290 EXCURSION'S AROUND EGA. Chap. IV. 



bag for specimens, and we then continued on our way. 

 Lino, who was now first, presently made a start back- 

 wards, calling out " Jararaca ! " This is the name of a 

 poisonous snake (genus Craspedocephalus), which is far 

 more dreaded by the natives than Jaguar or Alligator. 

 The individual seen by Lino lay coiled up at the foot of 

 a tree, and was scarcely distinguishable, on account of 

 the colours of its body being assimilated to those of the 

 fallen leaves. Its hideous, flat triangular head, connected 

 with the body by a thin neck, was reared and turned 

 towards us : Frazao killed it with a charge of shot, 

 shattering it completely, and destroying, to my regret, 

 its value as a specimen. In conversing on the subject 

 of Jararacas as we walked onwards, every one of the 

 party was ready to swear that this snake attacks man 

 without provocation, leaping towards him from a con- 

 siderable distance when he approaches. I met, in the 

 course of my daily rambles in the woods, many Jararacas, 

 and once or twice very narrowly escaped treading on 

 them, but never saw them attempt to spring. On some 

 subjects the testimony of the natives of a wild country 

 is utterly worthless. The bite of the Jararacas is gene- 

 rally fatal. I knew of four or five instances of death 

 from it, and only of one clear case of recovery after 

 being bitten ; but in that case the person was lamed for 

 life. 



We walked over moderately elevated and dry ground 

 for about a mile, and then descended (three or four feet 

 only) to the dry bed of another creek. This was pierced 

 in the same way as the former water-course, with round 

 holes full of muddy water. They occurred at intervals 



