ZOOLOGY. 157 



few violent wreathlngs, it became nearly motionless, but 

 aearly an hour elapsed before it expired. 



The Animal it had killed was an Antelope of large size, 

 but so altered in shape, that had it not been for the horns 

 and hoofs, we should have been unable to ascertain what it 

 was ; the body had been compressed, and so completely 

 flattened, that it was more than seven feet in length, and the 

 legs were hardly distinguishable ; the whole carcass was 

 smeared over with a thick slime, which, we could not be 

 certain if occasioned by the licking of the tongue, or whether 

 it might not be an exudation from between the scales of the 

 Snake. 



On examining the Snake, its extraordinary bulk, and 

 great beauty of colours, induced us to forego our intended 

 journey, conceiving that its skin might prove a valuable ac- 

 quisition to the cabinet of some European friend, we there- 

 fore resolved on flaying it, though we were very deficient of 

 instruments proper for the purpose. The Natives, who but 

 a short time before were so cowardly, might now be seen 

 sitting on the dead body, and we had some troulile in pre- 

 venting their cutting it to pieces. 



To flay it was a task of considerable difficulty, from i(3 

 great length and bulk ; as it measured twenty-seven feci 

 nine inches in length, and three feet four inches in girth, at 

 four feet distance from the head. We first made an incis- 

 sion along the throat, and separated the head where it was 

 first wounded, stripping down the skin ; this was a most 



