THE SCHAAPSTEKERS, GRASS SNAKES, ETC. 131 



afterwards, but no alarming poisonous symptoms have ever 

 manifested themselves. 



I have experimented with the Spotted or Rhombic Scliaap- 

 steker, and find that a full bite on the bared thigh of a rat will 

 cause death in two hours. .Fowls bitten by full-sized Schaap- 



FiG. 55. — A Rhombic or Spotted Schaapsteker (T. rhoinbeatus) photographed from above 



just after laying a batch of eggs in the Port Elizabeth Museum. 



The Schaapstekers lay their eggs in the Port Elizabeth Snake Park late in December. The 



eggs are invariably partly (about one month) incubated before they arc laid. 



stekers died in from seven to ten hours. For the first couple of 

 hours the fowls seemed none the worse. Then drowsiness slowly 

 set in, which was progressive, terminating in paralysis and death. 

 Post-mortem examinations showed all the organs to be apparently 

 normal. There was no sign of haemorrhage anywhere. It was 

 evident that death was due to paralysis of certain nerve centres. 



