92 THE SNAKES OF SOUTH AFRICA. 
bottom of the pond. In captivity they will seize and devour 
live fish. In the neighbourhood of Port Elizabeth they are 
common. We have a dozen or more at the Port Elizabeth 
Museum which thrive well on their diet of frogs. They attain 
an average length of about 2 feet. The under-parts are of a 
beautiful light pink tint, which rapidly fades to a yellowish hue 
when a specimen is placed in alcohol. 
These snakes when constricting their prey will often throw as 
many as five coils round it. 
THE GREEN WATER SNAKES. 
There are four species of Green Water Snakes, or Groen Water 
Slangs, as the Dutch call them. Two species are common in 
the southern parts of South Africa, and the other two in the 
northern parts near the Zambesi. In Natal these Green Water 
Snakes are frequently mistaken for Green Mambas, for although 
partial to water they are in reality Tree Snakes living largely in 
the foliage of trees, since they are expert climbers. These 
Water Snakes have long tapering bodies and large eyes. They 
frequent marshes, ponds, rivers and damp localities in search of 
frogs, which are their favourite food. They swim and dive with 
the greatest ease, and cause much alarm to bathers by popping 
up almost under their noses. They are perfectly harmless, 
being quite destitute of poison glands or poison fangs. If one 
of these snakes should capture a frog or fish in the water it swims 
ashore, and holding its head some inches above the ground, glides 
up the bank, and, finding a suitable place, swallows its prey. 
The Green Water Snakes are equally expert at swimming, diving, 
climbing and travelling on the ground. 
I kept some Green Water Snakes and Boomslangs in the same 
cage. One day one of the latter swallowed a Water Snake. 
After about twenty minutes I forced the Boomslang to disgorge 
its victim. When thrown up, the Water Snake was none the 
worse, and instantly glided off and almost immediately afterwards 
caught a frog and swallowed it. 
THE HousE SNAKES. 
There are four species of snakes known as House Snakes, classed 
under the genus Boodon. The Olive-Black House Snake, and 
