SNAKES 187 



Snakes. 



During one's wanderings through thick grass and 

 among bush and rocks one frequently came across snakes 

 hastily retreating as one ajDproached. 



It seems to be a fixed idea with some people that a 

 snake's main object in life is to find a human being and 

 bite him. I take the opposite view, that so far as man is 

 concerned the snake is chiefly occupied with avoiding 

 him lest he do the snake harm ! 



From the snake's point of view, what possible object 

 can there be in wasting valuable poison by biting a huge 

 creature who cannot be eaten, and could, even when 

 mortally wounded, crush the life out of a snake before 

 he dies ? So, hearing some heavy footstep come crashing 

 through the grass, the wise snake departs as quickly as 

 possible lest he be trodden upon. 



This is where a booted man has the advantage of a 

 silent-footed native, who gives no warning, so that a 

 snake half asleep, or languorous after a meal, or stupid 

 and half blind owing to an approaching shedding of 

 skin, suddenly finds a large animal almost on top of him, 

 and strikes in a panic of self-defence. 



Once only I very nearly trod upon a large black snake, 

 a species common on the islands, and reaching up to six 

 feet in length. I was walking through very thick, high 

 tussocks of grass, which made it necessary to go slowly 

 and to lift the feet high. In the middle of one step, 

 while my foot was in the air, the snake crawled out from 

 a very dense tussock across the very spot for which my 

 foot was destined. It was fortunately just not too late 

 to put the foot down elsewhere, and all was well, for 

 the big snake vanished as suddenly as it had appeared, 

 obviously bent on escaping being trodden upon. 



Puff adders, being very sluggish, will not get out of 

 the way until forced to do so. I have literally pushed 



