64 



THE SNAKES OF SOUTH AFRICA. 



grooving. They are recurved, which means they are curved 

 backwards. These teeth are capable of inflicting a nasty wound. 

 I was trying to capture a Python one day amongst some rocks 



in one of those beauti- 

 ful tropical - looking 

 valleys, so abundant 

 in Natal. I got it 

 cornered, and tried to 

 get a noose over its 

 head. In desperation, 

 I suppose, it made 

 a fierce lunge and 

 seized my left hand in 

 its great jaws and held 

 as tight as a steel rat 

 trap. I yelled out to 

 my companion, but he 

 was awa}' in the bush 

 somewhere. Fearing 

 the Python would 

 want to take the 

 liberty of embracing 

 me, I dragged my 

 liand out of its mouth, 

 the hand, of course, 

 being minus most of its 

 epidermis. You want 

 to know what I did 

 then ? Well, I re- 

 treateddown the rocks. 

 x\fter my friend had 

 bandaged my hand, we 

 crawled up again and 

 shot the Python, and 

 t lien retrieved my gun, 

 satchel, and hat. 



Pythons become 

 very tame and docile in captivity. For many years past 

 I have kept them in cages. I had one big fellow eighteen 

 feet long, and so tame did he become that one day I coiled 



Fig. 30. — A baby pylhon .iikI a baby boy. 



