The Portland daily press., 1894-10-01
THE DEADLY "RENoeALzsLs,ge.'
1t spits Poison into Its Victims Eye and
Thus Kills its Prey.

The rattlesnake of America is looked
| upo 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. In
lower countries on the east coast, proba-
bly, sthe most treacherous of African
reptiles haunts.
The "renggalzslang," or "poison spit
sputter," 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 a low bush and
when hare or bush rabbit, small
buck called a "dyjken," comes along. it
will fasten it's eyes upon its victim, and
without moving from it's coils, will sud-
denly spit forth its poison, which, strik-
Ing the animal in the eyes, completely
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
splitter will pull the skin and hair off in
huge pieces, and then, crunching the
body in its folds, will swallow it whole.
This snake will often lie in an old road
or path, and has been known to COM
pletely blind almost at the same instant
a. pair of mules that were being driven
along the road attached to a wagon.
They can eject this poison and hit their
object distance of 80 feet.
Another terror TO the natives and trav
ellers is the boomslang," or tree
snake" 1t is about nine feet in length
and from three and half to four inches
thick in it's middle. When in search of
prey it coils it's tail around the bough of
a short thick bush or tree and when a
small antelope passes under the tree it
will drop on it, coiling itself around its
DO dy, and getting a powerful leverage
With it's tail end around the t rec 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 animal all over with
thick slime. the snake devours it in
mouthfuls. Unlike most reptiles of it's
kind, it does not swallow it's food in one
piece, but will eat it. all up in separate
pieces. EThen it goes to sleep for three or
four months.
The Kaffirs dread this reptile more
ohoh ollgOUACISs IL lOOhS So luuCH LING
the bough of g the tree eupon which it
hangs
The well known apuf adder" also
found in sIndia abounds in southern
Africa. 1t likes to be near water, and is
found chiefly near deep pools of mud
water, where it lies in wait for frogs and
water rats, upon which it mostly feeds.
Its average length is four feet, and it
has a yellow body with black rings. 1t
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 it catches, but with larger
animals that come in it's way, or to at
tack a person, the reptile will stand on
its tail and throw itself backward,
burying It's fangs as soon as it strikes.
When disturbed it will give chase. In
such an event it is very difficult to get
away from it, as the snake throws it.
self backwards on it's tail
The natives of Natal and Pondoland
catch these puff adders, and after cutting
out their fangs, release them around tn e
kraals to kill the field mics and other
small trou Dlesome animals.
Killing snakes in Africa has come to
be quite lucrative occupation, as the
Colonila and Boer governments offer big
rewards for all snake skins brought in.
One well known Himpopo river explorer.
John Bnrkie. killed over 1000 snakes in
one year, for which he received a sum.
of money equal to SIS, 5,000.-St. Louis
Post Dispatch.