THE NIGHT OR DEMON ADDER. 233 
THE NIGHT OR DEMON ADDER. 
(Causus rhombeatus.) 
ZULU : INHLANGWANA. 
The range of the Night Adder is very widespread in South 
Africa. Moist, vegetation-covered localities are its favourite 
haunts. It is frequently found about and in the habitations of 
man, owing to its fondness for mice, which haunt dwellings, 
especially old outhouses, piles of wood, and refuse. It scours the 
kitchen garden in search of the common garden toad. Many a 
time I have surprised a Night Adder in my garden in Natal 
almost choked with the effort to swallow a great fat toad, too 
large even for the distensible maw of a snake. I found one of 
these snakes dead one day, with a large toad firmly wedged in 
its mouth. The reptile, in its efforts to swallow the toad, had 
evidently stretched its skin so taut that it was powerless to 
disgorge the victim, and so died of suffocation. The toad was 
still alive, but in a very feeble condition. I put it aside, but it 
died shortly afterwards. Toads, although susceptible to the 
venom of snakes, owing to their sluggish blood-circulation and 
tenacity of life, sometimes live for days after being bitten 
by a venomous snake. Frogs, on the contrary, die almost 
instantly. 
When the Night Adder finds himself in a house in his 
quest for mice, he seeks to conceal himself in whatever place 
is handiest. Consequently, where Night Adders are com- 
mon, as in Natal, it is quite an everyday occurrence to find 
them in cupboards, under beds, chests of drawers, and various 
other hiding-places in houses. When turning out lumber from 
old outhouses, I have often killed a dozen Night Adders, and 
many scores of young ones. 
I have always found these snakes to be exceptionally in- 
offensive. Unless hurt or irritated by rough handling, or very 
much frightened, they never attempt to bite. Those which | 
have kept in captivity became so tame that if lifted up gently 
they showed no disposition whatever to bite. 
One day I was helping my men to renew some fencing-posts, 
which those pests, the “‘ White Ants” (Termites) had eaten up. 
Kneeling down, I thrust my hand into a hole from which an old 
