Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-08-14
AEpIcAN srppENT.

AFRICAN SERPENT
General characteristics of Vonomoss
RertiIes-The Pun Adder and Its Deadly !
Venom.
Since the DAYS when the peace OF
Paradise was destroyed by serpent
man has entertained loathing mixed
with terror, for reptiles. He IS ready
to believe any tale, however strange or
horrible, whether it transforms the ser
pent iuto a dragon or deadly worm.
A. Mountepey Jepson, who accom-
panied Stanley in equatorial Africa, has
had many adventures with venomous
serpents Africa, he says, is not in
tested with as many yenomous serpents
as is India, for while in the latter coun-
try the death rate is very large from
poisonous bites, the natives Of the former
continent are seldom molested. Of
course there are districts in Africa
where the reptiles are exceedingly com
mon, but that is not generally the case,
as il India. The characteristics OF the
venomous serpents are the thick, stub
by tail and the diamond head, aud in
Africa some of these varieties are capa-
Die of extraordinary exploits, such as
splitting poison into peoples eyes from
quite distance; of leaping backward
into the air the length of the body TO
bite the person who is at the tail; OF
throwing the body sidewise at victim
of existing on air for years at time; in
fact, of quantity of other extraordinary
things. Take the horned cerastes, for
instance, which is known commonly as
the horned viper. This hideous Great
ure grows to the length Of two or three
feet, and is beautifully marked, al
though possessed of a most demoniacal
head. Two horns staud out above the
eyes of this viper, which, together with
the wicked CLEAN of the eyes them
selves, give it the look of a devil. 1t
lives, generally, half buried in the sand,
and can leap upon q person passing,
sidewise, to the extent of three and four
feet-in fact, twice its own length.
They are possessed of great vitality,
and there is q case on record of horned
viper existing two years in large glass
jar without food.
Ore OF the most repulsiye of African
snakes is the hideous puff adder, which
never runs away from danger, but on
the contrary pursues its enemy. The
name has been bestowed because OF the
habit this reptile has of putting out its
body when enraged. 1t grows to a
length of several feet and is very large
in girth, especially in the middle. So
powerful is its body that, when lying
along the ground, a puff adder can
throw itself backward into the air its
full length and sayageIy bite the hand
or thigh of man or beast These puff
adders were great annoyance during
our journey through Equatoria. for they
would lie in odd places waiting for us
to pass. Sometimes, as the natives
were cutting the pathway through the
dark foi eft. the puff adders would be
dangling down like hanging creepers.
The stubby tails would encirole a
bough above, while about two-thirds of
the body 0'--iug down like a pendulum,
to and f.. Then, as the unweary ma
tive cut away the creepers to make the
tunnel through which our line was to
creep, the puff adder would bite his
naked arm sayagely.
No one can realize the enormous
strength OF the boa family until he has
seen a python gracefully throwing his
coil about tree or gliding swiftly from
ground 10 tree. A python, in pursuing
its prey, hurls its head like a whip
against the victim, grasping it with the
teeth aud casting as swiftly coil after
coil about it, so that the mere weight of
the serpents body is crushing in its eff
feet.
While l was at Dufile Station, the
settlement on the Nile in which Emin
Pasha was residing, had curious adj
venture. One day | had been sitting
with Emin in his house, listening to his
tales of Gordon. Emin's little daughter
was looking at the chickens at the low
err end of the compound. Suddenly
we heard frightened screams and in an
other moment saw tho child running as
fast as her small legs could carry her
toward US. Emin is as blind as a bat,
and jumping up hastily l rushed to-
ward the little one to see what was the
matter. Fancy my horror to see huge
puff adder wriggling after her rapidly
in fact, so quickly that in another min-
nte be would have caught up with her.
Like flash l blew the serpent's head
to bits with a shot from my revolver
and carried the trembling child to the
house. / confess that l shuddered my
self over the hideousness of the situa-
ton.
The African cobra is known as the
splitting suake," on account of its pow
err to throw its venom quite a distance
into the eyes of its enemy. 1t is q lazy
reptile, save when stirred to anger,
when it cannot be equaled for swittness
and accuracy in splitting or biting its
victim. The splitting is accomplished
by expelling the breath sharply through
the mouth, so that the soapy venom
flies straight as pea thrown from
pipe into the victims eyes. This cobra
attains the length of six feet, and is
large and powerful. 1t is doubly form
liable from the fact that it can swim in
the rivers very swiftly, and has no fear.
In swimming the cobra moves along
rapidly with its Bnout and bea'ly eyes
lust above the waters surface.