, 1888-09-26

AO'~D NAN& AOAAO w. "a
COiled on some small mound in a swamp
in the forest depths. AS Head of the
Crown Lands Department in the Colony,
opportunities frequently presented them
selves to me OF observing the habits of
snakes. The old Adam however usually
prevailed and the desire to compass their
destruction often cut short the period that
might have been devoted to the study of
their characteristics In search of timber,
towards the close of the dry season when
the ground was thiCkly carpeted with
leaves, the writer, i'll company with half
breed, who combined the vOcatiOnS OF
wO0dman and hunter, stumbled suddenly
on a large specimen of the CrOtaluS mutus
slowly winding its homeward way among
the leafy debris Of the forest. The rustic
among the dry leaves first arrested the
hunters attention and he promptly effected
a movement to the rear, as quickly initiated
by his less keen sighted companion, for
Wo0d-cratt appeals rather to the senses
than the reasoning powers One jumps
first and thinks afterwards, usually with
advantage. For some time it was difficult
to discern the Scaly folds of the snake
through the brown mass of decaying foil
age, but having reached n clear spot the
reptile cOiled on a low stump and prepared
for action.
About a yard of the body next the head,
was contracted into numerous sharp
curves not unlike a cork screw, while the
yellow eyes cleaned with a baleful light.
There was little fascination about these
orbs and no MISLEADING the malignant in
tentiOnS OF their owner. 4 stick brought
within reach of that mortal coil, was
struck almost with the rapidity of light
nlng no matter how swiftly withdrawn.
This was effected by the instantaneous
Strengthening of the short curves into
which this portion of the body had been
contracted. Even the willy mongOOse
would have needed all his marvellous
agility to avoid the deadly stroke if once
within range. The reach was about yard,
anu the assault delivered horizontally some
SIX inches from the ground directly
towards the aSSailant. The hunteT who
had hitherto kept at u respectful distance,
as he alleged the snake could spring, was
eventually persuaded to approach sutfic-
lently to strike it with a ten-fOot pole.
At the first blow, the heavy coils relaxed
from the stump and the creature appeared
dead or stunned. The writer at once
graSped the neck about two inches from
the head and raised the reptile partly from
the ground to examine it. AN though
galvanized into life by the touch, the
CrotaIus seemed at once to recover it's
energies, and swiftly made a couple OF
turns round the thigh and right arm of It's
would-be captOr, q grim illustration of
catching a Tartar.
The constructing power exercised was
such that the hand grasping the neck soon
began to lose power and the writer
realized the awkward predicament into
which his temerity had led him. Little
could be done with the free left hand,
while the "scaly terror" began slowly
to withdraw its head from the relax
ing grasp of the right. For some
seconds the trembling wOOdman appeared
deaf to entreaty and could not be persuad-
ed to apply a nOOSe Of Llama to the snakes
neck. The largest serpents become paral-
yzed when properly nOOsed and are readily
dragged along the ground helpless as a
log. Just as the snakes head seemed
about to ooze through the numbed fingers,
the half,breed screwed up his courage
sufficiently to apply the llama as directed
with the result that the brute at once
relaxed its coils and was dragged down to
a neighbOuring stream, hung up and
skinned.
1t measured eight feet five inches and
was about as thick in the largest part of
the body as the calf of a mans leg.
The fangS, which we're carefully extract
ed, measured an inch and a quarter in
moth and Wapo holInm fo witb;n n oh orA