4356 THE ZooLoctst—Marcu, 1875. 
death occurs within an hour after the bite. An acquaintance of 
ours was bitten by one of these snakes some years ago, but he was 
fortunately saved by his friends dosing him with a large quantity 
of rum. It is generally supposed that if the patient can only be 
made drunk there is no further danger. The effect of the bite is at 
first torpor, followed by intense excitement and raving. 
Pythons are very fond of water: we have often seen them 
sunning themselves on the bank of a river, when on being 
approached they instantly disappear in the deep water. 
lbis.—There are three species of ibis found in Natal. The 
white or sacred ibis (Jbis religiosa) is very rare, only a few speci- 
mens having been seen along the coast: we have not yet met with 
them. 
The common ibis is the hatadah (Tantalus hagedash),* which 
derives its name from its peculiar cry of “ha-ha-hatada,” with 
which it makes the woods resound. It can be heard a long 
distance off, and harmonizes well with the grand scenery amongst 
which it dwells. They congregate in large flocks along most of 
the rivers in Natal: we have seen over a hundred birds roosting on 
one or two trees overhanging the river of an evening, at which 
time they can be easily shot. ‘The flesh of the hatadah is excellent 
eating, and we fear that in time it will become scarce on account 
of the large numbers that are shot annually. When taken young 
this ibis can be easily tamed: we have had them walking about 
the place, quite content, among the poultry, but as they grow old 
they are apt to wander, unless confined. We fed them on por- 
ridge, bread, &c., although in their wild state they live exclusively 
on animal food, principally locusts. At the breeding season they 
separate and go in pairs, making a large nest of sticks, in which 
they lay from three to five eggs. The colour of this bird is dark 
brown, with green and purple reflections. When plucked it is 
rather less than a duck in size, but its long neck and wings Lite it 
the appearance of a much larger bird. 
The green ibis (Geronticus calvus). The general colour of this 
bird is purple; the neck and legs are deep red and destitute of 
feathers. Like the rest of its tribe, the bill is long and curved: it 
is of the same size as the former species. In feeding, this bird 
does not seem to be so cleanly as the hatadah, not even despising 
carrion: for this reason the flesh is not eaten; but it is very useful 
* Hagedashia Hagedash, Gray's Hand-List of Birds. 
