376 The Naturalist in La Plata. 



ture from a large area of country ; and although 

 there was no water, the soft fresh grass must have 

 been grateful to them. Snakes are seen coiled up 

 when they are at home ; when travelling and far 

 afield, they lie as a rule extended full length, even 

 when resting — and they are generally resting. 

 Pausing at length, before quitting this green plain, 

 to give my horse a minute's rest, I got off and 

 approached a large snake ; but when I was quite 

 twelve yards from it, it lifted its head, and, turning 

 deliberately round, came rather swiftly at me. I 

 retreated, and it followed, until, springing on to my 

 horse, I left it, greatly surprised at its action, and 

 beginning to think that it must be venomous. As 

 I rode on the feeling of surprise increased, con- 

 quering haste ; and in the end, seeing more snakes, 

 I dismounted and approached the largest, when 

 exactly the same thing occurred again, the snake 

 rousing itself and coming angrily at me when I was 

 still (considering the dull lethargic character of the 

 deadliest kinds) at an absurd distance from it. 

 Again and again I repeated the experiment, with the 

 same result. And at length I stunned one with a 

 blow of my whip to examine its mouth, but found 

 no poison-fangs in it. 



I then resumed my journey, expecting to meet 

 with more snakes of the same kind at my destina- 

 tion ; but there were none, and very soon business 

 called me to a distant place, and I never met with 

 this species afterwards. But when I rode away 

 from that green spot, and was once more on the 

 higher, desolate, wind-swept plain surrounding it — 

 a rustling sea of giant thistles, still erect, although 



