﻿DANGEROUS 
  REPTILES 
  — 
  COCHRAN 
  301 
  

  

  The 
  Vipers 
  

  

  The 
  night 
  adder 
  or 
  Cape 
  viper. 
  

  

  As 
  its 
  name 
  indicates, 
  this 
  snake 
  (Causus 
  rliomheatus, 
  pi. 
  11, 
  fig. 
  1) 
  

   emerges 
  at 
  night 
  to 
  hunt 
  for 
  rats, 
  mice, 
  and 
  toads. 
  It 
  is 
  rather 
  in- 
  

   offensive, 
  and 
  unless 
  hurt 
  or 
  frightened, 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  attempt 
  to 
  bite. 
  

   It 
  grows 
  to 
  be 
  about 
  3 
  feet 
  long. 
  It 
  is 
  yellowish 
  or 
  gray 
  in 
  color, 
  with 
  

   a 
  chain 
  of 
  dark, 
  light-edged 
  spots 
  along 
  the 
  back, 
  and 
  smaller 
  ones 
  

   on 
  each 
  side. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  dark 
  chevron 
  at 
  the 
  back 
  of 
  the 
  head. 
  The 
  

   snake 
  hides 
  in 
  rubbish 
  heaps, 
  rock 
  piles, 
  or 
  shallow 
  holes 
  when 
  not 
  

   hunting. 
  It 
  frequently 
  enters 
  farm 
  houses 
  in 
  its 
  search 
  for 
  rodents. 
  

   It 
  is 
  very 
  common 
  around 
  Nairobi 
  and 
  extends 
  from 
  the 
  Nile 
  over 
  

   the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  South 
  Africa. 
  The 
  poison 
  is 
  not 
  so 
  highly 
  toxic 
  

   as 
  in 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  vipers. 
  A 
  peculiar 
  anatomical 
  feature 
  is 
  the 
  

   extension 
  of 
  the 
  poison 
  glands 
  into 
  the 
  neck 
  to 
  several 
  inches 
  behind 
  

   the 
  head. 
  Another 
  interesting 
  peculiarity 
  is 
  that 
  this 
  snake 
  and 
  others 
  

   of 
  this 
  genus 
  lay 
  eggs, 
  while 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  vipers 
  are 
  viviparous. 
  

  

  The 
  puff 
  adder. 
  

  

  This 
  snake 
  (Bitis 
  arietans, 
  pi. 
  11, 
  fig. 
  2) 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  widely 
  

   distributed 
  in 
  Africa, 
  being 
  found 
  all 
  the 
  way 
  from 
  southern 
  Morocco 
  

   and 
  the 
  southern 
  Sahara 
  to 
  the 
  Cape 
  of 
  Good 
  Hope, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  in 
  

   Arabia. 
  It 
  likes 
  grassland, 
  rocky 
  regions, 
  or 
  light 
  forests, 
  especially 
  

   near 
  streams, 
  but 
  is 
  not 
  found 
  in 
  heavy 
  forests 
  or 
  at 
  very 
  high 
  alti- 
  

   tudes. 
  It 
  grows 
  to 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  5 
  feet 
  and 
  is 
  massive 
  and 
  bloated 
  in 
  

   appearance. 
  The 
  head 
  is 
  flat, 
  and 
  the 
  nostrils 
  are 
  on 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  snout. 
  

   The 
  skin 
  is 
  deep 
  golden 
  yellow 
  to 
  orange 
  brown, 
  with 
  regular 
  chevron- 
  

   shaped 
  brown 
  or 
  black 
  bars 
  pointing 
  backward, 
  with 
  a 
  large 
  dark 
  

   blotch 
  edged 
  with 
  light 
  yellow 
  on 
  the 
  crown 
  of 
  the 
  head. 
  It 
  often 
  

   lives 
  around 
  houses 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  feed 
  on 
  the 
  rats 
  and 
  mice. 
  When 
  dis- 
  

   turbed, 
  it 
  suddenly 
  hisses 
  by 
  exhaling 
  its 
  breath. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  aggressive, 
  

   but 
  when 
  danger 
  threatens 
  it 
  can 
  strike 
  with 
  lightning 
  speed. 
  It 
  

   is 
  extremely 
  prolific, 
  a 
  female 
  laying 
  up 
  to 
  72 
  eggs 
  at 
  a 
  time. 
  Some- 
  

   times 
  the 
  young 
  are 
  born 
  before 
  the 
  egg 
  is 
  laid 
  ; 
  more 
  usually 
  hatching 
  

   occurs 
  immediately 
  after 
  the 
  fully 
  developed 
  egg 
  is 
  deposited. 
  The 
  

   bite 
  is 
  extremely 
  dangerous, 
  as 
  the 
  great 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  fangs 
  causes 
  

   the 
  venom 
  to 
  be 
  injected 
  deeply 
  into 
  the 
  tissue. 
  This 
  venom 
  is 
  highly 
  

   active 
  neurotoxically 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  haemotoxically, 
  and 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  

   snake's 
  size 
  a 
  very 
  large 
  quantity 
  can 
  be 
  injected 
  at 
  a 
  bite. 
  Cattle 
  

   when 
  grazing 
  often 
  get 
  struck, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  an 
  injection 
  of 
  

   the 
  proper 
  serum 
  rapidly 
  succumb. 
  Another 
  closely 
  related 
  snake, 
  

   the 
  Cape 
  puff 
  added 
  (B. 
  inornata), 
  is 
  restricted 
  to 
  South 
  Africa. 
  

  

  The 
  rhinoceros 
  viper. 
  

  

  With 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  horns 
  jutting 
  from 
  its 
  nose, 
  its 
  swollen, 
  wicked- 
  

   looking 
  head, 
  and 
  its 
  stout, 
  ponderous 
  body 
  covered 
  with 
  rosy, 
  purple, 
  

  

  