KARROO BFASrS, BIRDS AND REPTILES. 253 



felt is very thick and firm throughout the globular 

 part of the flask, but gradually dhninishes in density 

 along the neck, till at the orifice it is so thin and loosely 

 woven that the soft edges, pressed together by the bird, 

 remain interlaced even after he has flown from his 

 sentry-box. No apparent aperture is left ; and the 

 little stronghold is quite impregnable, and ready to 

 baffle the wiliest of ophidian marauders, until Mrs. 

 Kapok, by flying out, re-opens the tunnel. 



Snakes are indeed one of the greatest drawbacks to 

 South African life. There are so many of them, they 

 are of such deadly sorts, and the obtrusive familiarity 

 and utter absence of ceremony with which they come 

 into the houses render the nerves of newly-arrived 

 inmates liable at any moment to receive a severe 

 shock. After a time, of course, finding that every one 

 you meet has some startling experiences to relate, of 

 the discovery of intrusive snakes in all sorts of places 

 where they were most unlooked-for and least desirable, 

 you become somewhat inured to this unpleasant feature 

 of Colonial existence, and move about your house 

 with the caution of one who would not be surprised 

 to find a snake anywhere. 



T , dressing one morning during the early days 



of his Cape life, had just inserted his foot at one end 

 of his trousers, when a nighfc-adder — a most deadly 

 little snake, with an evil habit of going about at 

 hours when all respectable reptiles are in bed — dropped 

 out at the other. One of our neighbours considerably 

 damaged his drawing-room by firing several shots at a 



