PORTUGUESE EAST AFRICA (SOUTH) 93 
had taken its place. This appeared at first to be a piece of magic, 
until I saw a bulge in the snake’s stomach indicating that he had 
squeezed through the wire-netting, swallowed the rat, and was 
then unable to escape owing to the resultant bulge. Snakes were 
more plentiful here than in any place I had been, and once, when 
I was stooping making some fine adjustments to a spring-net trap, 
there was a sudden squealing only a few yards away. It was an 
intensely hot day—110°F. in the shade—following a heavy down- 
pour. The sun had come out with full force and had converted 
the place into a Turkish bath with steam rising from the bare wet 
soil around me. This condition suited the frogs, and it was one of 
these that was now squealing for dear life. 
As I turned round I saw what I took to be a Green Mamba 
slithering at great speed towards the slow-moving frog, who knew 
before he was caught that he was doomed. The snake seized him 
by the rump, prior to the slow business of swallowing him, thus 
allowing the frog for a while to keep up his pitiful squealing. I 
had no snake-stick on that occasion, and was unable to find any- 
thing at hand suitable to pin the snake down, so he was able to 
escape; I did not allow my enthusiasm to take risks with a snake 
reputed to be one of the most venomous and aggressive of all the 
African reptiles. It was just another example of the terrific 
slaughter that goes on daily in the tropics through one animal 
preying on another. 
I must say that I was happiest when punting. Tropical swamps 
have always fascinated me, as they attract a wealth of bird-life 
which is easy to observe. Another thing is that getting wet in 
tropical conditions is rather a joy. On one occasion when I was 
propelling the punt in professional style, my unusual height help- 
ing me to manipulate the long punt-pole with ease, a submerged 
stump stopped the boat dead and I fell overboard backwards. Such 
an experience would probably be fatal to me in the cold of a 
temperate zone, but here I thoroughly enjoyed it. The only thing 
about the swamp that displeased me was its leeches, so when 
wading I used to wear old shoes, and tuck my trousers inside my 
socks, thus defeating their attentions. These parasites are not dan- 
gerous to humans, though they make punctures in the skin that 
bleed freely after they have been removed. It is when they fasten 
