134 THE SNAKES OF SOUTH AFRICA. 
been completely digested, and the now plump and sleek House 
Snake became as active as ever. 
THE RED-LIPPED OR HERALD SNAKE. ROODE-LIP SLANG. 
(Leptodiva hotambeia.) 
This is one of the best-known and most wide-spread snakes 
in Africa. It is found from the Cape, right away through the 
continent to the northern states of Africa. 
It is known in the Eastern Province of the Cape Colony as the 
Herald Snake, being named such by Mr. J. M. Leslie, who was 
the first to discover it in these parts. It was named in honour of 
the Eastern Province Herald. 
The Herald Snake haunts gardens in the vicinity of houses, 
taking refuge under pieces of timber, old tubs, rubbish, etc. It 
usually ventures out about sundown, and may frequently be seen 
on garden paths and public roads on moonlight nights. If 
attempts be made at capture, it will bite fiercely. If trodden 
upon it will instantly bite. Its fangs, however, are set far back 
in the jaw, and are comparatively small, so it is seldom any 
serious harm results from a bite. The food of these snakes 
consists of mice, small garden toads, lizards and insects. The 
average length of the Herald Snake is about two feet. It is 
olive-brown in colour, sometimes uniform, but usually the upper 
parts are flecked with tiny white dots, in appearance like flies’ 
eggs. These are very apparent when the skin is distended. The 
under-parts are whitish. Two broad bands of shiny purplish- 
black run from the snout to the base of the head, where they 
join. The upper lip is a bright coral red or orange red. No 
other South African snake has these red streaks along the upper 
lips, and they consequently serve as a sure means of identi- 
fication. . 
It is one of the back-fanged snakes, with the venom glands in 
the transition stage. I have experimented on fowls and rabbits, 
both by forcing it to bite them, and also by pounding the glands 
in water and injecting them under the skin. The animals, in 
all cases, showed signs of poisoning to a greater or lesser degree, 
according to the size of the snake and the season. The bitten 
animals invariably recovered after appearing more or less lethargic 
for a day or two. 
