278 On the Joxic Action of the Bite of the Boomslang. 



complete paralysis wltliiri five minutes of the insertion of the 

 frag;raeiit of gland. 



These experiments conclusively prove these glands to be 

 capable of secreting a very virulent venom, and that they are 

 the glands which produce the glairy sticky fluid witliin the 

 sheaths enveloping the fangs. These poison-glands are com- 

 paratively small, less than a sixth the size of those of a pufF- 

 adder. That they secrete a venom, potent and virulent, 

 seems now hardly to admit of a doubt. Sir Andrew Smith 

 claims the fangs are simply used for the retention of the 

 prey, such as birds, which would otherwise escape. This is 

 paitly, but not wholly so. When, a Boomslang seizes a live 

 bird it giips with great tenacity. The bird struggles 

 frantically for a minute or two and is then overcome by the 

 potent action of the venom injected through the snake's 

 grooved fangs. It then leisurely proceeds to s\val!ow the 

 birds, feathers and all, 



Boomslangs are very timid creatures and will not bite 

 unless roughly handled, or an attempt be made to seize them, 

 hence the reason so few people are bitten by them. I have 

 handled these snakes freely in the past, and friends have 

 done likewise without any attempt on the part of the snake 

 to bite. Boomslangs are essentially tree-snakes, being quite 

 at home in the foliage of the trees, through which they can 

 travel with great rapidity. They vary in colour, some being 

 a bright greenish yellow, banded with black ; others are 

 vivid grass-green, banded with black ; whilst others, again, 

 are dark uniform brown above, shading into paler on the 

 abdomen, some specimens approaching the greyish tint. The 

 coloration of the female is not quite so brilliant as that of the 

 male. This is particularly noticeable in the greenish-yellow 

 and black varieties. 



Boomslangs frequently descend to the ground in search of 

 food and may often be seen basking in tlie sun on the bare 

 ground in the vicinity of some thicket, into which they 

 rapidly glide if disturbed. In captivity they become very 

 tame and will take food from the fingers. Tho^e in the Port 

 tlizabetli Museum readily eat dead food — such as birds, 

 chameleons, lizards, and frogs — whether fresh or stale. 



On several occasions female Boomslangs, both Variegated 

 and Brown, have laid batches of eggs varying in numbc;r 

 from a dozen to twenty-three, containing a yellowish fluid, 

 with no sign of incubation having already begun. 



