WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AINIERICA 221 



We untied the mouth of the bag, kept him down 

 ])y main force, and then I cut his throat. He bled 

 like an ox. By six o'clock the same evening, he 

 was completely dissected. On examining his 

 teeth, I observed that they were all bent like ten- 

 ter-hooks, pointing down his throat, and not so 

 large or strong as I expected to have found them ; 

 but they are exactly suited to what they are 

 intended by nature to perform. The snake does 

 not masticate his food, and thus the only service 

 his teeth have to perform is to seize his prey, and 

 hold it till he swallows it whole. 



In general, the skins of snakes are sent to mu- 

 seums without the head: for when the Indians 

 and Negroes kill a snake, they seldom fail to cut 

 off the head, and then they run no risk from its 

 teeth. When the skin is stuffed in the museum, 

 a wooden head is substituted, armed with teeth 

 which are large enough to suit a tiger's jaw; and 

 this tends to mislead the spectator, and give him 

 erroneous ideas. 



During this fray with the serpent, the old ne- 

 gro. Daddy Quashi, was in George-town procuring 

 provisions, and just returned in time to help to 

 take the skin off. He had spent best part of his 

 life in the forest with his old master, Mr. Ed- 

 monstone, and amused me much in recounting 

 their many adventures amongst the wild beasts. 

 The Daddy had a particular horror of snakes, and 

 frankly declared he could never have faced the 

 one in question. 



The week following, his courage was put to the 

 test, and he made good his words. It was a 

 curious conflict, and took place near the spot 



