THE 



SNAKES OF SOUTH AFRICA. 



CHAPTER I. 



Classification. 



Snakes belong to the great class of living creatures known as 

 reptiles, which include all the hving orders of crocodiles, turtles, 

 tortoises, and Hzards, The frog and salamander orders are, 

 generally speaking, also reptiles, but owing to certain important 

 differences in their anatomy and breeding habits they are 

 separated into a class called Amphibia, from the Greek word 

 Amphibios, which means " leading a double hfe," because these 

 creatures Hve both on land and in water. They constitute the 

 link between Reptiles and Fishes. 



All living creatures are classified into classes, orders, sub-orders, 

 genera, and species, according to their anatomy. All creatures 

 of the same species are practically identical, not only in their 

 anatomy, but also in their habits. If a species, owing to various 

 circumstances, such as a difference in food, climate, the presence 

 or absence of enemies, etc., should become shghtly modified in 

 colouration or structure, we term it a variety, or sub-species. 

 For instance, our well-known Bushbuck [Tragelaphus) has been 

 divided into several sub-species, because it is found to differ 

 slightly in colour and shape in the various districts of South Africa. 



The Boomslangs, or Tree Snakes {Dispholidus) , are in every 

 case anatomically similar, but differ considerably in their coloura- 

 tion, even in the same districts. They are separated into six 

 varieties, so in describing them we refer to them as variety A, 

 variety B, and so on. 



I B 



