404 
SOUTHERN AFRICA. 
grasp. With his left hand he then felt his 
pockets, and with it drew from one of them, 
his large hnnting knife ; and seizing the blade 
of it with his teeth, he thus opened it, and 
then turning round with perfect nonchalance 
and sans froid, he, by one sure stroke, severed 
the snake's head from its body, and thus saved 
his own life and that of his companion. 
10. — Allied to the species of Grass Snakes, 
is a small brown reptile called a Snake, but is 
properly a " Seps" It is about eighteen inches 
long, is rather prettily marked with lines of 
black, and has two small flippers, one on either 
side of the neck- It is very common in all the 
districts of Africa. 
11, 12, 13. — To these may be added the 
three Water Snakes ; green, brown, and black. 
The first and second of these are each about 
three feet long, and inhabit the rivers, lying in 
the rushes and sedge along their banks. The 
Black Water Snake is very large, frequently 
reaching five feet in length. These latter kinds 
are supposed to be harmless, and are timid and 
wary, always swimming away at the approach 
of men. They prey principally on frogs, li- 
zards, and small iguanas. 
14, 15.— The last of the genus are the Ad- 
ders and Viper. Of these the " Puff Adder/' is 
the most common, and the most deadly. The 
