APPENDIX. 165 
cliafed by a Spring Adder, which feemed to be gaining 
ground upon them, when he fliot it through the middle. 
The Night Snake, which is more beautiful than any of 
the others, is from eighteen to twenty inches long, and very 
thin : it is belted with black, red, and yellow ; and when 
near, at night, has the appearance of fire. The Hottentots 
call it Killmen. 
Thefe fix fpecies of ferpents, about the Cape of Good 
Hope, I had the opportunity of feeing ; and brought home 
fpecimens of moft of them, preferved in fpirits, for further 
infpedion. I however regret much that as my chief objedt 
was the colledion of plants, I had it not in my power to 
remain long enough in any one place to make fuch experi- 
ments on their feveral poifons as might have enabled me to 
have given a clear account of their effedls from my own ob- 
fervation. There are, I have no doubt, many other fnakes in 
that country with which we are as yet unacquainted. One, 
which is called the Spoog Slang, or Spitting Snake, has been 
mentioned to me by the inhabitants of the country, who fay it 
will throw its poifon to the difiance of feveral yards ; and that 
people have been blinded by them , but this never came under 
my own infpe6lion. 
The Black, or Rock Scorpion, is nearly as venomous as any 
of the ferpent tribe. A farmer who refided at a place, called 
the Parle, near the Cape, was flung by one in the foot, during 
my fiay in the country, and died in a few hours, 
D d 
