COW-MILKING SNAKES. 265 



time the shield or scale is moved forward, the tender skin between 

 it and the next one is exposed, so when a snake tries to pass over 

 the rope, the little bristles prick his abdomen, and if he were foolish 

 enough t(# crawl right over that rope he would be pricked all 

 along his body, from his neck to his tail. Naturally, if a snake 

 made the attempt to crawl over a hair rope and got pricked, he 

 would instantly turn back. 



At other times, doubtless, the snake would investigate the 

 rope with his sensitive forked tongue, and ascertain by that means 

 it was not a desirable object to pass over. 



So, you see, there is some reason after all for believing that 

 hair ropes are useful to keep snakes out of our tents and other 

 sleeping-places, when out in the veld or bush. 



Cow-milking Snakes. 



Farmers have often told me about snakes sucking the teats of 

 cows. I have read many accounts in books, in newspapers, and 

 have before me several letters by well-known farmers who posi- 

 tively declare that there is no doubt at all about the truth of it. 

 Some of them allege they actually witnessed Cobras and Ringhals 

 sucking cows' and goats' teats. The belief is very general. It 

 puzzles me. I do not say it is untrue, but I cannot bring myself 

 to believe it. The thing is apparently so unreasonable. It 

 would require a great deal of evidence to establish it as a fact. 

 Now, when you come to consider, it seems very absurd that 

 a snake would be able to suck milk from a cow's udder. In 

 a physiological sense it is practically impossible. Venomous 

 snakes would, in most cases, at least scratch the udder and cause 

 poisoning. A snake is very low in the scale of intelligence. And 

 such an act as sucking a cow's udder implies a good deal of intelli- 

 gence. Animals all have more or less an instinctive dread of snakes. 

 In most of the accounts there is a serious flaw. It is invariably 

 stated that the cow or goat comes home milklcss. Now, even a big 

 Cobra could not swallow more than about half a pint of milk. If 

 it did, the milk would be forced out again by the natural pressure 

 of the distended skin, muscles, and ribs. I have tried it on captive 

 snakes. I injected various quantities of milk. So long as I held 

 them in my hand head upwards, and body hanging, the milk was 



