EGG-EATERS ARE CRAFTY SNAKES. 113 



interested. Leaving the eggs, I returned in a few hours' time to 

 find them still there. For two whole weeks these eggs remained 

 in the cage untouched, although I refrained from giving the 

 snakes any others. Then, procuring some fresh pigeons' eggs 

 I put them into the cage. The snakes approached, touched 

 them with their noses or tongue and instantly began to swallow 

 them. I tried this experiment a second time with the same 

 result. Frequently I have noticed that the snakes would eat 

 some of the eggs given them, but reject the others. On breaking 

 the latter open I alwaj^s found them either addled, or with a 

 more or less developed young bird inside. I could never induce 

 an Egg-eater to swallow an egg, other than a fresh one. 



The Egg-eater is an expert climber, and his sense of smell 

 being acute he is able to discover birds' nests with the greatest 

 facility. It seems that he possesses a peculiar kind of smell- 

 sense which enables him to detect the proximity of eggs. The 

 odour given out by eggs evidently has an affinity for his sensitive 

 nerves of smell. If an old, empty bird's nest be placed in the 

 cage of an Egg-eater he takes no notice of it, unless perhaps 

 occasionally for the purpose of utilizing it as a cosy bed. How- 

 ever, if fresh eggs be placed within it, he instantly detects their 

 presence, although hidden from sight. 



If the Egg-eater had to depend entirely upon his senses of 

 sight and hearing, he would procure but a lean living, for birds' 

 nests, as a general rule, are effectually concealed from view. 

 Having a toothless mouth and a special set of egg-sawing 

 tools in his gullet, this snake is able to subsist mainly, if 

 not entirely, on birds' eggs. It is probable, however, he will 

 swallow the young of birds, as well as various soft-bodied creatures, 

 such as lizards, worms, and various larvce. But I have not ascer- 

 tained for certain if he eats the living young of birds, for, some- 

 how, I could never harden myself sufficiently to rob innocent 

 parent birds of their young, and allow these little creatures to 

 be swallowed or otherwise perish miserably, for, having studied 

 their ways and habits in their native homes, I have grown to 

 love birds. 



Most Egg-eaters are Hght brown, spotted and lined with black, 

 and are, in consequence, frequently mistaken for Night Adders 

 {Causus rhombeaius). In Natal and along the East Coast, the 

 colour is invariably a uniform pale reddish, or olive -brown above, 



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