KILLED BY A BLACK MAMBA. 



205 



Fig. 84. — Skull and poison apparatus of 

 a green variety of Maniba (Dcndraspis 

 angusticeps). The Mamba has dupli- 

 cate pairs of fangs. Poison gland is 

 seen behind the eye. It is connected 

 with the base of the fang by a tube or 

 duct. 



fact must frequently have been observed by the Zulu, who has 

 mistaken the semblance of size for the bodily reality. This is 

 sufficient to account for the ex- 

 aggeration they betray when 

 recounting their experiences of 

 these reptiles." 



Mr. Jones' explanation seems 

 to explain satisfactorily the 

 orierin of the belief in Crested 

 Mambas. 



I have killed and been present 

 at the killing of many, but have 

 not been fortunate enough to 

 witness the phenomenon de- 

 scribed by Mr. Jones. However, 

 I noticed that one which I kept 

 in captivity, when irritated, 

 assumed this flattened appear- 

 ance to a certain degree. 



The Boomslang has a somewhat similar habit. When 

 unusually excited, it dilates its throat considerably, giving the 

 liead a weird and uncanny appearance. In the Addenda at the 

 end of the book, photos recently taken show this wonderful 

 phenomenon. 



Killed by a Black Mamba. 



Some of the favourite resting places of Mambas are the 

 branches of thick foliaged trees. Entwining themselves amongst 

 the twigs they lie perfectly still. They frequently select branches 

 of trees overhanging the Kafir paths which wind through the 

 forests in various directions. These Kafir paths are made by the 

 natives, who always walk single file. They are merely tracks 

 worn by the feet of the natives. Man}^ a native has met his 

 death by being bitten on the head, neck, or shoulders whilst 

 passing under a branch in the foliage on which one of these 

 venomous snakes lay concealed. 



One day, when out buck-hunting, I was leisurel}^ riding along 

 a Kafir path in the outskirts of a forest, when suddenly a black 

 streak shot out from a clump of stunted bush a few yards ahead, 

 and next instant I saw it was a great Black Mamba, and that it 

 had buried its fangs up to the hilt in a burly Zulu's bare shoulder. 



