The Opelousas courier., 1896-07-25
Big Snakes Mako War on the Army of
Rodents.

On grass-covered plains and hillsides
In South Africa you frequently come
across spots apparently thickly inhab-
tied by some small running animal.
Little paths wind about and cross each
other in every direction, and may well
be compared to the streets Of a city on
account of their proximity to each 9TH
er and their numerous crossings. Each
path is clearly marked by being almost
destitute of heritage. If you trace them
up, you will find that they all end in
holes just large enough to admit a halt
grown rat; and il you beat the thicker
punches of grass you will probably see
a small rat-like animal running at Il
quick little trot along the pathway to
the burrow. He is Il vole. very like Il
rat or mouse in appearance, but much
less nimble and much more delicate
than either; he is larger than a mouse,
II considerably smaller than 4 rat.
His fur, too, is much longer AMI thicker
in proportion, being more like that of a
rabbit in its texture Boys, both Whit
and colored. iISSouth Africa, consider
them very good eating. and enjoy them
roasted in emberS whenever they can
catch them. Many of the voles live III
each colony. and the colonies are Sc
numerous that you cannot travel q milo
in any direction without crossing one.
But the vote has a worS" enemy than
the boys. If you approach Il colony.
and carefully survey all the runWaNS,
particularly if there be n bush there,
you will perhaps see the enemy alluded
to-a living rat trap-lying in the path;
and the very sight of his broad, fiat
head and sinister, cat-like eyes viii
make your blood run cold,
He is the terrible puff-adder, short,
thick bodied, broad-headed. long-fan--
ed, ~death-dealing alike to volc and to
man-and wen to the proving lion,
should he in his wanderings set paw
upon the deadly reptile. He is beauti-
fully cOlored, having Il groundwork of
velvet black, with half moon of yellow
and small specks of the samc marked
along his back froSl head to tail. More
than once | have found putf-adders
~ llS lliS Ill Nbie iitlS, anu -titlt -
no doubt that they devour great NUM-
hers of them. Nor will a puff-addcr
be satisfied with one AS soon as he
has swallowed his first catch he looks
around a little. and then lies i'll wait for
another, which he catches just as he
did the first. His method of securing
them is this. He wanders about till he
comes to the colony. His tongue tells
him by the touch of its delicate points
that his prey is in the vicinity. For Il
| while he searches busily about. If he
catches sight of Il vole he lies quiet in
or close by the path. He knows by in
stinct that his remaining motionleSs
for a long time will arouse the little ami
mails curiosity. The volc, seeing the
snake moving. is probably frightened,
and runs to his hole: but finding that he
is not pursued, he Dol energies and
looks around for the snake. He dis
covers the reptile motionless. Dead
thinks the vole, "or asleep. maybe" and
he caut~Ysly approaches to investi-
gate. Inch by inch he ventures. sniff
ing into closer proximity to danger; he
| even runs around the snake. who never
| moves in the slightest. At last the UNI
fortunate little quadruped allows Its
curiosity to master its prudence; it ven
lures too close. The living spring OF