Crawford avalanche., 1896-05-21
LIVING RAT TRAPS
eIg Snakes Make War on the Army o.
Rodents.

Big Snakes Make War on the Army Of
Rodents.
On grass-coyered 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 q city on
account Of their proximity to each oth'
er and their numerous crossings. Each
path is clearly marked by being almost
destitute Of herbage. IL you trace them
up, you will find that they all end In
holes just large enough to admit half
grown rat; and II you beat the thicker
punches Of grass you will probably see
a small rat-like animal running at
quick little trot along the pathway to
the burrow. He is vole, very like a
rat or mouse In appearance, but much
less nimble and much more delicate
than either; he is larger than mouse,
and considerably smaller than a rat
His fur, too, Is much longer and thicker
In proportion, being more like that OF a
rabbit in it's texture. Boys, both white
and colOred, In South Africa, consider
them very good eating, and enjoy them
roasted in embers whenever they can
catch them. Many Of the voies live In
each colony, and the colonies are so
numerous that you cannot travel mile
in any direction without crossing one.
But the vole has a worse enemy than
the boys. II you approach colony,
and carefully survey all the runways,
particularly II there be 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, fat
head and sinister, cat-like eyes will
make your blood run cold.
He is the terrible puff-adder, short.
thick-bodied, broad-headed, lOng-fang-
ed, death-dealing alike to vole and to
man-and even to the prowling lion,
should he in his wanderings set paw
upon the deadly reptile. He is beauti-
fully colored, having a groundwork of
velvet black, with half moons Of yellow
and small specks of the same marked
along his back from head to tail. More
than once 1 have found puff-adders
lying thus in vole paths, and there Is
no doubt that they devour great num-
bers of them Nor will a puff-adder
be satisfied with one. AS soon as he
has swallowed his first catch he looks
around little, and then lies in 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 it's delicate points
that his prey is in the vicinity. For a
while he searches busily about. If he
catches sight of vole he lies quiet in
or close by the path. He knows by In
stinct that his remaining motionless
for long time will arouse the little AMI
mails curiosity. The vole, seeing the
snake moving, is probably frightened,
and runs to his hole; but finding that he
is not pursued, he soon emerges and
looks around for the snake. He dis
covers the reptile motiOnless. Dead"
thinks the vole, cor asleep, ,maybe;' and
he cautiously 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 un-
fortunate little quadruped allows it's
curiosity to master it's prudence; 1t ven-
lures too close. The living spring OF
the snakes neck flies out, and the vOle
is held struggling in the jaws Of the
reptile, whose venom-distilling fangs
are buried in it's tender body. He never
relaxes his jaws for an single instant.
Soon the deadly secretion does its work,
and the vole passes stomachward out
of sight. The puff-adder then repeats
his tactics with like success, till he Is
satisfied or becomes thirsty, when he
goes Off to seek water in the kloops,
or hides under a bush to avoid danger
and sleep till his necessities arouse him
to another change Of lodging.