THE SNAKES. 201 



more pointed. They frequented the dry plains, were local, 

 and I often used to find them under heaps of dry cow- 

 dung. 



The snakes here lay up during the winter in old logs, 

 dead-log fences, and holes in the earth. They dis- 

 appear about the end of March, and come out again iu 

 September. They say here, that in the end of February 

 is the pairing season, and then they travel by night. I 

 cannot say if this is correct, as I never killed one at night, 

 except in a log. At all other times they retire as soon 

 as the sun goes down. They are the most dangerous 

 when they first come out, for then they lie in a half-torpid 

 state, and don't care to get out of the way. One thing 

 is certain, that the snake will rarely if ever molest a 

 man, unless trod upon, or so hard pressed that it cannot 

 get away. They generally glide off out of sight, or if 

 they do lie still it is in hopes of not being perceived. They 

 can hear the approach of a footstep a long way off; it is 

 wonderful how quickly they disappear. I have seen a 

 snake lying in a bush, and have only taken my eye off 

 it for an instant, to see if my cap was all right before I 

 fired, and it has vanished as by magic. I have seen 

 some persons kill them with a stick ; I always fancied a 

 charge of shot was the safest, and I rarely went out in 

 any day in summer without killing two or three. It is 

 best to approach a snake sideways, for they say here 

 that they can cast themselves backwards as well as 

 forwards. I never but once saw one make a spring, and 

 that was at a dog. The snake was in a half-erect posi- 



