1895.] ON AN BLAPOrD SNAKE, 865 



drops it carefully over the thorns in the ring, which being close to- 

 gether hold it up, so that soon nothing can be seen of the thorns. 

 The use of the dried dung is, to hold up the sand which hides the 

 trap. The hemp rope, now made into a slip-noose, is put round 

 the top ring, and the stick to which it is attached biu-ied in the 

 sand. The whole is now carefully covered with sand. One of the 

 shikaries laid his traps so successfully that it was almost impossible 

 to find one again unless a Gazelle was caught in it. The marks like 

 those of a Gazelle made by the fingers over the trap add to the 

 deception. It is curious to remark that a Gazelle will rarely walk 

 over an impression left by either beast or man in the sand. 



When the Gazelle comes in the evening to feed, its foot slips 

 through the top ring in the centre where the thorns meet, and so 

 to the bottom of the hole. The top ring is now fixed round the 

 Gazelle's leg, at the height of the depth of the hole, the spiky thorns 

 entering the skin. This ring also holds up the hemp rope, which 

 the Gazelle, in endeavouring to kick off the thorny ring that pricks 

 it, draws tight, generally over the knee. 



The Gazelle starts off, dragging after it the date-stick, attached to 

 the rope. The swinging stick makes it impossible for the animal 

 to get away at any pace, as, twisting round one leg or the other, it 

 throws the Gazelle to the ground continually. 



The spoor of the trapped Gazelle with the marks of the 

 swinging stick are easily lound, and the animal tracked down 

 until in sight, when a trained greyhound will soon catch and hold 

 it until his master comes up. 



During November and December the Gazelles are caught when 

 fawns by trained hounds, and this is the simplest method ; but it 

 can only be practised during two months, as it takes a very good 

 dog to catch a Gazelle when more than this age. 



During the eight days I was in the desert, though unsuccessful 

 in trapping any, I saw several very fine specimens of Loder's Gazelle. 



6. On the Type Specimen of Boulengerina stormsi, an 

 Elapoid Snake from Central Africa. By G. A. Bou- 

 LENGER^ F.R.S. 



[Eeceived November 26, 1895,] 

 (Plate XLVIII.) 



In the year 1886 M. L. Dollo estabHshed a new genus of 

 Elapoid Snakes which he did me the honour of naming after me 

 Boulengerina. The single specimen of Boulengerina stormsi 

 formed part of a small collection from Lake Tanganyika, pre- 

 sented to the Brussels Museum by Capt. Storms, an officer in the 

 service of the Congo State. The Snake was described very shortly, 

 and although the type specimen had passed through my hands 

 before, I felt desirous of re-examining it in order to fix its correct 

 position in the system. My friend M. Dollo having, with his 

 usual kindness, entrusted the specimen to me for description, 



