234 THE SNAKES OF SOUTH AFRICA: 
post had been withdrawn, and pulled out a handful of rubbish, 
amongst which a Night Adder was coiled. It did not attempt 
to bite. The one idea was to escape. One of these snakes 
nearly got its fangs into my hand one day. Riding across the 
veld, I spied the cast skin of a snake in a tuft of grass. Dis- 
mounting, I examined it, and seeing that it was unbroken, J 
determined to secure it. 
Inch by inch I disengaged it, when, simultaneously as I 
pressed something soft, I heard a hiss. A dark body shot 
forward, and, with a thud, its forepart struck the ground violently. 
A Night Adder was in the act of casting its skin, and when 
I inadvertently pinched its tail, it waxed wrathful. It aimed 
straight enough, but my hand was not there, for I had jerked 
it away. 
THE VENOM OF THE NIGHT ADDER. 
The Night Adder is greatly dreaded, the prevalent belief being 
that a bite from one of these snakes will certainly prove fatal 
unless antidotal measures are promptly taken. 
After a series of experiments on animals I have found that 
its venom, although potent, is not nearly so powerful as that of 
the Cobra, Mamba, Puff Adder, or Boomslang. Animals bitten 
by Night Adders usually recovered completely after moping for 
two or three days. Local swelling and more or less hemorrhage 
took place. In recent experiments I found that when a large, 
well-nourished Night Adder was allowed to bite the leg of a fowl 
or rabbit, and retain its grip for two seconds, the victim died in 
from half a day to a day. In the majority of the cases when 
the snake was allowed to bite fully, but not to retain its hold, 
the animals recovered in a couple or three days. A strong, 
vigorous man would not be likely to die if bitten by one of these 
snakes in the ordinary way. 
In the Eastern Province Herald, February, 1911, the following 
account of the death of a well-known man ‘in these parts is 
reported ;— 
“Private telegrams were received in town early yesterday 
morning conveying the sad news of the demise of Mr. R. C. 
Parkin, of Bluegum Avenue, one of the oldest and most respected 
farmers in the district. 
