NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 



the belief that it was a monster snake, and so the 

 belief was spread. A considerable number of utterly 

 foundationless beliefs in regard to snakes, their 

 venom and the treatment of snake-bite, are implicitly 

 believed in by large numbers of colonists. These 

 and numbers of others in regard to the treatment 

 of stock, and disease in human beings, have been 

 absorbed from the Hottentots and Kafirs. 



There are a considerable number of species of 

 Klip or Rock Dassies in Africa north of the Zambesi, 

 and in Arabia and Syria, but there is only one kind 

 in South Africa. 



The Klip Dassie is the size of an adult rabbit, 

 but it is minus a tail, and the ears are short. 



The fur is soft and fine, and dark sepia-brown in 

 colour. The lower parts are whitish. The limbs 

 are short, and the body full and plump. The eyes 

 are small, black and rather prominent. 



THE TREE DASSIE 



Also known as the Bosch Dassie and the Boom 

 Dassie 



(Procavia arborea) 



UNLIKE its cousin, which lives among the stony hills, 

 the Tree Dassie inhabits the forests of Africa, and it 

 makes its home aloft amongst the branches of the 

 trees. They have no claws to the feet, and do 

 not grip the branches, but, nevertheless, they are 

 234 



