60 



OPHIDIAN REPTILES. 



Fig. 13. Natal Rock Snake (Hortulia natalensis). 



the powers of this gigantic 

 reptile are said to be enor- 

 mous, being able to subdue a 

 full-grown Buffalo ; and even 

 a* Man has been said to fall a 

 prey to its fury. A Malay 

 prao had anchored for the night 

 under an island of the Celebes. 

 One of the crew had gone 

 ashore in search of the favourite 

 betel nut, and is supposed on 

 his return to the beach to have 

 fallen asleep. In the dead of 

 the night his comrades were 

 roused by his screams ; they 

 pulled ashore with all expe- 

 dition,, but came too late ; the 

 cries had ceased, and the 

 wretched man had breathed his 

 last in the folds of one of 

 these enormous Serpents. They 

 killed the creature, cut off the 

 head, and carried it, together 

 with the lifeless body of their 

 comrade, to the vessel. The 

 right wrist of the corpse bore 

 the mark of the Serpent's teeth, 

 and the disfigured body showed 

 that the man had been crushed 

 by the constrictive folds of the 

 reptile round the head, breast, 

 and thighs. The Ular Sawad 

 arranges its eggs by placing 

 them in a group, which is 

 covered by the body. This 

 statement, first made by Mr. 

 Bennett, has been confirmed 

 by the observations of M. 



