'52 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol.73 



of a water hole (where clothes are frequently washed) almost in the 

 town. Others came from Mtita's, Nzingi, Mukwese, and Mbulu. 



The largest male measured 197 mm. long, and 128 mm. broad; 

 the largest female 160 mm. long by 130 mm. broad. 



Like the black-water tortoise they lived well on chopped meat fed 



to them in a large tank of water. During July, however, either 



overcrowding in the tank or some seasonal instinct warning them 



that it was time all small water holes had dried up caused them with 



one accord to clamber out and pile themselves inside the wire netting 



of their inclosure. Putting them back was of no avail and for a 



week they stayed exposed to the cold winds prevalent at night, until 



I removed them indoors and packed them into crates containing straw. 



This, however, proved fatal to the very small ones, a number of whom 



succumbed. 



OPHIDIA 



At my request, Mr. Carnochan, who was purchasing snakes in the 

 Shinyanga subdistrict, sent down two of the Wanyimwezi snake- 

 catchers called " Wayeye." These youths, named Gurukezi bin Umbwa 

 and Kifinda Mn Maganga, were not full initiates into the mysteries 

 of their art. I intended to have gone fully into the question of 

 their treatment of snake bite, but as I found Mr. Carnochan had 

 already collected much matter relative thereto which he purposes pub- 

 Ushingl let the matter drop. 



That there is something in their knowledge of snake cures I still 

 believe, though there is a considerable admixture of ignorance and 

 charlatanry in their lore, but the fearless way in which they will 

 handle Egyptian and spitting cobras is not a little astonishing. I 

 have included in the following remarks sundry notes jotted down as 

 given me by Gurukezi, with the approval of Kifinda, from which it 

 will be seen that they have "cures" for the bites of many harmless 

 species, which they believe poisonous. 



The Chigogo names of reptiles should be accepted with reserve 

 until checked over by some acknowledged Mgogo expert snake 

 hunter. They were given me by a group of old men who would be 

 as likely to confuse species as any similar group of Europeans called 

 upon to name the reptiles of their neighborhood. 



PYTHON SEBAE (Gmelln) 



AFRICAN PYTHON 



Native names. — Hatu (Chigogo) ; Satu (Kiswahili) ; Ngoi 

 (Kikami). 



The Wanyimwezi profess to divide the python into three species, 

 employing the Kiswahili and Kisukuma "satu" for full-grown 

 snakes, which they consider belong to a bush-dwelling species. Spec- 

 imens ranging from 9 to 18 feet, and with a light spot on the head, 



