Arizona republican., 1894-11-09
WORSE THAN A RATTLER
An African Snake That Shoots
 Its Deadly Poison.
Other VenomOus Reptiles Which Are Greatly Dreaded by the Natives Snake Killing 8 Lucrative Oc-
 eupation.

The rattlesnake of America is looked upon as one of the most venomous of reptiles, but on account of its rattle it's intended victim can often escape. Not so, however, with some of the deadly poisonous snakes of southern Africa, says the St. Louis Post-Dis- patch: In the thick bush and under growth of the lower countries on the east coast, probably the most treach- erous of African reptiles has its haunts. The ''renggaizslang," or 'poison-spit- ter" is an ugly looking black snake, with light green rings around it's body, and is about five feet long. when full grown. Its method of catching prey is to coil itself up under low bush, and when hare or bush rabbit CT small buck, called ''dyjken,' comes along, it will fasten it's eyes upon it's victim, and without moving from it's coils will suddenly spit forth it's poison, which, striking the animal in the eyes, com pletely blinds it and enables the snake to dash forward and fasten it's fangs in its neck. While it's prey is still warm the poison-spitter will pull the skin and hair off in huge pieces, and then, crunching the body in it's folds, will swallow it whole. This snake will often lie in an old road or path, and has been known to completely blind almost at the same instant a pair of mules that were being driven along the road attached to wagon. They can eject this poison and hit their ob- ject at distance of thirty feet.
 Another terror to the natives and travellers is the 'boomslang," or ''tree snake" It is about nine feet in length and from three and half to four inch es thick in its middle. When in search of prey it coils it's tail end around the bough of short thick bush or tree, and when small ''bleshok" or other small antelope passes under the tree it will drop on it, coiling itself around and around it's body and, getting pow erful leverage with its tail end around the tree, will crush the animal into jelly. After the buck is dead the snake will roll it over and over on the ground. This has the effect of taking the hair off, and after covering the an imal all over with thick slime the snake devours it in mouthfuls. Unlike most reptiles of it's kind 1t does not swallow its food in one piece, but will eat it allup in separate pieces. Then it goes to sleep for three or four months. The Kaffirs dread this reptile more than all others, as it looks so much like the bough of the tree upon which it hangs. Many poor native has fallen victim to it while travelling through the bush.
 The well-known 'puf-adder," also found in India, abounds in southern Africa. It likes to be near water, and is found chiefly near deeppools of mud. dy water. where it lies in wait for Trogs and water rats, upon which it mostly feeds. Its average length is four feet, and it has yellow body with black rings. It is the most venomous of all African snakes, but not the most dangerous. With it's smaller fry it darts out with lightning rapidity and eats immediately whatever [ catches, but with larger animals that come in its way, CT to attack person, the rep tile will stand on it's tail and throw it. self backward, burying it's fangs as soon as it strikes. When disturbed it will give chase. In sucl; event it is very difficult to get away from it, as the snake throws itself backward on it's tail. The natives of Metal and Pondo- land catch the puff-addere and, after cutting out their fangs, release them around the kraals to kill the field mice and other small troublesome an- imals.
 Killing snakes in Africa has come to be quite lucrative cuc,,p jon, as the colonial and Boer government ts offer big rewards for all snake skins brought in. One well-known Himpopo river ex- plorer, John Burlzie, killed over seven thousand snakes in one year for which he received a sum of money equal to fifteen thousand dollars.