The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-08-21
Having No Legs, They Walk With Their
Ribs

South Africa is pre-eminently coun-
try of snakes, writes G. r. O'Reilly,
and it was there that he studied his
first lessons in serpent life history
from nature herself, while rambling
through bush and veldt.
On a sultry afternoon, when the hot
wind was blowing dry and sitting as
from the mouth of an oven l sat in the
shade of a feather-leaf mimosa in
rocky ravine near GrahamStoWn. No
sign of life was stirring save the sun
born lizards careering over the hot
rocks. Soon a snake made his appear
ance. He was large puff adder-a
viper whose very name inspires terror
in the lnha bitants of South Africa, for
he is one of the most deadly that the
earth produces. He was tuli-groWn,
about three feet long. His body at the
middle was as thick as mans arm ana
tapered off suddenly to short tail
His head was broad and flat, while
his neck was thin. On the back he was
of a deep velvet black. with large half
moons of golden yellow all the way
down from head to tail. Beneath he
was of a golden yellow, but little of this
could be seen as he moved with dellb-
Grafton. He came out from the bushes
by my side While he was passing
along among the obstructing stones his
course was more or less winding, but
when he began to go over the clear
ground he astOnished me by progressing
with his backbone perfectly straight.
In very truth he was going in direct
line and was actually walking. He was
not more than 10 yards from me and
as | put up my opera glass to observe
him carefully, l saw clearly how it was
that he could go forward without any
deviation or wriggling. There were
motions-wavelike motions passing
along his sides. The fact was that his
ribs were moving backward and for
ward like legs beneath his skin.
Their wavelike movements were very
similar to the undulatory motion of the
legs of the millipede. l had observed
this motion before in may Gagged
snakes, but had never heretofore UNI
derstood it. | determined, therefore, to
catch this puff adder, take him home
put him in glass-fronted cage ana
make a more close observation of this
curious and unsupported method of
loComotion. Before I stood up to go
toward him ne was advancing at his
slOwest-a walking pace, let us call it
but when he saw me stirring near MN
he accelerated his rate of progress
broke into run, as we may say, FOR the
rib waves began to pass along his sides
at a much livelier rate. Still, with this
simultaneous increase of speed and his
rib motion, he never once bent his spine
or deviated one jot from his straight
course.
Having satisfied myself of this
through the opera glass, l took hold OF
my stick and approached him. AS l
drew nearer he became alarmed, gave
up his direct line of progress and took
to the gliding method and went o. rap
idly with the common sinuous motion
usually adopted when in flight.
Hitherto he had left a straight groove
marked behind him on the sand; now,
he left an S-like trail. In comparison
with his previous dignified march this
hurried winding flight was like the
course Of drunken sailor flying before
an angry policeman.
When | came up with him he stopped
abruptly and prepared for battle. he
gathered himself into sort of coil,
held down the point of his nose and
began blowing or putting so loudly as
to be audible at a distance of 80 or 20
yards.
| had to take great care in catching
him. for by accident or carelessness |
might have got a bite, and bite might
have meant death within 10 minutes.
The stick which ! used was about six
feet long, and at one end was bent on
at a slight angle. This bent-off part |
placed across his neck. and with ii
pressed his head against the ground.
Then holding the stick with the right
hand and keeping it securely pressed
down with the left knee. | took him
around the throat with my left hand
and carried him off hOmeWard. holding
him all the time firmly but not tightly
round the throat.
on my way home | went cautiously,
taking care not to stumble OF fan ol get
caught in thorny branches, for he had
his fangs always ready to nip me. For
the most part of the journey he
struggled but little to Scape, and he did
not lash his body around me as the
long. thin snakes do. but hung perpen-
dicularly from my hand My fingers
got so tired from keeping him grasped
in one position. for | had to walk some
miles, that | thought several times that
| should have to let him go.
At last. however. | arrived safely
home and got him into his cage, drop
ping him in tail first-a very dangerous
proceeding, which. in my imperfect
knowledge of snakes at the time, might
easily have cost me my life. Once in
the Cage-a large one with the entire
rrnnt Of oil had every chance of