204 NATUEAL HISTOEY SKETCHES. 



or thick scrub. I think a great many of the bullocks 

 that lie dead along the plains in the summer are killed 

 by the snakes. The sheep often kill them by jumping 

 with all four feet upon the snake. 



The Blacks are very timid about snakes; yet, although 

 they travel bare-legged and bare-footed through the bu'dh 

 at all seasons, they never tread on one ; in fact, their 

 eyes are like an eagle's, and they can see anything on 

 the ground in an instant. They are very careful, how- 

 ever, in getting over a log, rarely treading on it. They 

 will eat snakes, which they kill themselves, when they 

 are certain the snake has not bitten itself, which it often 

 does in its dying agonies. I have eaten the black-snake, 

 and had it been a little fatter should not have known it 

 from eel. 



The principal food of the snake is small animals, 

 birds'-eggs, and frogs. I once saw a large carpet-snake 

 charming a lot of birds. It was under an old honey- 

 suckle, which had been blown down, and a congregation 

 of small bush-birds were gathered round it, hopping, 

 chattering, and fluttering about the dead branches of 

 the tree. The motions of the snake were the most 

 graceful I ever saw: it was half-erect, moving its 

 head backwards and forwards, shooting out its tongue, 

 evidently endeavouring to decoy a victim within reach, 

 which it would soon have done, but it caught sight of 

 me, and glided away, and the performance stopped. 



There is no real water-snake in this country, but all 

 the snakes can swim, and in summer are always on the 



