236 TROPIC DAYS 



for salads for breakfast. While she was looking for a 

 seemly cucumber, a rat was disturbed, and almost 

 immediately after she was bitten by a death adder 

 which had lain inert at the very spot whence the rat 

 had fled. The child recovered, while the deceptive 

 snake, which will not submit to have its tail saluted even 

 by the airiest of treads, was killed. Not only have we 

 here another proof of the non-fatal character of the bite 

 of an adder, but a singular instance of association 

 between an adder and a rat. Why and for what purpose 

 does this apparent amicability exist ? 



Sometimes mankind is startled by the unexpected 

 appearance of a snake. Will credit be given to an 

 almost magic disappearance ? Those who hearken to 

 the voices of birds learn to discriminate between the 

 language of content and happiness and love and that of 

 dismay and terror. A number of loud and pleasant- 

 noted fasciating honey-eaters suddenly changed their 

 tune to that indicative of fear. They were gathered 

 on a thick-leaved tree on the edge of the jungle in a 

 crude circle, with heads pointing to a common centre. 

 It was simplicity to conclude that a snake was present, 

 but not at all easy to see it, for the flustered birds began 

 to change their manoeuvres directly help was at hand. 

 Eventually a thin brown snake was seen doubled up 

 and apparently sound asleep among the branchlets. 

 The gun was called for, and two others hastened to the 

 scene, each of whom distinctly saw the snake. When 

 the shot was fired, a peephole was made through the 

 dense leafage just where the snake had reposed, but 

 with the report it had disappeared. Fragments of 

 twigs and leaves came to Mother Earth, but even a 

 smart black tracker failed to find a trace of the snake, 

 though the force of the explosion must have carried 

 portions out into the open. The point of this artless 



