64 THE - SNAKES “OF “SOUTH APRIGCA: 
grooving. They are re-curved, which means they are curved 
backwards. These teeth are capable of inflicting a nasty wound. 
I was trying to capture a Python one day amongst some rocks 
Fic. 29.—Desmond FitzSimons, aged five years, holding 
a young Python which his daddy had just captured 
on some adjoining rocks. 
in one of those beauti- 
ful tropical - looking 
valleys, so abundant 
in Natal. I got it 
cornered, and tried to 
get a noose over its 
head. In desperation, 
I suppose, it made 
a fierce lunge and 
seized my left hand in 
his great jaws and held 
as tight asa steel rat 
trap. I yelled out to 
my companion, but he 
was away in the bush 
somewhere. Fearing 
the Python would 
want to take the 
liberty of embracing 
me, I dragged my 
hand out of its mouth, 
the hand, of course, 
being minus most of its 
epidermis. You want 
to know what I did 
then? Well, I bolted 
down the rocks. After 
my friend had band- 
aged my hand, we 
crawled up again and 
shot the Python, and 
retrieved my _ gun, 
satchel, and hat. 
Pythons become 
very tame and docile 
in captivity. For many years past I have kept them in cages. 
I had one big fellow eighteen feet long, and so tame did he 
