COW-MILKING SNAKES. 265 
time the shield or scale is moved forward, the tender skin between 
it and the next one is exposed, so when a snake tries to pass over 
the rope, the little bristles prick his stomach, and if he were foolish 
enough to crawl right over that rope he would be pricked all 
along his body, from his neck to his tail. Naturally, if a snake 
made the attempt to crawl over a hair rope and got pricked, he 
would instantly turn back. 
At other times, doubtless, the snake would investigate the 
rope with his sensitive forked tongue, and ascertain by that means 
it was not a desirable object to pass over. 
So, you see, there is good reason after all for believing that 
hair ropes are useful to keep snakes out of our tents and other 
sleeping-places, when out in the veld or bush. 
COW-MILKING SNAKES. 
Farmers have often told me about snakes sucking the teats of 
cows. I have read many accounts in books, in newspapers, and 
have before me several letters by well-known farmers who posi- 
tively declare that there is no doubt at all about the truth of it. 
Some of them declare they actually witnessed Cobras and Ringhals 
sucking cows’ and goats’ teats. The belief is very general. It 
puzzles me. I do not say it is untrue, but I cannot bring myself 
to believe it. The thing is apparently so unreasonable. It 
would require a great deal of evidence to establish it as a fact. 
Now, when you come to think it out, it seems very absurd 
to think a snake would be able to suck milk from a cow’s udder. 
In a physiological sense it is practically impossible. Venomous 
_ snakes would, in most cases, at least scratch the udder and cause 
poisoning. A snake is very low in the scale of intelligence. And 
such an act as sucking a cow’s udder implies a good deal of intelli- 
gence. Animals all have more or less an instinctive dread of snakes. 
In most of the accounts there is a serious flaw. It is invariably 
stated that the cow or goat comes home milkless. Now, even a big 
Cobra could not swallow more than about half a pint of milk. If 
it did, the milk would be forced out again by the natural pressure 
of the distended skin, muscles, and ribs. I have tried it on captive 
snakes. I injected various quantities of milk. So long as I held 
them in my hand head upwards, and body hanging, the milk was 
