The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1891-07-02
AFRICAN SERPENT;

AFRICAN SERPENT:
General Characteristics %, venomouS
Repti!es-The Puir Adder and IL. Deadly
Venom.
Since the days when tho 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 into dragon or deadly worm.
A. Mounteney 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 venomous 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 i'll Africa
where the reptiles are exceedingly COM
mon, but that is not generally the case,
as II India. The characteristics of the
vcnomoua serpents are the thick, stub
by tail and the diamond head, and in
Africa some of these varieties are cara
bic OF extraordinary exploits, such US
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 q 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
ho L.
ure grows to the length of two or three
feet, and is beautifully marked, al
though possessed of most demoniacal
head. Two horns stard out above the
eyes of this viper, which. together with
the wicked CLEAN of the eyes them
| selves. give it the look of devil. 1t
lives, generally, half buried in the sand,
| and can leap upon person uassing,
sidewise, to the extent of three and four
feet-in fact. twice its own leng;h b.
They aA possessed of great vitality.
| and there Is a case on record of q horned
viper existing two years in large glass
jar without food.
Ore of the most repulsive 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 cut 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, puff adder can
throw itself backward into the air its
full length and savagely bite the hand
or thigh of a 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 fore-t. the puff adders would be
dangling down like hanging creepers.
The stubby tai s would encirc!e a
| bough above, while about two-thirds of
the bcdy swung down like a rendulum,
to and fro. Then, as the unweary ma
| tive cut away the creepers to make the
tunnel through which orr line was to
creep, the puff adder would bite his
naked arm savagely.
| No one can realize the enormous
strength of the boa family until he has
seen u python gracefully throwing his
coil about tree or gliding swiftly from
ground to tree. A python, in pursuing
its prey, hurls its head like a whip
against the victim, grasping it with the
teeth and casting as swiftly coil after
coil about it. so that the mere weight OF
the serpent's body is crushing In its eff.
feet
While 1 was at Dutile Station, the
settlement on the Nile in which Emin
Pasha was residing, had curious adj
venture. One day 1 had been sitting
with Emin in his house, listening to hi
tales of Gordon. Emins little daughter
was looking at the chickens at the low
er end of the compound. Suddenly
We heard frightened screams and in an
other moment saw the child running as
fast as her small legs conld carry her
toward us. Emin is as blind as bat,
and jumping up hastily / rushed to-
ward the little one to see what was the
matter. Fancy my horror to see hinge
puff adder wriggliug after her rapidly
in fact. so quickly that in another min
ute he would have caught up with her.
Like flash blew the serpent's head
to bits with shot from my revolver
and carried the trembling child to the
house. ] confess that shuddered my
self over the hideousness of the situa
ton.
The African cobra is known as the
splitting snake" on account of its pow
er to throw its venom quite a distance
iuto the eyes of its enemy. 1t is lazy
reptile, save when stirred to anger
when it cannot be equaled for swiftnes.
| rp t,If q.
victim. The splitting is accomplished
by expelling the breath sharply through
the mouth. so that the soapy veuon
flies straight as pea thrown from /,
ipe into the victims eyes. This cobrs
attains the length of six feet, and i.
large and powerful. 1t is doubly form
idab.e from the fact that it can swim il
the rivers very swiftly. and has no fear
In swimming the cobra moves alonT
rapidly with its lsnout and beadv eye
just above the waters surface.
Where They nif,er.
In town in the far West, q crowd o
cowboys stood around fenced Oh
closure, beside the railroad track. II
this enclosure was confined large bull
The cowboys were amusing themse!ve
by annoying in many ways the poo
brute. who was fast becoming furions
Suddenly, one of their number, light.
vanlting the fence, landed squarely as
trjde of the bulls neck, and graspe,
| him by the horns. The infuriated ami
mal plunged and snorted, but his rider
Wi Ii wonderful agility, quickly leape'
to the ground, and before the bull coul,
turn and gore him, sprang over th
fence again to be greeted by the up
plause of his comrades.
Their attention was soon diverted
however, by the arrival of q rassenge
train which was just drawing up to tn
station across the street, and the COW
ooys, with characteristic shouts an,
laughter, ran across toward the plat
form.