h w o u n d
ec e r a e o e .

I f a l rg C br bit a do g o o t h r n i m l a d if t h e bit b full a d

e o a es a r e a a , n e e n

c m pl t
o n o ug h v n o m g t s i n to th c ir ul a ti o n with i n t w o c o n d s to
e e, e e e e c se
ca u s d t h P r m ng n t o f p o t sh a d lig tu i ng f ail to v rt a
e ea . e a a a e a n a r a e

f t l i ssu
a a e .

A x c iv ly min ut e qu a n tity o f C o br v eno m is suffi c i en t to kill

n e es s e a

a f o wl o r bbit r a .
i TE Ms OF SNA K E K N OW L E D G E .
479
48 0 TH E SNA K ES O F SO UTH AF R I CA .

Per m n g n t e o f p o t a h if i n j t d in so luti o n dir t i n t a v ei n is

a a a s . ec e ec o ,

a tt nd d wit h gr a v e d n g r
e e a e .

Th B ird S n a k ( Th lt
e i ) is o vip a r o u s
e e o rn s .

Th C p e W lf S n k e (L yc ph id u m ) is o vip a r u s O n l a id
'

e a o p a o z ca en se o . e

a b t c h o f gg s i th e P o rt Eliz b et h Mu u m o n 8 th D c m b er 1 9 9
a e n a se e e ,
0 .

Th p pul r b li f i u n tru e t h a t n k
e o a e will o t p a u n d r g r niu m
e s s a es n ss e e a

bu sh es I h v e ft en
. n t h em do so
a o A P u ff Add r w s ac tu lly
s ee . e a a

kill d l i ng sl p u n d r l a rg g r niu m bu sh
e y a ee e a e e a .

W h n M l e S n k h d t h ir ski n it c o m s o ff i pi ec
e o a es s eot i o e e n es , n n ne

w h l pi ec
o e T h i s is o wi n g t t h eir sm all h a d n d c o m p r tiv ely l rg
e . o e s a a a a e

b o di es .

All n k c s wi m a d a e f n d o f w a t r M n y tr v l l o n g di t nc es
a es an s ,
n r o e . a a e s a
on riv r drifti ng d w n wit h th e c u rr en t
e s, o .

M t p i o f S ut h A fri c a n sn a k e r tir t o t h ir r etr ea t w h n d rk

os s ec e s o s e e e s e a
n t i
es s s e s n .

Th Add r s a
e xc pti o ns T h ey e fr equ ntly enc o u nt er ed br o d
e re e e . ar e a a
a t n ig h t .
 S OME EX P ERIMENT S AT THE G OVERN MENT V ETERINA R Y
R E S E ARC H L A B ORAT ORI E S P RET O RIA ,
.

DR .T HEI L E R the able Director of the Vete ri nary and Research

,

Depart ments of the Union of South Africa has recently started ,

a se ri es of experi m ents wi th the obj ect of ascert ai ni ng the exact

pathological effect of the veno m of each species of South Afri can
poisonous snake For thi s purpose I have supplied him wi th
.

various veno m ous snakes The experi m en ts are i n thei r i ni ti al

.

stages but D r Theiler has ki ndly sent me the followi ng i nstructive

.

arti cle by his assist ant Mr W Horner Andrews ,

. . .

A B A B OO N B ITTEN BY A B OOM S LANG .

The B aboon was bi tten on the shoulder by a Boo mslang at

noo n on Dece mber 2 9 1 9 1 1 ,
.

On the follo w i ng day there was considerable oede m atous

swelli ng at the S i te of the bite extendi ng down to t he elbow ,
.

The Baboon was at first fai rly active but later beca me dull and ,

depressed By 5 p m she was lyi ng down although still able to

. . ,

st and and walk but stil l very depressed

,
.

On t he m orni ng of the 3 1 st the B aboon was very poorly ,

refused food and water and lay for a long period on one
,

side .

I n the evening she was more i ncli ned to eat and dri nk but ,

was very weak .

J anuary 1 st saw a very decided i m prove m ent although still ,

weak and depressed After thi s there was a very rapid recovery
.
.

She was agai n bi tten by a Boo mslang at p m of .

J anuary 2 3 The snake bi t exceptionally well seizi ng a fold

. ,

of ski n over the abdo men holdi ng o n for abou t four m i nutes
, ,

and worryi ng i t .
484 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFR I CA .

At 4 p m there was a disti nct swelli ng at the si te of the bi te

.
,

and thi s swelli ng i ncreased i n si ze and extent until t he following

morni ng .

No general sy mpto m s were shown until about 5 p m ( 4 Qhours

.

after the bi te ) when there was S light dul lness Thi s depression
, .
48 6 TH E SNA KES OF SOUTH AFR I CA .

o f Boo mslang bi tes blood take n before death appeared to have

, ,

lost enti rely the power of coagulating and thi s was also seen ,

i n one case ( out of six ) o f Pu ff Adder bi te Parti al loss of c o .

a u lab ili t was seen ante -m orte m i n one case of Cobra bite i n
g y
a sheep and i n several cases post -morte m coagulation appeared
,

to be i nco mplete .

I t would appear fro m our experi ments that i n the m aj ori ty ,

of cases of snake bi te i n larger ani m als n o st ructural alterations ,

i n the blood can be observed duri ng li fe There m ay however .

, ,

be a di mi nished coagulati ve power and this is seen especi ally ,

as a resul t of the bite of a Boo mslang .

I t wi ll be necessary to confirm an d am pli fy these results by

further i nvestigations .

W H O RNER A N D REWS . .

TH E V EN OM OF THE S C H AAP S TEKER .

( An oth er ba ck- a n ed S n a ke
f g ) .

The Schaapsteker is one of the back -fanged divi si on of s nakes .

The fangs are set halfway back i n the upper jaw They are .

grooved and li ke all the back -fanged snakes the S c h aapstekers

,

possess poison glands These glands however are no t so m e

.
, ,

distance fro m the fangs nor connected wi th the m by ti ny ducts

or tubes as i s the case wi th front -fanged snakes The glands
, .

are si tuated i mmedi ately under the ski n One end o f the poison .

gland co m es ag ai nst a hole i n the upper j aw i n which the fangs

are set and the veno m oozes down through thi s hole i nto a
,

mucous sheath whi ch envelopes the fangs The veno m is of .

g reater consistency than that of the typi cally veno mous front
fanged snakes I t co llects i n this m ucous sheath When the
. .

snake bi tes i n order to get the veno m i nto the wound i t is

, ,

obliged to take a fi rm gri p and press the fangs s trongly i n to t he

flesh The longer i t is allowed to gri p and worry the flesh the
.
,

more veno m i t w ill force through the fangs I t i s generally .

believed that the Schaapsteker as i ts n a m e i m plies i s i n the

, ,

habit o f bi ting sheep The fangs of these s n akes are so s mall

.

’
that even i f a f ull g ri p were obtai ned on a S heep s leg they , ,
 TH E VE N OM OF TH E SC HAAPSTE K ER .
48 7

except perhaps i n a very few i nstances would not penetrate ,

the tough ski n of the ani m al I have tried repeatedly by allowi ng .

S c h a a ps tekers to bi te the legs of sheep but i n no instance was ,

F ro B — S m l iv B m l g i
o e e f h
oo k g t h ld P rt El i b th Mu u m
s an s n o ne o t e sn a e ca es a t e o o za e se

T g w r h 4 f t q u r wi th p l t g l f ur id Th d r w
. . .

h ese ca es e e ea c ee th s a e, a e ass o n e o s es e oo as
v r d wi th tr g wi r g u trip w i rt d i - h r f f th g T h i
.

co e e s d
on e a z e, an a s as n se e n t e oo o e ca e s
p vid d u ffi i t v ti l ti A g pp r tu d h w t r p i p u ppl i d h t
.

ro e s c en en a on . as a a a s an ot a e es s e ea .
 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

there any appearance of the fangs havi ng penetrated through

the S ki n nor was there the slightest sym pto m of poiso n i ng
,

mani fested i n the ani m al M any ti m es I have been bi tten on

.

the bare hands by S c h aa ps tekers but i n no case di d I give the

,

reptile ti me to get a full gri p S O as to work i ts fangs well ho m e .

Slight discoloration of the part bi tten and a cert ai n a moun t of

,

pai n i n t he glands of the arm pi t supervened However i n the .

,

m aj ori ty of cases there was not the slightest sy mpto m of

poiso ni ng .

S TART L I N G R E S U LT S OF EX P E RIMENT S .

I allowed five newly -captured ( Triin erorh in n s

S c h aa ps tekers
rh o mbeatu s) to bi te the bared legs o f five fowls Each snake .

was permi tted to t ake a full gri p and hold o n for several seconds .

Three of the fowls showed no sy m pto ms of poisoning One .

beca m e drowsy and died i n about si x hours The other moped .

for a day but recovered co m pletely The flesh for an i nch

,
.

around the si te of the bi te was a light greenish-yellow and the ,

whole leg w as s lightly swollen Taki ng another batch of fowls

.
,

si x i n nu mber I caused si x di fferen t S ch aa pstekers to bi te the m

,

on a part of the thigh previously bared Each snake was allowed .

to hold on for several seconds I n tw o of the fowls i t was noticed

.

that i mm edi atel y under the tw o punctures m ade by the fangs

slight discoloration occurred showi ng that the fangs had really
,

gone through t he ski n and ruptured so m e capillary blood -vessels .

I n both these i nstances the fowls died One died i n ten mi nutes .
,

the other i n seven teen mi nutes .

These experi m ents were repeated u ntil i t was clearly proven

to me that S h o uld the Schaapsteker succeed i n fully penetrati ng
,

t he S ki n and should i t be able t o force a li ttle veno m through

, ,

i ts toxic e ffects were very powerful and rapid The poison i s .

e v i den tly more or less a ki n to t hat of the Cobra for no h e mor ,

rh a e occurred i n any part o f the body Thi s shows t hat t he

g .

p o i sonous pri nci ple w h ich kills i n the Schaapsteker veno m i s a

powerful neurotoxi n .

I t i s a di fficul t m atter to collec t veno m di rect fro m back

fang e d snakes However I succeeded and di scovered that
.
, ,

weight for weight Schaapsteker and Boo mslang veno ms were

,

m ore poisonous than those of the dreaded Cobra or Ma mba .

Here we have tw o speci es o f snakes of the back -fanged

49 0 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

M ORE A B OU T R I N GHA L S— A C RA FT Y D OD GE .

The cunn i ng Ri nghals K apell not only sends out a shower

of veno m at i ts ene my to b li nd h im and thus effect i ts escape ,

while he is suffering agonies of pai n and is staggeri ng about

i n a dazed and bli nded
condi tion but i t actually ,

si m ulates deat h When .

the Ri nghals K apell .

reali zes that escape i s

i m possible i t freque ntly ,

pretends to be dead I ts .

body beco mes li m p i t ,

turns partly or wholly

over o n i ts back i ts j aws ,

gape and to all i nten ts ,

and purposes i t i s dead .

Y ou may turn i t over and

over wi th a stick bu t not ,

a sign of li fe wi ll i t S how .

I t w i ll li e i n the posi tion

i n which i t i s thrown .

However thi s dea dly ser ,

pen t i s wi de awake all the

ti me Through i ts trans .

C— H d f S p tt d R h mb i S h p parent eye scales ltS u n '

F io ea o a o e or o e e aa

( T h mb t ) h wi g t h f g
.
,
.

t k s e er r o ea u s s o n e an s
Th i tu t d h l fw y b k th u pp r Wln kln g eyes regi ster every
. .

ese a re S a e a a ac in e e

j w u d r th ay ( N tur l i
n e ) e e es a a S ze
m ove of the ene m y and
. .

should he be unwi se enough to approach wi t hi n st riki ng dis

tance this apparently dead snake beco mes elect ri fied Wi th a
,
.

fi e rce forward thrust i t dri ves i ts fangs ho m e wi th deadly ,

e ffect Should t he R inghals Kapell succeed i n deli veri ng a full

.

bi te i t i s capable O f i nj ecti ng eight to ten drops of veno m i n to

,

i ts vi cti m A si ngle drop is a fat al dose for a m an

. .

Once I was an xi o us to get a good photograph of a S peci ally

fine R i nghals which we h ad at the Port Eli zabeth Museu m so , ,

thrusti ng i t i nto a box we carried i t out to the neighbouring ,

veld Casti ng i t u po n zth e ground we got our apparatus ready

.
,
 B I TTE N B Y A RI N G HA L S .
49 1

to t ake a photo when i t reared for we desired i ts photog raph ,

with hood expanded The rept ile would not do anythi ng of

.

the ki nd I t l ay as though dead

. I ts m outh gaped and i ts .
,

head and neck were twisted i n the at ti tude of a snake which

had recently di ed We prodded i t wi th long sticks and turned
.

i t over and over but not a S ign of li fe did i t S how

, .

Beco mi ng bolder m y a ssistant ventured rather near Then

, .
,

i n a second the snake reared a foot and a half of the anteri or

part of i ts body and the ventureso m e m an recei ved a shower O f
,

fi n ely-S prayed veno m on hi s face and coat Fortunat ely he had .

previ ously don ned a p ai r of curved S pectacles s o none got i nto ,

hi s eyes We carefully i nspected his face to see i f there were

.

any abrasi ons He felt rather nervous because he had shaved a

.

few hours previously and hi s s ki n was tender i n pl aces A few .

mi nutes later I noticed thousands of ti ny specks of veno m ,

glisteni ng i n the sun o n his blue serge coat ,

.

After thi s i ne ffectual at te m pt to bli nd i ts aggressor the ,

Ri nghals gli ded away endeavouri ng to find so m e place of con

,

c ea lm en t G etti ng annoyed I prodded i t wi th my sti ck where

.

.
, ,

upon it agai n reared and thi s ti me sprayed m y face nec k and , , ,

coat wi th veno m I too wore spectacles so no har m was done

.
,
.

B ITT E N BY A R INGHA L S . I NJ E CTING N O R MAL S A L T S O L U TI O N .

Dr H Claude Wright Medi cal Superi ntendent of the Victori a

. .
,

Cottage Hospi t al Wynberg Cape Provi nce wri tes me as

, , ,

follows
A railway labourer was ad mi tted to hospi tal at 2 p m . .
,

ha v i ng been bi tten by a Ri ng h als at 1 1 a m He w as collapsed . .

,

li vid and se mi -conscious— al m ost pulseless which was very

, ,
‘

rapi d and uncount able He was approachi ng death I a dmin is . .

tered a large dose of brandy and i m m edi ately transfused h im ,

i n the left m e di an vei n to the extent of three and a half pi nts of

Norm al Sali ne Solution at the sa me ti m e opening the m ed ian ,

vei n in the right arm At first very li ttle blood flowed out but
.
,

as the dynam ic pressure asserted i tsel f due to the sali ne he bled ,

freely to the exten t of a quart by m easure so me bei ng lost i n ,

the bed His condi tion thereupon i m proved and wit h the
.
, ,

addition of plenty of hot bori c and brandy by the n ight he w as ,

much better His conv alescence w as uneven tful wi th the

.
49 2 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFR I CA .

exception o f mo rtific a tio n of the finger whi ch I subsequently ,

a mputated There had been no ligature placed around t he

.

finger so the mo rtific a tio n was not due to strangulation The

, .

finger on ad mission was soaked i n strong carboli c solution

, , ,

and subsequently i n strong per m anganate of potash There was .

evi dence that t he sn ake w as a Ri nghals and as the man was so ,

n ear death When ad mitted I presu me the re medy was successful

,
.

The Normal Sali ne Solution i nj ected b y Dr W right is m ade .

as follows : grs sodiu m chlori de ( co m mon salt ) dissolved

.

i n 2 0 ozs of steri li zed water

. .

A B OOMS LANG B IT E .

Mr G W Pretorius was o ne day walki ng a mong so m e pri ckly

. . .

pear bushes at Ui tenhage when he disturbed a Brown Boo m ,

slang i n the grass I t struck out at h im and gri pped the c alf
.

of his leg He endeavoured t o ki ck i t off but failed S toopi ng

.
, .

down he seized i t by the body plucked i ts head away and t hrew ,

i t fro m h im Although he had ordinary trousers on the fangs

.
,

penetrated the m and m ade tw o punctures i n his ski n H e .

i m pro v i sed a ligature and appli ed i t Dr Mc Ph erso n the . .

,

Dist ri ct Railway doctor was soon i n at tendance He sc arifi ed

,
.

the wound freely and otherwise t reated h im So m e hours after .

the i n fli ction of the bi te Pretorius fai n ted away and re m ai ned

, ,

i n s ensible for so m e ti m e .

The ligature was kept on for so me days bei ng s lightly loosened ,

at short i n tervals The bi tten li mb swelled considerably and

.
,

extensi ve h ae morrhage occurred i n i t Blood slowly oozed .

fro m all the m ucous surfaces particularly the nose and m outh ,
.

For a m onth Pretori us lay i n bed i n a cri tical condi tion For .

t he first week hi s sto mach rej ected all food For so m e days .

water was vo mi ted when swallowed .

For ten days and m ore he suffered severely fro m pai ns i n ,

the bowels I n fact his sy m pto ms were si milar to those described

.
,

i n the case of Ja m es Willi a m s except that the h ae m orrhage was ,

chi e fly confined to t he leg which was bi t ten ; also the m ucous

me mbranes This was doubtless due to the ligature which pre
.

vented the veno m p assi ng i nto the general ci rculation i n suff i cien t
strength to cause subcutaneous haemorrhage i n o ther parts as ,
49 4 THE SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFRI CA .

he was obliged to li e down for hours at a ti me These sym pto m s .

grew less and less severe as ti m e wore on and have now al most ,

disappeared al though at ti m es when he is out for long i n the

,

hot su mmer sun he feels f ai n t and di zzy

,
.

Although the snake escaped there i s no doub t about i t bei ng ,

a Boo m slang as Pretorius knows a Boo mslang as well as I do

,
.

He i nforms me t hat the sn ake glided up a dense m ass of pric kly

pears and rapidly s li d away out of S ight a mongst the m T h i s .

is rather re m arkable when i t i s reali z ed that a hedge of pri ckly

pears is s mothered wi th long sharp straight thorns sticki ng out , ,

at all angles .

TH E I S OL ATI O N OF M A D AGA S CAR AND A U S TRAL IA .

There is ve ry strong evi dence for beli evi ng that Madagascar

was i n re m ote ti m es j oi ned t o the m ai nlan d of Africa and that
, , ,

Australi a was a part of Asi a No w even the study of snakes .

,

helps us i n co mi ng to such a conclusion and even suggests the ,

peri od at whi ch the separation took place .

I n M adagascar there are no fron t -fanged ( P roteroglyp h a)

snakes such as the Vi pers and Cobras They are all of the .

hi nd -fanged ( Op isth oglyp h a ) and solid -toothed ( Aglyp h a) species .

This i nd icates that snakes had no t evolved a typical poison

apparatus pri or to the separation of M adagascar fro m Africa ,

otherwise we S hould have found the m there for Afri ca i s tee mi ng ,

th the front -fanged species of sn akes Thi s fact leads us to .

conclude that M adagascar was i solated at a very re mote peri od

of ti m e and that the separatio n of Australi a fro m the m ai nlan d
,

of Asi a occurred at a m ore recent peri od because we find nu mbers ,

of species of fron t -fanged typically veno mous snakes i n that ,

country We t hus i nfer i t was i solated after snakes had fully

.

evolved thei r poison apparatus .

kM oreo v er i n Austra li a t here are no snakes of the viper adder

, , ( )
fa mily although there are plenty of the m on the m ai nland of
,

Asia Thi s fact would see m to i n dicate that the viper fa mily
.

of sn akes have evolved at a m ore recen t period than the Colub ri ne

grou p of veno mous snakes .

Further snakes have never been known i n New Z ealand

,
.
I SO L ATI ON OF MADA G ASCA R AN D AU STRA L IA .
49 5
496 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH AFR I CA .

We might reason ably i n fer fro m thi s that New Z ealand was
i solated pri or to the evolution of snakes fro m li zards or li z ard -li ke
creatures I t i s reasonable t o assu m e too that i f New Z ealand
.
, ,

had been j oi ned t o Australi a or any other snake -i n fested terri tory
we should find snakes still li vi ng there .

P OTE N C Y OF M AM B A V EN OM .

Mr Hector
. M c K en z ie-
Sh aw G overn men t L and Su rveyor, ,

re lated to m e th e details of the sad death of the well -known

young farm er referred to i n the chapter on the M amba He .

w as presen t when the deceased was bi tten by the Mamba and ,

re m ai ned wi th h im till hi s death His accou nt i s as follows .

We had been out h un ti ng and on returni ng t o the wagon, ,

w h i ch was abou t a hundre d yards di stant my fri end trod upon ,

a large Black Ma mba w hi ch i n stantly bi t h im on the fron t

part of the left foot j ust above th e top of the boot Without
, .

an i nstant s del ay we tied li gatures above and below the

’

pu nctures sc arifi ed the part and rubbed the wounds full of

,

per manganate of potash crystals I then put on another .

ligature above the knee and yet another a t the top o f the thig h
, ,

tighteni ng the m with a stick and screwi ng i t round Arri vi n g .

a t the wagon I sucked th e wound thoroughly and gave h im half

,

an ordi nary tu mbler of brandy and placi n g h im o n a mattress , ,

covered h im u p wi th blankets and kindled a large fire at hi s si de

to keep h im war m At i ntervals we gave h im doses o f brandy
. .

I n a ll he dran k about hal f a bottle o f i t The snake i nfli cted

,
.

the bi te about three o clock i n the afternoon For the first hour .

my friend was so m ewhat exci ted and t alked and laughed with ,

us Then h e cal m ed down and was perfectly norm al apparen tly

.
, ,

and co m pl ai ned of nothi ng except di arrhoea and an un pleasan t

t w i tchi ng of the muscles of the mo u th an d tongue Hour after .

hour wen t by and w e chat ted away beside the c h eerful fi re

, ,

planni ng out m any thi ngs for the future n ever drea mi ng for one ,

m o m en t that t h i s was the l as t day for m y f ri end who see m ed ,

none the worse for the bi te A li ttle before 9 p m I noti ced

. .

he was less talkative and that his e y eli ds were get ting pu ffy
,
.

Fro m this ti me onward he see med t o be rather tired Then .

,
498 TH E SNA K E S OF SOUTH A FR I CA .

at 1 0 p m wi thout any warn i ng he clutched hi s throat des perately

.

and sprang wi th a bound to hi s feet threw hi s arm s out g ri pped , ,

hi s throat agai n and wi th a desperate e ffort t ri ed to speak to

,

me but as he was ut teri ng my n am e hi s breath failed an d he

,

collapsed upon the ground st ruggled an d was dead in five , ,

mi nutes All this cam e upo n us wi th such startli ng suddenness

.

that we were appalled I n layi ng h im out I noti ced that t he

.

enti re left si de of hi s body Was s ti ff and rigi d while th e righ t ,

'

si de was qui t e rel ax ed He evi dently had had a paralytic

.

stroke j ust before death On rem o v i ng the clothes fro m the

.

body I noticed an i rreg ular li ne of dark purple of varyi ng

di am eter up to two i nch es runn ing fro m the S it e of the bi te u p
,

the left si de over the left shoulder up behi nd the ear to the base
, ,

of the skull There was n o swelli n g or di scoloration other than

.

t h is livi d b and anyw h ere about th e body nor was there any ,

h ae morrhage fro m the mucous surfaces Di arrhoea was m ore or .

less pronounced fro m th e ti m e he was bit ten till hi s death I .

m en tioned this livid li n e r un ni ng fro m the wound up to the

skull to so m e m edi cal men but they see m ed to be rather sceptical
,

ab ou t it b u t I assure you i t i s exactly as I h ave stated to you

, .

My fri end w a exceptionally strong and muscular

s I n fact .
,

he was re m arkable for h is physi cal strength He was wi thi n .

two or three days of bei ng twenty —one years of age He was .

one of the most fearless and dari ng of men bu t strange to s ay ,

he had an absolute horror and dread of snakes About a week .

before his death he stu mbled over a Pu ff Adder and declared that
i f he S hould have another such expe ri ence i t would be his last he ,

would clear ou t of the coun try for he co uld no t stand the sigh t
,

”
of sn akes Poor fellow h is next experi ence was i n deed hi s l ast
.
, .

I t wi ll be noticed fro m the above n arrative that the per

m anganate of potash and the ligatures were appli ed al mos t
i nstantly after the i nfliction o f the bi te Mr Mc K en z ie-Shaw . .

says not m ore than a mi nut e or two could have passed before
both operations were co mpleted The wounds were thoroughly .

i ncised and permangan ate rubbed i n freely We m ust therefore

,
.

conclude that su flic ien t veno m reached the general ci rculation

wi thi n a mi nu te of the i nfli cti on of the bi te to cause death I t .

w ill thus be seen h o w potent i s t he veno m of the M a mba .

The sym pto ms i n thi s case i ndicate that the veno m di d not
cause pronounced ne rve depressi on The actual cause of death .
 ANAPH Y L A X I S OR SE RU M S IC KN ESS .
49 9

w as doubtless the paral y sis of the lungs owi ng to the poisoni ng ,

of the nerve centre i n the m edull a Oblongat a which controls

thei r action .

G .

A NA P H YL A X I S OR S ER U M S H OCK .

When ant i -ven om ous seru m is inj ect ed in t o a m an for t he

first ti m e i n s m all or large doses it n eut rali z es t he snake venom ,

i n t he blood an d is afterwards cast out of t he body wit hout

,

inducing any const it ut ional di sturb an ce H owever if a secon d .

,

dose is gi ven m ont hs or years aft erwards se rum shock or An a ,

phylaxis often occurs An t i -ven om ous serum is m ade from th e

.

blood of horses ren dered highly i mm un e t o snake venom Horse .

seru m of an y kin d if used m ore t han once will produce serum

, ,

shock or serum sickness Doct ors now use specialized seru m for
.

t he t reat m ent of cert ain diseases such as dipht heri a pla gue , , ,

lockj aw chronic ulcers et c an d t o st op persist ent bleedi n g aft er

, , .

an operat ion .

I f a person happens t o b e bitt en by a venom ous snake an d if ,

he has been in j ect ed wit h seru m (not vaccin e) at any previous

t i m e in his life ant i -venom ous seru m should not b e t oo hastily
,

adm inist ered .I t m ust be born e i n m in d t hat n on -venom ous

snakes w ill readil y b it e if t rodden on or ot herwise i rrit at ed A ,
.

number o f Sout h African species of snakes are only ven om ous t o

a slight degree The fangs of t hese are set far back in t he j aw
.
,

an d when t hey in fl ict a bit e as likely as n ot t he skin will only

, ,

b e pun ctured by t he solid harm less t eet h Even when a typ ical .

veno m ous snake bit es it by n o m eans follows t hat it has in o cu

,

lat ed its vict i m wit h a fat al dose of venom I n m any inst ances .

t he quant it y of ven om in j ect ed is s o s m all t hat recovery occurs

Wit hout any t reat m ent I f t he sym ptom s do n o t warrant an
.

i mmediat e full inj ect ion of serum t hen t en drops of t he se rum ,

S hould b e in j ect ed at once t o lessen t he subsequent danger fro m

seru m shock when a full dose is subsequently gi v en The .

pat ient should b e wat ched an d if sure sign s of snake venom ,

poison in g are de v elopin g t hen in j ect 1 0 c c of se ru m

,
If . . .

t his proves su fficient t o arrest t he developing sym pt o ms of

poisonin g t hen do not gi ve any m ore I f however t he pat ient
,
.
, ,

is gett ing worse in j ect a secon d bottle of 1 0 c c an d even

,
. .
,

m ore if t he case is a very se ri ous on e especially so i f t reat ,

m en t has b een long delayed or t he bit e is from any species ,

50 0 TH E SNAK E S OF SOUTH AFRI C A .
50 2 TH E SNAK ES OF SOU TH A FR I CA .

veno m for h e co mplet ely collapsed wit h in twent y m inut es an d

,

was s in kin g int o a con ditio n Of insensibilit y This does not .

occur wit h Puff Adder venom poisoning unless an except ionall y

large dose has b een in j ect ed To make absolut ely cert ain of h is .

recovery I inj ect ed 40 c c of t he specialized serum I have caused

, . .

t o b e p repared fro m t he veno m s of Sout h Afri can snakes The .

followi n g day he was out an d about wit h his arm in a sling , ,

s milin g his charact erist ic t ired so rt of s m il e Th is occurred seven .

an d a half years ago .

I n January 1 92 0 h e was assisting me wit h some Operat ions

, ,

on snakes i n t he Snake Park at t he Museu m an d was un fortun at e ,

enough t o get severely b it t en on t he han d by a l arge Pu ff Adder .

I subsequently in j ect ed h im wit h 1 0 c c of what is n ow kn own . .

as F itz Sim o n s seru m This cured him co m plet ely of t he snake

’
.

veno m poison in g an d all went well for four days

,
Then seru m .

S ic kness set in H is han d an d a rm at t he S it es of t he t wo in jec

.

t ions beca m e hot an d swollen Som e hours l at er his mout h an d .

on e eye swelled considerably W hen h is fles h was pressed whit e . ,

blot ches appeared an d rem ained for som e lit tle ti m e a t ickl in g ,

it chy feelin g st a rt ed at t he feet sl owly advanced u p t o t he crown ,

O f t he he ad an d pass ed Off ; a catch occurred in his b reat h n o w

an d t hen an d he felt gen erally w eak an d ill Thes e sympt om s

,
.

reached t heir m axim u m W it h in twenty -four hou rs an d t hen began ,

t o subside l eaving t in y red S pots like fl ea or m osqui t o bit es on

,

t he s ki n .

On t he cont rary on e of m y men was b itt en an d t reat ed suc

,

c ess ful ly wit h 1 0 c c of seru m After an in t erval of four m ont hs

. . .

he was agai n bitt en an d l in j ect ed h im wit h 2 0 c c of s eruin

,
. . .

In t his inst ance t here was n o subsequent se rum sickn ess an d n ot ,

even a rash .

However it m ust be carefull y born e in m in d t hat if horse

,

se ru m of any so rt an ti -ven o mous or ot herwise has been given

, ,

at s o m e previous t i m e t he pati ent will possibly su ffer m ore or less

,

fro m s erum sickness if again in j ect ed I n serious cases Of sn ake .

bit e it i s absolut ely necessary t o use seru m as t here is no ot her .

ant idot e or even pa rt ial ant idot e for snake veno m poison in g
, ,
.

F O R E IGN S E R A .

Serum prepared fro m ho rses rendered immun e t o t he veno m s

of foreign snakes is so weak i n its ant idot al powers a gainst t he
 SE RU M AND VACC I NE .
593

poi s on O f Sout h African snakes t hat 3 0 c c are n eeded for t he . .

rapid recovery of even a m ild cas e of s nake bit e while a s erious ,

cas e requires t he inj ect ion of 6 0 c c an d O ft en more This is . . .

alarm ing for t he reason t hat i f a dose of 3 0 c c are i nj ect ed at

, . .

on e dos e wit hout any preli m in ary t reat m ent int o a person who ,

is hypersensit ive t o seru m owin g t o having been previou sly

inj ect ed for sn ake bit e or for t he cure Of so m e diseas e it w ill , ,

possibly kill hi m .

The urgent n eed for a se ru m prepared from th e veno m s O f

t he various p oisonous sn akes of t hi s coun t ry is t herefore , ,

apparent Ten c c Of t his se rum is equal t o at least 3 0 c c Of

. . . . .

an y of t he foreign sera .

A dose of 1 0 c c Of t his specialized seru m brought M r J am es

. . .

William s an d two assist ants at t he M useum out of t he shadow

, ,

Of deat h I f Willia ms who was hyp ersensit ive t o se ru m had

.
, ,

received a dose of 3 0 c c of t he forei gn seru m which is b eing . .

sold freely in Sout h Africa t he se ru m sickn ess which sup erven ed ,

would have killed h im wit hout t he S hadow of a doub t If .

forei gn s era of weak ant i dot al st ren gt h against t he venom s of

Sout h Af ri can sn akes is largely used here t here w ill b e m ore
deat hs caused by it from an aphyla xis or se ru m sickness t h an , ,

cu res of sn ak e ven om poisoning *

.

S ER U M AND V ACCINE .

Seru m i s usually con fused wit h vacci ne bot h b eing t hought ,

by m any p eopl e t o b e on e an d the s a m e subst ance Seru m is a .

product fro m t he blood of horses Vaccin e is a cult ure m ade .

fro m m icrobes Col onies of t hese are bred an d afte rwards killed
. .

Aft er m an y careful an d skilful processes have been gone t hrough ,

t he dead m icrob es or germs wit h t heir t oxins or excret ions are , ,

graded in t o doses When finally st erilized an d p repared t he

.
,

product is t erm ed vaccin e .

Vacc ines are n o w used for t he purpose O f reinforcing our

bodily resist an ce against disease an d also for t h e ac tual t reat ,

m ent of disease con dit ions The in j ect ion of t he vaccin e culture .

causes t he b ody t o m anufact ure a pot ent subst an ce wh ich blends

A n ph yl xi s is th Sh o c k w hi h so m ti m f ll o w th i nj c ti n o f
a a e c e es o s e e o a

d e o f h o r e ru m i n t o p r o n w h o h s h d
os s se i n j ti n t m a e s a a an ec o a so e

pr evi u s ti m I t o u r s t o n
o e . wit h i n 4 h ur S ru m i c kn s
cc a ce or 2 o s . e s e s or

s ru m p o i s n i n g c n tr ry m y d v l p W i lli m ’

e o n th , o i e e tw
o a ,
a e e o ,
as n a s c as ,
o

or t h r d y s ft r t h i nj ti n
ee a a e e ec o .
50 4 TH E SNA K ES O F SOUTH A FR I CA .

w it h t he liqui d ( seru m ) part of t he blood an d a cts as a poison t o ,

disease ger ms The in j ection O f increasingly l arge doses of sn ak e

.

veno m s int o a hors e act in a si m ilar m an n er only t o a far m ore ,

powerful degree W e c an wit hin two years m ake a horse

.
, ,

i mm un e t o a hundred t i m es an ord in ary fat al dos e of veno m .

The pot ent veno m -killi ng essen ce is all i n t he s eru m of t he horse s

’

blood T his is why we use t he se ru m Se ru m an d vaccin e are

. .
,

t herefore t ot ally d i fferent .

.

Peopl e w h o have b een in ocul at ed at va rious t i m es wit h

vacc in e do n ot su ffer fro m anaphylaxis or s e ru m S i ckness if a
dos e O f se ru m is in j ect ed int o t he m for t he first t i m e .

H .

I NTRAV EN O U S V ER S U S S U B C U TAN E O U S I N J ECTI O N OF S ER U M .

I t must be born e i n mi nd that seru m i nj ected i n travenously

( direc t i n to a vei n ) is on an average fi fty ti m es greater i n i ts
curati ve e ffects than i f inj ected subcut aneously ( under the ski n ) .

This i s highly i m portan t to re m e mber i n th e treat m ent Of sn a ke

veno m poisoni ng for th e reason that i f the seru m co mes i n
,

con t act wi th the veno m while i t i s ye t i n t he blood i t will render ,

i t har mless i n proportion Of course to the quan ti ty and quali ty , ,

O f t he anti -venen e seru m used I n the case of th e Cobras the .

,

ven o m after a ti me leaves the blood and enters i n to co mbi n ati on

, ,

wi th the nerve cells notabl y those co mposi ng the nerve centres

,

con t rolli ng the m o ve m en ts of the lungs I n the Vi per ( adder) .

fa mily of snakes i ncludi ng the Boo msl ang which i s a Colub ri ne

, ,

snake the veno m seriously affects the wa lls of the capillary b lood
,

v essels cau sing such changes i n the cells as to allow the blood
,

to flo w out i nto the various tissues No w i t i s Ob vious th at i f .

,

the veno m has previous to the i nj ec ti on O f the seru m acted upo n

, ,

nerve cells and the cells O f the blood vessel walls the seru m
, ,

can no t repai r the da m age done All i t i s capable of doi ng is to .

neutrali ze whatever veno m re mains i n the ci rculation and so ,

preve n t further mischief Then i f the da mage is no t beyond .

,

repai r the i nheren t curative power of the body wi ll build up new

,

cells absorb and cas t ou t the dead blood and restore the body
, ,

to i ts nor m al con di tion A good all-round plan i s to have at .

leas t enough anti -ven ene seru m on hand for two full t reat ments ,

viz abou t fi fty cubi c cen ti met res Then i f any one is bi t ten
.
. ,

i nj e ct one full dose of sav twen ty -fi v e cubi c cen ti m etres i n two

50 6 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUTH A FRI CA .

seru m h e can i nj ect the second dose or so m e of i t direct i n to

, , ,

a vei n Of course i n those cases where i t i s i mpossible to Obtai n

.

the services of a m edi cal m an or a veteri n ary surgeon wi thi n

a reason able ti me the m ost capable perso n i n the house should
,

undertake t he i nj ectio n Of the seru m i nto a vei n i n t he m an ner

stated previously i n t hi s volu me i f the sy m pto m s are suffi ci en tly
,

serious t o j usti fy thi s Operation .

Residents i n snake -i nfested count ries s h ould take a few

lessons i n i nj ecti ng seru m i n to vei ns and under the ski n .

I .

TH E S A L IN E S O L U TI O N . A N E MERGENC Y M EA S U RE .

I n severe cases of poi soning by the veno m s of the Adders

and the Boo m slang extensi ve h aemorrhage occurs
,
This m eans .

that blood oo z es out through the di lated walls of t he capillary

blood vessels i nt o vari ous parts of the body— m ostly i nto the
m uscular ti ssue and under the ski n N ow i t must be re m e mbered .
,

that when the blood thus escapes fro m the blood vessels i t can not
get back agai n an d very soon dies
, .

To keep the heart beati ng vigorous ly i t i s essential that i t ,

should be supp li ed wi th a su fficiency of flui d t o gi ve i t so methi ng

substan ti al to gri p o therwi se i t will slow down and even tually
,

s top I n proportion too as the heart beco mes less energeti c

.
, , ,

so do the va rious organs of the body dec li ne i n activi ty and

power t o generate an an ti -toxi n and also to cope wi t h the veno m,

and the dead blood and cast the m out of the body .

I n these cases death i s likely to occu r fro m lack Of su ffici ent

fluid i n the blood vessels I t i s advi sable i n these i nstances to
.

i nj ect i n to the left m e di an vei n of the patien t a solution o f ,

co mmon sal t and sterili zed ( boiled ) water Thi s soluti on i s .

known as N orm al Sali ne or Physiologi cal Salt Soluti on ,

v iz
.
7 8 gra mmes Of co mmon s al t ( Sodi u m Chloride ) di ssolved i n
2 0 ounces of ste ri lized water Fro m one t o two pi nts of thi s
.

solu tion m a y be i nj ected .

The left m edian vei n i s the largest vei n i n the left forear m ,

and the right m edi an vei n i s a si m ilar on e i n the righ t forearm .

I f extensive h ae m orrhage has not taken place or i f the snake ,

w h ich i n flicted the bi te w as one whose veno m i s a neurotoxin

or nerve poison then the righ t med i an vei n of th e patien t S hould
,

be opened and the blood allowed to fl o w out freely At the sa me .

 THE SA L I NE SO L UTI ON .
50 7

ti m e the left me dian vei n S hould be O pened and a pi n t or t wo of

t he sali ne solution i nj ected . By this means a great deal of the

50 8 THE SNAK ES OF SOUTH AFR I CA .

veno m is got ri d of an d i ts place t aken by the salt soluti on whi ch ,

keeps the heart beati ng vigorously until the body i s able to

m anufacture a fresh supply O f blood to replace that whi ch has
been drai n ed out Many valuabl e li ves have i n t h i s way been
.
, ,

saved i n cases of ordi n ary haemorrhage fro m a severed artery ,

for i nstance The p ri nci pal i mmedi ate danger O f the loss of
.

blood i s nothi ng more nor less than the loss of fluid to keep the
heart sti mulated .

Pure water i s never i nj ected ei ther di rect i n to a vei n or under ,

the ski n for any purpose for th e reaso n that i t causes pai n and
,

i rri tation Sal t must always be added to i t

. .

When any parts of the body of an ani m al are requi red for
s tudy such as n erves or portions o f muscles i f they are p laced i n
, ,

pure water they soon die but i f i m mersed i n a sali ne solution they
,

wi ll keep ali ve for hours only to di e O f starvati on eventually

,
.

For i nstance i f a snake i s ki lled and the heart i s at once taken

,

out and place d i n pure water i t wi ll very soon cease to beat , ,

but i f put i nto a sali ne soluti on i t will con ti nue to beat for a long
ti m e — often a whole day .

Thus i t will be seen wh at a va luable ai d we have i n the sali ne

solution i n t he t reat m en t O f snake bi te i n the absence o f anti
, ,

venene seru m .

I NJ ECTING AMM ON IA F O R S NAKE B ITE .

The E astern P rov in ce H erald Port Elizabeth recen tly h ad the , ,

following : L ecturing recently at Durban before the N atal

Scien tific Society o n So m e Sn akes and their Poi son Dr Schulz
’
.
,

exp lai ned that while alcohol applied extern ally and i ntern ally
had been proved i ne ffective an d causti c potash i nj ected on the
,

bi te also failed to cure the strongest solution of ammoni a diluted

,

to o ne -half wi th w a ter had scored unfailing success as poi so n

destroyer He m entioned three cases O f cure by thi s m eans
.
,

and had no failures to record A hypoder mic s yri nge a n d two .

hal l ounce bot tles o f d iluted a mmoni a the second a reserve

—
,

”
bottle could be packed u p i n the s pace occupi ed by a m atch box
,
- .

R E S U L T O F EX P E RIMENT S O N THI S T H E O R Y .

Diluting the a m moni a as stated above I tested the solution

, ,

on various ani m als but i t exerted absolu tely no curative effec t

,
.

I f an ani mal was i nj ected wi th a fat al dose of veno m i t always ,

510 T HE SN AK ES OF SOU TH AFR I CA .

stand fi ftee n mi nutes I t was then inj ected i n to the m uscles o f

.

a large fowl Three drops of Pu ff Adder veno m were at the s am e

.

ti me mi xed wi th so me pure water and i nj ected i n to another fowl .

Both fowls m ani fested the sa m e sy mpto ms of poisoni ng and died

wi thin five or ten mi nutes of each other .

Other more or less si milar experi m en ts were m ade bu t i n all ,

cases the treatmen t with the a mmoni a soluti on di d n o t delay deat h .

The sy mpto ms were the sa m e as those show n by t he control ani m als

B ei ng desirous of ascertai ni n g i f pure a mmoni a would i n any
way destroy th e poi sonous properties of snake veno m I mi xed ,

a teaspoonful Of th e strongest li qui d a mmoni a wi th three drops

of Pu ff Adder veno m and allowed i t t o stand for half an hour .

The solution was the n di ssolved wi th one -half water and inj ected
i nto t he muscles of a large cock fowl The sy mpto ms of poisoni ng .

developed i n the usual m anner and the fowl di ed the a mm oni a , ,

not apparently delayi ng deat h i n the least Fro m this exp ri

, ,
.
e

men t i t was m ade eviden t t hat even the st rongest a mm oni a

exerted no veno m—destro vin g power even when actually mi xed ,

i n S oluti on wit h the poi son .

K .

WH Y D O S NA K E S F ANGS D I FFER I N L ENGTH ?

’

Why should the Adder fa mily of snakes have long curve d

fangs and those of the Cobra fa mily be so co m parati vely s mall
‘

T h is proble m vexed my mi nd N ature has a fixed and defini t e .

purpose i n all she does Those great fangs of the Puff Adder
.

were not evolved wi thou t a distin ct purpose Tr ue t h ey enable .

,

the reptile to infli ct severe m echanical inj u ri es upo n th e s m all

creatures which are the prey of these snakes Bu t then why .
,

should not the Cobras h ave also evolved large recurved fangs ,

for thei r prey also consi sts of the sa me speci es O f creatures .

The vi per O ften gri ps i ts prey and ho lds on till the creature i s
dea d S O also do the Cobras and o ther veno mous Colub ri ne
.

snak es At other ti mes they st ri ke and i nstan tly wi thdraw

.

thei r fangs rel yi ng upon the veno m to paralyse thei r V icti m

,

before i t c a n escape out of t h ei r reach .

The fangs o f a large Cobra are only about a quarter of an

i nch l o ng whi le those of a Pu ff A dder are three -qu arters O f an
,

i nch i n lengt h When the Cobra delivers a full bite the veno m is
.
,

shed m o s tlv on the muscles j ust under the S ki n The Puff Adder on
, .
,

the con tra ry dri ves i ts fangs deep down i nt o the muscular t issue
, .
 SU R PR I S I N G RESU LTS OF E X PE R I MENTS .
51 1

S U R P RI S ING R E S U LT S OF EX P ERIME N T S .

Collecti ng a quan ti ty of veno m fro m so me Cape Cobras and

Ri ngha ls I carefully m easured out doses averagi ng fro m hal f a
,

drop to two drops A dose .

was i nj ected deep i nto the

m uscular ti ssue of the thigh
O f a fowl A si milar dose
.

w a s i nj ected j ust under the

ski n on top of the m uscu lar
tissue Thi s experi m ent was
.

repeated sever al tim es The .

poisonous e ffects were t he

sa me i n all cases D eath o c .

curred j ust as rapi dly w h en

t he ve n o m w as i nj ected i nto
the m uscles as when i t was
placed j ust under the ski n
I carri ed out a seri es O f
si mi lar experi m ents wi th the
ve n o m of t he Puff Adder
wi th surp ri si ng results .

Several fowls were i nj ected

wi t h half a drop of the
'

veno m m i xed with a li t tle

,

water . Thi s was i nserted

u nder t he ski n Of t he thigh

with a hypoderm i c syri nge .

The solution spread out over

the muscu lar tissue and was ,

sti ll further di ffused by

m anipul ati ons wi th the
finger The fowls i n all cases
.

recovered When o n e drop

.

of veno m was i nj ected ,

the fowls wi th the exception

,

of two s m all weakli ngs fully ,

recovered .

Two drops were then i nj ected i nto each fowl All the l arger .

and more Vigorous o f the fowls recovered Those whi ch di ed .

5 1 2 T HE SN A K ES OF SOUT H A F RI CA .

di d no t m ope m uch They ate and drank as usual and were

.
,

as li ve ly as ever after the first day So me died i n two days . ,

o thers survi ved for a week and even tually di ed Selecti ng the .

m os t robust fowls I could get I i nj ecte d i nto each three drops ,

O f Pu ff Adder veno m as usual under t he S ki n of t he thigh

,
an d ,

caused i t to S pread out by rubbi ng wi t h a finger So m e of the .

fowls di ed aft er twelve hours O thers li ved for tw o three to .

,

four days and di ed An average of one -half of those i nj ected

.

even tuall y survi ved .

Taki ng another lot of heal thy fowls I i nj ected i n to each ,

four full drops of Pu ff Adder veno m under the ski n of the thigh
Seven di ed after sur v ivi ng for periods averagi ng ten to forty -eight
hours M ost o f t hose which died were during t he first twelve
.
,

hours or so rather dej ected bu t afterwards apparen tly recovered

, ,

and ate and drank as usual The inj ected leg however w as .
, ,

in every case ho t and swollen Those w h ich di ed were hens .

and cockerels Three l arge healthy roosters m ade co mplete

.

recove ri es After the first day or two they ceased to m ope and
.

showed a disposi tion to fight an d quarrel wi th each other Fro m .

day to day the i nj ected leg grew less and less congested After .

eight days all sw elli ng had subsided the te m perature was norm al , ,

and co m plete rec o ver y h ad taken place N O subse q uen t slo ugh i n g .

occurred at the si te of the i nj ecti on .

A B S E N CE OF U S U A L H ZE MOR R H AGE .

When a Pu ff Adder drives i ts fangs ho m e i nto i ts victi m ,

t h e chief sy m pt o m i s extensi ve h ae morrhage i n the m uscle tissues

i n t he vic ini ty o f t he part bi tten This h ae m orrhage extends .

u p i nto oth e r parts and fr e quen tly a ffects the various organs of

t he b o dy H ae mo rrhage also O ften takes place i nto the b o dy

.

cavi ti e s I n ani m als I exa mi ned which died after being bi tten
.

by Pu ff Adders t he m uscles fo r so me distance fro m the si te Of

,

t h e bi te presented the appearance of a soft pulpy bloody m ass , , ,

v ery s imilar to fl e sh which had been horribly brui sed I t was .

apparen t that e xtensive h zemo rrh ag e had t aken place fro m t he

capillari es which suppli ed the m uscle fibres with blood Ofte n .

th e whole li mb was i n this pulpy spongy red condi ti on ,

After , .

death when the flesh w as i ncised the blood ran ou t copiously

, , .

Strang e to s ay i n all the fowl s which di ed aft e r bei ng i nj ecte d

,
514 TH E SNA K E S OF SOUT H AF RI CA .

co m paratively mild i n i ts poisonous effects Fowls are highly .

susceptible to snake veno m and succu mb easily I t w ill be seen

, .

that several fowls actually recovered i n a week s ti m e after f o ur

’

drops of pure fresh veno m had been i nj ected i nto the m The .

poisonous actio n appeared to be co m paratively slight for the ,

only h ae m orrhage was that which occurred i n t h e i nj ected thigh ,

and thi s w as by no m eans extensive and m oreover i t was all , ,

under the s ki n and not i n t he m uscles L y m ph was the p ri nci pal

,
.

flui d whi ch accu m ulated I f those fowls had been larger creatures
.

capable of bei ng properly treated by drai ni ng off this ly m ph and

blood and i f antisepti cs fo ment ati ons and other restorativ es
, , ,

had been appli ed I a m assured that m any of those whi ch di ed

,

would have recovered Nothi ng at all was done for the m They
. .

were si mply left i n their cages and fed an d watered .

Why the veno m should behave so very di fferently when

i nj ected under the s ki n and when i nj ected deep down i nto the
,

muscular tissue I know not, I t i s probable that t his Vi perine

.

veno m when i ntroduced u nder the ski n is no t absorbed so rapidly ,

as when i nj ected i nto the m uscles and that the V i tal forces o f
,

the body have ti me to generat e anti —toxi c substances to cope

wi th i t as i t enters the general circulation or t hat the excretory ,

organs have m ore ti m e to eli mi nat e i t .

I n the above -mentioned experi m ents the veno m w as collecte d ,

fro m Pu ff Adders recen tly captured The veno m was i n every .

,

case used wi thi n an hour after bei ng shed by the snake The
, .

manner of collecting the veno m was as seen i n several illustrations

elsewhere .

The subj ect i s an i nteresti ng one for scienti fic m en to pursue .

I thi nk I have solved the proble m W hi ch puzzled m e v iz : ,

w h y a Puff Adder should have such long fangs ? I t is because

th e n ature of i ts veno m i s such that t o have i ts full poisonou s ,

e ffect i t m ust be i nj ected deep i nto the muscular tissues

, .

I TE M S OF S NA K E K N O W LE D GE .

A Ri nghals exami ned o n October 1 6 1 9 1 1 which is the spri ng , ,

ti me i n South Afri ca h ad tw o rows of eggs thirt y i n nu mber the

, , ,

si ze of peas lying along each side of i ts backbone These would

, .
ITE MS OF S NA K E K NOW L ED G E . 51 5
 516 THE SNA KE S OF SOUT H A F RI CA .

have developed full size and hatched wi thi n the body The young .

would have been born i n the earl y autu m n .

Snakes are O fte n i nfested w i th i ntestin al wor m s On several .

occasions I have re moved a score Or m ore o f slender wi ry-looki ng

wor ms three to four i nches long fro m the sto machs of Pu ff
, ,

Adders .

A m other e ven i f su fferi ng i n a S ligh t degree fro m s n ake

,

veno m poisoni ng should not at te mpt to suckle her i nfant else

, ,

i t may di e i n convulsions The reaso n i s that the digesti ve .

,

flui ds of an i nfan t have not the power of che mically chan gi ng

th e veno m .

Statistics S how that the m ortali ty amon g the people of I ndi a

i n the year 1 9 1 0 fro m bi tes by snakes a mounted to the great
total of Thi s was owing to extra hea v y rai ns floodi ng
the j ungles and other favouri te haunts of the serpents They .

were consequently driven out u po n the O pen plains and hi llsides

, ,

frequented by m an ki nd Statistics show that i n I ndi a for eve ry

.
,

one hundred persons bi t ten by veno mous snakes an average of ,

twen ty-fi v e to t hi rty die The average ti me the veno m takes

.

to kill i s fro m two t o twelve hours .

The dreaded H a m ad ryad ( Naj a bu ng aru s) of I ndi a h as been

known to bi te a full -grown elephant whi ch i n consequence , ,

di ed i n three hours .

I m ade si xteen Pu ff Adders bi te the covered top o f a wi ne

glass each snake de liveri ng one full bi te The resul t was eighty
,
.

drops of veno m which averages five drops per snake Two

, .

drops i s usually a fatal dose for a healthy m an Therefore the .

sixteen Puff Adders shed su fficien t veno m to ki ll forty men .

When dri ed the veno m weighed a li t tle over a gra mme vi z

, , .

gra mmes .

There are fewer deaths fro m snake bi te i n South Africa than

i n I ndi a because the population i s less dense not because the
, ,

snakes are less veno mous As the populati on i ncreases so wi ll

.

the death rate fro m snake bi te be propor tionately great i f the ,

people wi ll persist i n pi nning thei r fai th to the various popular

so -called anti dotes .

The Ancien t Egypti ans wors h i pped the C obra ( Naj a h aj e) ,

recogn izi ng that i t kept the rats fro m beco mi ng a pl ague The .

snake was a llowed to live and breed un checked i n their cornlan ds ‘

The e ffigy of this Cobra is engraved on monu ments and stori es ,

5 8
1 THE SNA K E S OF SOU TH AFR I CA .
A HERA L D O R R ED -L I P P ED SNA K E .
519
THE SNA K ES OF SOUT H AF RI CA .
THE SNA KES OF SOUTH AFR I CA
‘

.
A jYOU NG CAPE CO B RA 52 3
52 4 T HE SNA K ES OF SOUT H AF R I CA .

F IG S rmt
— Th e tr e o e an c e s o s o k w r l i rd -h k r tu wi th
f s n a es e e za e c ea res
l i mb T h i i llu tr ti w ru d i m t ry h i d l i mb f th
. .

s s s a on Sho s th e en a n s o e
S uth A f i P y th
.

o r can on

(F m ill t t i B i ti h M
.

ro an th us ra on 1 » e r s u s eum G id
u R ptil )
e on e es .
52 6 THE S NA K ES OF SOU TH AF RI CA .

F I G T — Th i ¢ i & Oliv bl
s s an e- ac k H u S k ( B d m / m l ) f t i h l g It
o se na e oo on e a is 2 ee 1 nc on
d l ib r t l y tt k d G r W t r S k ( C h l ph i t l m i ) f t 5 i h l g
. .

e e a e a ac e a een a e na e o ro s na a e s 2 ee nc es on
G ripp i g i t by th h d i t w ll w d t m pl t l y T h i pi tur h w th H u
.

n e ea s a o e i co e e s c e s o s e o se
S k wi th h W t r S k i id i t It W m dig t d m pl t l y i ig h t d y
.

na e t e a e na e ns e . es e co e e n e a s .
A PU FF AD DER .
8 THE SNA KES OF SOU TH AFR I CA
.
5 30 T HE SNA K ES OF SOUT H AF RI CA .
A PUFF A DDE R .
5 32 THE SNA KES OF SO U TH AFRI CA .
 53 4 TH E SNA K ES OF SOUT H A F RI CA .

FI G F d i g Pu ff Add r I rt th p t f gl fu l g tl y i t th gull t f
Y ( 4) - ee n a e n se e s ou o a a ss n ne en n o e e o
k d l wl y p ur g g flip d w h i th r t M wh i l w r k th f d d w t
. . .

h
t e sn a e a n s o o e o n s oa ean e o e oo o n o
k t m h T h wi t h d r w h fu l d l y g ly d w w rm q u i t
.

h
.
'
t e sn a e s s o ac en a t e nne an a it en t o n in a a e
pl d l v it l u w k u ffi i t f
.
,

ac e , a n f
ea d y etw Twa o ne or a a or o o o n c es o n c e a ee is s c en o r an
vrg k
.

a e a e sn a e .
S NAK ES OF SOUTH AFR I CA .
535
536 THE SNA K ES OF SOUTH AF RI CA .
 538 I N DE X .

C a p C o br a 7
e , 1 0 D es m o nd F itz S im o n s an d h is
C a ptiv e n k n d bird s a es a s, 2 6 0 s na k es , 2 6 1
C pturing pyt h o n 6 3
a a ,
ig tiv
D es e o a s o f a m an rg n
2 90 ,

C rb o li c c id c ur 3 3
a a e, 2 D ip sa d em e rp h in ze 1 1 5 ,

C t h i n g liv sn k e 2 6 8
a c e a s, s yn p i
o s s of S ca e . A fri n g n r e a,

C u s ti s 3 3
a c ,
1 1 1 6

C u s u s k y to t h sp i e
a ,
e e ec s, 2 1 5 i g rgi n g pr y
D s o e 36 ,

C n tip d 3 2
e e e, 1 i p lidu
D s ho s 1 2 7 ,

Ch a m ze t o rt u s 1 2 0 ,
i tributi n
D s o n k
o f s a es 1 2 ,

C ngi ng
ha th e s 1 6 ki n ,
ri d n k v n
D e s a e e om c ur e, 3 3 4

C l r p i
h o o h s 86 ,
u l wit n k
D e s h s a es 2 7 ,

Cir ul ti n
c a o bl d
of oo n k
of s a e 2 4 ,

bl d
th e oo 2 97 ,

Cl ifi ti n
a ss ca o n i l lif
of a ma e 1 ,

w t it
ha n
m ea s 2 ,
E r f n k 14
a s o s a es ,

Cli bi ng p w r
m o n k
e s o f s a es , 3 7 E ti n g t h s i n c e f 2 9 4
a , e c e o ,

C br
o r t
a a n d m ee c a 1 77 ,
E gg br —ki n g m h n i m 4
ea ec a s ,
1 0

m u ng o 37 o se , E gg - ti n g sn a k
ea es , 1 0 2 .

m u ng fig h t 1 7 7 o o se ,
e t er t w o rk 1 5
a a ,
0

bit c h ildr en 7 1 es ,
1 di n i ng 1 ,
1 0

exp e ri en c ea t r r bbi n g a bird s n e t ’

7 es , 1 2 e o s ,

h o o d xp a n di n g pp r a tu s -e a a ,
1 0 8
1 76 t r i
ea e s ptivity 1 n ca ,
0 6
in a sc h o o lro o m , a t r s s ns f s m ll
’
1 80 e e e e o e , 1 1 2

on w atc h 1 79 th e ,
s w ll o wi n g pr o c es
a 1 s, 0 6
p o i so n a pp a ra tu s 1 7 6 ,
Egg o f sn k 1 8
s a es ,

w a ll wi n g pu ff a dd er 1 7 8
s o ,
Ei r t
e v re e r, 1 0 2

v eno m s y m pt o m s 3 6 7 , E la p e c h is , 1 66
y ell o w v a ri ety 7 3 ,
1 El pi n 1 6
a ae, 0

Co br a d ntiti n o f 1 6 3
s, e o ,
Eli xir o f lif 2 9 5 e,

f d wit h o t h r s n k
e 1 83 e a es , E n m i f sn k
e es o 6 a es , 2

h ds 1 7 4 oo ,
Ev o luti o n o f bird 3 s,

k ey t o t h p ci s 6 3 e s e e ,
1 r ptil s 3 e e ,

y n p i s o f g n er 1 6
s o s e a, 2 E x iti n g i nc id n t 7 9
c e ,
2

y ll w v ri ety 1 8 2
e o a ,
Ex r i 3
e c se, 0 2

C ll p t h r ug h f r 3 9 4
o a se o ea ,
Exp n di n g p o w er f sn k e s j w 3 5
a o a a s,
C ll ti n g n k s 7
o ec s a e ,
2 0 Exp ri m n t s 3 9
e e ,
0

v n o m fr m o br 3 7 e o c a, 1 wit h a l h l 3 2 5 co o ,

C lu m b i
o v no m 3 6 6
r ne e ,
wit h n ti -v no m u s ru ma e o se ,

C o n tri c ti n 3 3
s o , 413
C r l n k 1 95
o a s a es , it r p r ti o n 4 3
w h a rtifi Ci a l es i a , 2
C w -mi lki n g n k
o 65 s a es , 2 with co br
as 3 7 8 ,

Cr -m rk d n k 2
o ss a e s a e, 1 2 wit h Cr o ft s Ti n tur 3 3 '

c e, 2
Cru t f th
s o rt h 9 e ea , w it h H ib ll s P t n t \V
o rn a
'

a e on

Cur ri d n k v n m 4 3 6
a an s a e e o , d f l Extr a t 3 8
er u c ,
2
Cur f n k bit 3 9
es or s a e e, 0 wit h p r m n g n t f p o t h
e a a a e o as ,

w h i h kill 3 3 c ,
0 382
wit h I s ib ib a , 3 5 1 32 2
—

wit h s a e n k v en o m 3 40 ,

on a ni ma l s , 438
Ey es o f s n a k es ,
1 4

D as yp lti
e s 90 ,

D ea h t fr
o m cobr bit
a e, 1 81
t d t
D ea h -h ea m o h 3 1 2 , F ng
a s o f s n a k es ,
2 3 , 3 44
D emo n dd r
a e s 2 33 ,
fo r c o m a p ri o n s , 36 I
De n dr pi
as s 1 6 9 , P u ff Ad r de s 3 4 9 ,
 I NDEX .
5 39

F a sc i n ti n
it is d n 5 7
a o ,
how o e, 2 H u o se s n a k e bitt e n by , , 94
wr n g c n lu i n 5 8 o o c s o s, 2 s w a llo w mg ra t , 93
F di n g n i m l
ee v n m 36 2
a a s on e o ,
Hou se s na k es , 92
n k liv n i ma l 2 8
s a es o n e a s, 0 p i tur f 9 5 c es o ,

F ibri n f r m n t s 3 5 6 e e , H w t c t h liv
o on k 5 a c e s a es, 2 1

F il n k s 9 6
e s a e ll t v n m 3 7 3 7 3
co ec e o ,
1—

F it S im o
z fir t id i n tru m n t 4
ns s a s e ,
0 1 b c m imm un 39 e o e e, 2
n k bit ut fi t 3 9 5 s a e e o , H u m n h rt 9 6 a ea 2
F o d c o n v rt d i n t bl o d 9
,

o e e o o ,
2 2 p h y i l gy 8 3 s o o ,
2
f n a k es 3 8
o s , pip t h t rry 98 es a ca a i r, 2
F r m li n f o pi kli ng n k
o a 74 r c s a es , 2 t m h 95 s o ac 2
F wl fl sh u f n k bit 3 8
,

o e c re or s a e e, 2 H ydr p h i n o56 a
e, 1

F r h w t r na k s 4
es a e s e ,
2 k y t th e p ci 58 o e s e es , 1

F r n t f ng d n k 1 6
o a e s a es , 0 H ydru p l t 58
s 59 a u ru s , 1 — 1

H yp r n ibility 3 9 3
e se s ,

H yp n ti m 6 2 o s ,
2

G ll o f sn k ur e 3 3 3
a a e c ,

G a rt r n k 9 5
e s a e, 1

sn a k s 69 e 1
I d n ti fi ti o n f n k
e ca o s a es 49
G l l ng 7
ee s a 1
,

0
I m m u n i in g n i m l z a a s to s na k e
G k liz rd 3
e o a
,

1 2
v n m 39
e o ,
1

Gl u o n i n k s 5 5
a c a s
,

a e
I n t ti es 9 n es , 2 1

kull o f 5 6
s s
,

Ip h
ec a c ur 3 3 1uan a c e,

li s t f 5 7 o ,
,

I ib ib
s ur 3 5a c e, 1

Gr s n k s 3
a s s a e ,
1 0

Gr n w t r n k 9
ee a e s a es , 2 K .

K afi r s up r titi n e s o s, 2 77
Kn t o s, h o w t o tie th e m 40 5 ,

H bit s f sn k 4 5
a O a es ,

H aem rrh g i n t ti u
o a e 36 9
o ss es ,
L .

a n d m o rt ifi e a t io n , 3 70 L a dy wit h a r m ful o f s na k e s ,
2 6 3
H aem o rrh a g in s 3 5 5 , L a m p rO p h is 8 3
H k r d ft r g ll
,

an e e a e h is a 65 L n t p r m ng n t m
, a ce an d e a a a e co
H r m l s sn k
a e s a es , 81 ,
1 0 2
b in e d 4 0 1
p ci
,

k ey t o t h e s e es , 82 —
90 L egl ess liz a rd s 53
li t
,

s of 82 , L e p to dira 1 2 0
H lt l w
ea h a s 2 92 , L ig a turi n g
,

th e ar m 40 3
H r ld o R d-lipp d sn k 3 4
,

e a r e e a e, 1 le g 40 2
H r i m o f bird 5 8
,

e o s s, 2 L iqu o r p o t a ss a 3 3 1
H ib r n ti n f n k 4 3
,

e a o o s a es , L ivi n g s elf -a c ti n g pu m p 2 95
H i i n g h w it i d o n
,

ss , o s e, 2 0 L yc o p h idiu m 84
H i st o ry d di tributi n o f n k
,

an s o s a es . L ym p a t h ic s ,
w t th y
ha 3 3 e a re , 0
1 2 t t u k up v n
ha s c e o m
H o m a lo so m a 9 0 ,
30 6
H mo r l p 1 6 8
o e a s, L y m p h w h a t it d o es 30 3
H n yr t ] 3 4
, ,

o e a e , 2
H p f r o v ry f
o e o pp r n tly ec e or a a e
dr o w n d 4 3 e ,
0

H r n d a dd r 2 5
o e e ,
1 Mac re la p s ,
1 2 8
fi gur f 4 e o ,
2 0 M am b a, 1 94
h bit s o f 2 4
a 1 r k i ll d 5
a ka h e ,
2 0

d d n ck of 8 bit d kill d k fi
,

h ea an e 2 1 an 8 e a a r, 2 0
,

H ib ll s Extr c t 3 8 di tributi n f
’
o rn a a 2 s o o ,
2 1 2

H r s h ir r o p d gr n n tur n bl k
,

o e— 65 a es , 2 o ee o es ac

H o u sna k dv n tur wit h 9 3

se e, a e e ,
2 0 2
5 40 INDEX .

M am b a f a r m r s e xtr o rdi na ry
,
e
’
a ex

p erie n c e , 2 0 9
gre n v a ri ty
e e ,
1 99 O b ssi o n 2 7 8
se ,

how a do g pro t t ed ec its O liv e-br w n w a t r sna k 9

o e e, 1

w n er 2 7
o ,
0 O pi t h o glyp h 1 5
s a, 1

h o w h e ru h es 2 1 1 s ,
O rg a n f t h e h u m a n b o dy 9
s o , 2 1

kill d Mr Cl ud e M ll er
e . a o , O utfit f tr a ti n g sna k bit 3 9 5
or e e e,

2 1 0 O vip ro u s a dd r 2 4 5
a e ,

ki n g of S . Afri a n sna k c es , sna k s 1 9 e ,

2 0 7 O xyg n w h a t it d o es f o th e bl o d
e ,
r o

p i n a pp ra tu
o so a s, 2 0 5 2 99
l pi n g 2 6
s ee ,
0

M a m b as ,
bl k a d gr n
ac 96
n ee , 1

h o w a n d w h y t h ey c h a n g e
l ur co o 1 98 ,
Pa r lysi s f r pir a t ry n rv
a o es o e e

t ir bit he ha s 1 97 , c en tr s 4 3 1 e ,

cr t d 3 2 4 es e ,
2 0 — 0 Pa r ly d wit h f a r 2 6
a se e ,
0

i n fl ti n g b o dy 2 0 4 a ,
Pa r sit s o n na k 4 4
a e s es ,

M e r c a t s d sn k s 3
e an a e ,
0 Pe r mang na t e f p o t sh tr t m en t
a o a ea ,

M t h d s o f i n j c ti n g s ru m 4 8
e o e e ,
0 3 82
Mi c r o b e e t er 3 1 a s, 0 t t d
es e , 383
Mi c ro b s o f di sea se 2 9 3
e ,
P h a g o s yt es d v o uri n g
e m i c r o b es ,

Migr a ti o n o f sna k s 4 3 e , 30 1
M o l e s na k 9 8 e, P hi lo th a lm u s 8 7 ,

a d it s y o u n g 1 1 n ,
0 Po i so n pp r tu s
a a a , 3 43
and bo y 4 6 4 ,
an d h o w it w o rk s ,

y o u n g p ec i m en s , 477 35 3
s n a k es an d h ow to ha n dl e f ngs 2 5
a ,

t h em , 2 75 it s e li m i n a ti o n , 437
an d s n a k e v en o m , 38 1 o f sn a k es 3 5 9 ,

a re ha m r l ess , 1 0 0 its e f f t s o o th r
ec n e
p t 75 as e s, 2 sn a k e 3 78 s,

c n tri c ti n g r a t s o s ,
1 0 3 Po i s n u s s n k es 3 4 2
o o a ,

h d f 86 ea s o , Po i ns h w t h ey
so , o nv yed t o a re c e o
Mui h o n d S ti n k C t 8
s or a ,
2 t h c ll s o f t h b dy 3 2
e e e o ,
0

Mui h n d s fi g h ti n g na k es 3 0
s o s , P o rt Eliz b t h sn k e c a t c h er a e a ,

2 50
r rvi n g n k
P ese s a es in s pirit , 2 72
r gr i n n k
P o es s o o f s a es 2 1 ,

P ro s ym n a , 8 8
N ai 1 6 3
a, r t r glyp
P o e o ha 1 5 6 , 2 1 3 ,

N tur e r i st anc e 3 6 9
a
’
s es , p i
P s a m mo h s 1 2 2 ,

N rv c ll s d sn k e v eno m
e e e an a , 2 88 P seu da sp is 8 5 ,

N rv u s o ll p e 3 9 4
e o c a s , u f dd r
P f a e an d a ch of b t yo u ng o n es,

N u ro t xi ns 3 5 5
e o , 2 2 4» 47I
N ig h t a dd r 1 5 e , 2 a d r n J n ah 2 7
mo e o , 2

bit d kill d a an e ma n ,
di sec ti o n o f 2 9
s ,
1
2 36 t n by d n t s
ea e re a ,
2 2 7
N ig h t a dd r e ,
ha bit o f 2 3 3 s , e xtr ac ti n g it v n s e o m ,

h ea d f 2 16 o ,

l yi n g gg 3 5
a e s, 2 h ea d , and v a g n d nt i i a e s,

v n m f 2 34
e o o , 3 46
w o n d rful p i o n e o s it tr i k 2 2 8 h ow s es , , 35 0
gl n d s o f 3 7 a ,
2 ut h Afri c 2 of So a, 2 0

N igh t dd er a s, 2 32 a dd r f n gs 2 1 3
e 1
’
s a , , 2 2

a re o vip r u a o s, 2 39 a dd r w ll wi n g
e t s a o a ra , 36 ,

ha t h i ng 9
c ,
1
 5 42 INDEX .

S na ke v n e o m how ,
it is s u k d up
c e , Trim e ro rh in u s 1 2 ,
1

30 4 Tro p ido n o t u s 8 2
ll t it
,

how to co ec , Typ h l p s n k 5 o s a es , 1

3 72 h d d t il
ea s an a s, 54
i ts n a tu r e a n d e ffec t s , li s t f p i 5 o s ec e s , 2

3 42 kull 5 s s, 1
S n a k e killi n g To m ea t
-
, 31
S n a k es a n d li a rd s 1 3 z

an t h ir m t 2 6 6
d e
,

a es ,
V .

c an t h ey f i n t t h ir a sc a e e
V gi n d n ti 3 4 6
a a e s,
pr y 5 6 e , 2
V n o m C lubri n 3 6 6
e o e,
c h n gi n g t h ir s ki n 1 6
,

ti n g gg s 3
e ,
di ff r n t ki n d 3 6 6 e e s,
ff c t s o -v en o m o u
ea e , 2
e e n no n s
h t h i ng 4 6 3
a c ,
na k s 3 8 s e 0
c ptur th m 6 8 ,

h w t
o o a e e , 2
ff c t o t h er n k s 3 7 7
e e s n o s a e ,

h w it g t s i
69 2
a d o ut o f e n n o
h o w to co ll c t e an d pr ese rv e
t h bl o d 3 7 e o 0
th e m , 2 70 h w it is a b so rb d 3 8 8o
,

e
f dt
h o w t o ee h em 2 7 1 ,
h w i t i di h rg d 3 4 8 o s sc a
,

e
pi kl t
h o w to c e h em 2 7 6 ,
h o w it p i n t h e n rv o so s
,

e e
tu f t
h o w to s f h em 2 7 6 ,
ll s 8 8 ce 2
ptivity
in c a 2 82 ,
h o w t o d s tr y it 3 5
,

e o 0
u in h o ses 3 4 ,
i dig s t ed 3 6 5 s e
,

t n i u
not lif
e ac o s o f e 47 ,
its o n titu n t 355 c s
,

e s,
u ki n g gg 3 3
s c e s,
V ip ri n 3 6 8 e e,
w ll wi n g t h ir pre y 3 9
s a o e ,
V no m u s n k
e o d t h ir p i n s s a es a n e o so
t h ir u s s 5 e e , 2
342
,

S l n o glyp h
o e

S lid t o t h d n k
o o
2 3
8 e
a,

s
1

a es , 0
di tribu ti n s o

1 6 1
S p i l fi r t a id i n stru m n t 4
ec a s e 0 1
s yn 0
p s is o f g e n era
,

S p i rit s a n es t r sn a k
,
f o c o s in es ,
1 6 2

S
4 79
pu n g l n g V no m s diff r i t h ir p a t h l o gi l
e e n e o ca
s a 1 70 ,
acti n 3 9 2o
t k l ur
S o c h o m ta r c e 32 8 ,
V i n g r ur 3 3 3
e a
,

c e,
S try n i n u r
ch e c e 332 ,
V ip erida—
z 2 1 3
S urr u n di n g
o n k
s o f s a es 4 3 ,
V ip r s s yn p i s o f g n r
e
,

o s e e a, 2 1 4
y pt
S m br v n
o ms o f c o a e om po i n so
,

t h ir di tributi n e s o ,
2 1 4
in g 3 6 7 .
V ivip r u s na k
a o 9 s es , 1
vip r v n e e o m po is n o

in g 6 -
3 9 3 7o
Sy s te m a ti c li s t
,

of S . A fri n n k es ca s a , \V .

44 1 — 46 2
Wh t toa do if bitt en , 4 0 0

\Vh ip s na k e ,
1 2 4
Wh y p pl r eo e ec o v r w h n bitt n by
e e e

s n k 394
a es,

T n j r pill s qui n i n
a o e e , e tc c u re 333
\Villia m s t h e s a e c a c h e
,
2 52 n k t r ,

wit n k
. .
,

Ta rb o p h is 1 1 h b a g o f s a es 2 5 5
9 ,

T th
ee o f s
,

n a k es ,
2 2 , 3 44
Willi am s h ca wit
e s a es 2 5 3 ptiv n k ,

Th e lo to rn is ,
1 2 6
T h r -c rn r d n k 9 6
ee o e e s a es ,
Z
T n gu
o f n k
es o 1 4 36 1 s a es , ,
.

Tr t m n t f n k bit 4
ea e o s a e e, 0 0 Z w a rt R i ng h al s, 1 85
n d ry 4 8
s ec o a ,
2 s a l ng 9 8 ,
 I ND E X TO A DD E ND A .

A n p h yl xi
a a s,
49 9
A m m ni o a as a n a n tid o t e f o r s na k e bit e , 5 0 8
e xp e ri m en t s wit h 50 8 ,

B oo m s l ng bitt n by
a ,
e a, 49 1

E .

Exp ri m n t wit h v no m
e e s e s at G v rn m n t R
o e e e se a r ch L a b o ra t o ry ,
P r to r
e ia ,

483
s u rp ri sm g r ult es s o f, 483

F .

F nga s of s na k es ,
why t h y di ff r
e e , 5 1 0

F ir t s a id tr t m n t
ea e , 50 6

M .

M am b yo u ng f r m r f t l bit fr
a, a e
’
s a a e o m M am b a, 496

N rm l
o a sa lt so luti n o , 50 6

P .

P u ff Add r v n e ,
e om i nj ti n u nd r t h ki n
ec o e e s , 5 0 9
—1 0

v n e om i nj ti n i n t t h m u l
ec o o e s c e s, 5 0 9, 5 1 3

R i ngh al s si m ul t d a t h 4 9 a es e ,
0

p ti m nsf
s a 49 n a a
’
ac e , 1

bitt en by a 4 9 ,
0

bit tr t d w i th n r m l
e ea e o a sa lt so luti o n,
49 1

5 43
5 44 I N D E X TO A DD EN D A .

S c h aa p st ekers v no m exp eri m n ts 4 8 8

,
e e ,

h ig h ly v en m o u 48 8 o s,
s t a rtli n g r ult s f xp eri m nt s 4 8 8
es o e e ,

c o m p a r a tiv ely h a r m l s 4 89 e s,

S n k es in M d a g asc a r a d Au s tr a li
a a n 494 a,

S n a k e k no wl dg e in bri f 5 1 4—5 1 7
e e ,

S e ru m i k n ss _
s c e
499 ,

I ntra v eno u s v r u s S ub c ut an u s i nj ti o n 5 0 4
e s eo ec ,

S li n s luti o n as
a e o m rg en c y m eas ur 5 6
an e e e, 0

S ti mu l an t s 4 3 0
,

T r e t m en t
a of s n a k e bit e , 42 6 , 50 2 ,
e tc .
5 46 I N DE X TO I LL U STRATI ON S

Co br a C a p e sp ec i es y ll w v ri ty
, ,
e o a e

bl ac k v ri ty a e

yo u ng .

di ti o n o f n c k
ssec e

h o w t o h o ld o n e

s w ll o wi n g P u ff a dd er
a a

C a p e sp c i s e e

Co ll ec tin g v no m fro m Co br a
e

P u fi a dd er
’

a no th er pr o c ess
C o r a l sn a k e
h ea d an d n ec k of
Cr o ss m rk d n k
—
a e s a e ( P sa m moph is )

t H d t
D ea h ea mo h 33 3
De n titi n
o f ng
an d a s o f s a es n k 2 3 3 44
b o rb edby t h e bl o od dly mp h a ti c s
,

i gr
D a a m sh owi n g h o w e o m is v n a s an 30 4
ig tiv pp r tu
D es e a a a s o f man 2 90

E gg -ea t r sn a k e
e (D asypeltis )
a nat o m y of
an d N ig h t Add r e
r bbi n g qu a il s n s t
o
’
e

sw ll o wi n g a egg
a n

El pi nae—
a su b - a f m ily , s ku ll s o f

F m ily gr up d m t am n k e
a o an so e e s a s

F m ily gro up a d t h eir n k p t s

a n s a e e

F ng em b edd ed in s ki n
a

F ng
a d v n m gl a n d s o f sn a k e
s an e o s

F di ng a sna k e
ee

F il sna k e
e

F lyi n g ep til c o s t u c tio n o f

r eh re n r .

F lyi n g r ptil es e

Fo il r m a i ns o f a liz rd t il d bird i a ro c k
ss e a a e n

r mo t nc to rs o f bird e e a es s

G rt er n a k e
a s
G k o liz rd
e a

Gl as b p tt r d wit h R i ng h l s v n
s es a e e a e o m
Gl u co n i n k
a a s a e

Gr e n w t r sn k
e a e a e

G u en th eri
 I ND E X TO I LL USTRATI O N S .
5 47

H a rt o f ma n
e

H r a ld na k e
e s

H o n y R a t el
e

H r n d a dd r
o e e

H o r ned dd er s h ea d s
a
’

H u e s n k es
o s a

H o w to c a t c h s n a k es
H o w v n o m s pr a d o u t u n d r
e e s e

H u m a n b o dy— o rg ns o f a

I d eal l an d ca p e f C a rb if ero u s p ri o d
s o on e
I n t r n l o rg ans o f m
e a an
I nj ec ti ng s ru m u nd r s ki n o f a m
e e r

t h ig h

J ac k a l B u zz a rd

Kn ts o — h o w to tie t h em

La dy w it h h a n dful of s na k es
L gl liz rd
e ess a

L u oc yt s
e c e

L iga tu ri n g m ar

leg
Lu ngs o f m an
L y m p h a ti c s o f th e h u man a r m

M am b a— bl c k a
gr n v ri ety ee a

h a d n d f a ng s o f
e a

M n y-sp o tt ed sn k es
a a

M p h o w i ng di tributi o n o f sna k
a s s es

M t h o d o f pro gr essi o n o f a sn k e
e a

Mi r o b s a d di s ase
c e n e

M o l sn k e — y o u n g
e a

s na k es
h ads o f e

Mu ngo o se — a tt ac ki ng Ri ng h al s
5 48 I N DE X TO I LL U S T R ATI ON S .

N erv o u sy st m
s e

N ig h t Add ers h a t c h i ng
a dd er
a dd r di s c ti o n o f p O so n gl a nd
e — se i s

a dd er s a d gg s n e

a dd r se izi n g t o a d
e —

v n o m gl a nd s e .

No o si g a sna k
n e

l v br w n w a t er s na k e
Oi e o
i xpl a i n h o w v eno m p a sses i n t o
O s m o s s — to e th e bl o o d
O vip r u dd er
a o s a

k
P e t sn a es a n d b o y
P h a g o sytes
i
P o so n a pp r tu
a a s o f sna e k
of Pu ff A d r C p C bra a n d B o o msl n g
d e a e o , , a s

p g u
P sa m m o hi s e n s o f s n a es— k ( c r o s m a rk ed s na k s ) s e

u f dd r f g
P f a e — an s o f
d
h ea o f
di ssec ti o n o f
gg s d y o u n g o f
e an

a d b t h o f yo u ng
n a c

s w ll w in g t a o a ra

h o w it bit s e

h o w it s trik s e

th e s x e es

s w ll o wi n g pr y a e

di c ti n o f p o i n gl an d s a d fang s
sse o so n

c ll ti n g v no m o f
o ec e

P u ff a dd r s e d M l sn k s
an o e a e

dd r d h y o u n g
a e an er

ft er w ll o wi n g a at
a s a r

P yt h o n h ad o f
— e

d its s k l t o n
an e e

i its n tiv e h bit t

n a a a

and a bo y
co n s tr ti n g ic a bu k c

o n a kr a n tz

ab ut t o w a ll w a Kli p D s si
o s o a e

sw ll o win g bird
a a
— f di ng o i apti vity
ee ne n c

a d rudi m n t a y l eg s
n e r
R giu e s

aft r sw ll wi n g a pig
e a o

R l tiv l n gt h f Ep o
e a e e s o ch s

R pir ti n m t h d
es a o e o s
550 I N DE X TO I LL U ST RAT ION S .

Wa t r s na k s liv e br wn
e e o o
Wh i p s n k e
,

Wh i t e c o rpu l s o f t h e bl o o d
sc e

Willi m s bitt en
a ,

th e s n a k e c a t c h r e

h o ldi n g so m e v en o m o u s sn a k s e

d t h r es ult s o f d a y s c o ll ec ti n g
’
an e a

Y o u n g sna k es ha tc h ing

PR IN TE D IN G R E AT B R I IN
TA I I
B Y \V L L A N C L O W ES AND SO N S, L I MI TE D , L O N N
DO A ND B E CCL E S .
 F IT Z S I MO NS ’

S NA K BI OU I

IN the i n terests o f th e Public ,

th e auth or has p ate n te d
“ ”
out fi t call e d F it z s im o n s S n a ke B it e O u t fit H is
’
an .

obj ect in d oi n g s o is to sa fe g uard th e Public a g ain st future

fraudul en t preparatio n s a n d to e n sure that t h ey will g et a
,

co m pl ete a n d thorou g hly effi ci e n t outfit to g e the r with a ,

b o okl e t of i nstructi o n s care fully co mpil ed an d illustrate d ,

of

s o si m pl e a n ature that the m ost i n e x p eri e n c e d perso n ma y

be a bl e to tre at cas es of s n ak e bit e e ffi c a c io u s ly .

In pat en ti n g this outfit th e g e n e ral Publ ic are e ffectively

g uard e d a g ai n st i m itati o n s . In obtai n i n g F itz S im o n s S n ak e ’

Bit e O utfit th ey may b e absolutely certai n of g etti n g th e

g en ui n e A n ti -v en o mous S e ru m a S e ru m S yri n g e ,
of ri g h t
cal ibre , co mpl e t e Fi rst -aid O ut fi t ( sp ecially d esi g ne d an d
pate n te d by th e author ) an d an illustrate d Bo o kle t o f
,

I n structi o n s fo r th e treat m e n t of th e bit e s of every sp eci es

o f ve n o m ou s s n ak e i n all th e s n ak e -i n fes ted cou n tri e s of

th e worl d .

Write fo r p a rti c ul a r s a s to pri c e , e tc .

,
to

Mes s rs T MAS K E W M I L L E R . .

E du ca tio n a l P u olz s /z ers a n d B o o ks ellers ,

'

96 , Adderley S treet, CAP ETO WN, an d

Ch urc h S treet P R ETO R I A , .

Th i s F i rm h a sb een a pp o i nt d S o l e D i stributi ng A g ent s fo r th e

e

O ut fi t an d will b e pl eas e d to o ff e r s p ec i a l t e r m s to C h e m i st s an d
,

W h o l esal e D ea l er s .