CH.v FAUNA OF TALIS8E 97 



any way dangerous was the large python {Pytho reticulaius), 

 or ' ular patjola,' as it is called here by the natives, which 

 has been known occasionally to attack and attempt to 

 swallow a full-grown man. 



The only specimen I came across myself measured 

 13 ft. 1 in. in length, and was about as thick as a man's 

 arm. I encountered it on an expedition I made one day 

 towards the north end of the island. My gun was loaded 

 with slugs, as I had just seen a cuscus and was hoping to 

 get a shot at him, but Manuel's gun was loaded with No. 6 

 for birds. We came to four pits which had been dug for 

 water, and upon looking into one of them I saw the red and 

 yellow tail-feathers of the wakian pigeon. I retreated a 

 few steps and signalled to Manuel to come up to shoot the 

 bird, but as soon as he reached the pit he instantly saw 

 that the bird was in the jaws of a large python, which lay 

 curled up in the pit. At first he was frightened and in- 

 cUned to run away, but when I offered to change guns and 

 shoot the snake, he immediately plucked up courage and 

 shot the reptile through the head. A few days after this a 

 man brought me another python of the same species that 

 was just over twelve feet in length. 



A bright green snake (Tragops prasinus) , about three feet 

 in length, was a constant visitor to my hut, and I often found 

 it on the bamboo palings of the deer kraal just opposite. It 

 was an amusing sight to see Marcus attempt to catch one 

 of these creatures for me. Manuel was always inchned to 

 be frightened of snakes, but Marcus would never hesitate to 

 go for them with his hands. The difficulty he had was to 

 catch hold of them at aU, for they cUmb the palings with 

 such speed, and their bodies are so smooth, that they would 

 often slip through his fingers before he could get a good grip 

 upon them ; but having once caught them it was no easy 

 matter to unwind them, for as soon as the head end was 



H 



