106 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol II. 



No. XI.— SOUTH AFRICAN SNAKES. 



During a recent visit to Natal, I was much struck by two facts which came to 

 my knowledge about the local snakes, and which seems to me worth recording. 

 First : — Is the power (possessed by certain Natal snakes) of springing clear 

 off the ground. On two occasions, I saw a snake spring at least eighteen inches 

 off the ground in attempting to strike its enemy. In both cases it was of a 

 species known as the "Night Adder," and measuring about 30 inches in length. 

 I regret I failed to discover its scientific name. I was told that the " Puff 

 Adder" can and does make similar springs, by persons who had seen it do so. 

 This is all the more extraordinary because the Puff Adder is a stout heavy 

 snake. Several other species are popularly credited with a similar power. 



Second : — Is the power possessed by one of the two local cobras (? Naja 

 caffra) of squirting venom at an enemy. A member of this society learned in 

 such things tells me that this fact has been mentioned more than once by 

 African travellers. I have it from two reliable witnesses. My brother and Dr. 

 Lang, the Residency Surgeon of Maseru Basuto-'land, when attacking one of 

 these cobras together, were met by a jet or spray of poison squirted at them 

 by the snake. The doctor received it on the cheek and in one eye (my brother 

 had protected his face with his raised arm). The result was very severe 

 inflammation, which only subsided gradually and after the free application of 

 carbonate of soda. The poison must have been squirted a distance of at least 5 

 or 6 feet. 



Somali-land has now become an Indian hunting ground, and it will be well for 

 future visitors there to keep in mind these two traits of South African snakes, 

 for their North African cousins may possess the same power and habits.* 



There are said (locally) to be two species of cobras in Natal — one black and 

 the other mottled. I never saw the former, but the latter often. It is much 

 smaller than our cobra, and handsomely marked on a pale ground. I did not see 

 any well-marked spectacles, but the hood was quite plain when the beast was 

 angry. In company with my brother I killed one of these cobras in Basuto-land 

 in January — February, and after opening her took out 16 young ones. These 

 were each only about 3 inches long, but were apparently fully formed. Each 

 youngster, in utero, was isolated by a gelatinous environment, but there was 

 absolutely no sign of any egg-shell. I was under the impression that the cobras 

 and all that division of the snakes were invariably oviparous. This specimen 

 most certainly was not. 



I heard terrible tales o£ a snake known as the " Black Mamba." How at 

 certain times of year it " runs amok" (? at breeding time) and charges indis= 

 criminately at anything living it sees or hears. In deadliness our King Cobra 

 is a harmless worm compared to it, &c, &c« But I had these tales only on 

 popular (though unanimous) report. 



Bombay, May, 1894, R. 0. WROUGHTON. 



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