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avowed enemy of fnakes, on which account he is confidered, 
both by the Colonifts and the Hottentots, as a facred bird. Of 
the feveral kinds of fnakes that they here enumerate, one only 
was confidered as innoxious ; this was the boom Jla7ige or tree- 
fnake, fo called from its being generally found coiled round the 
branches of trees ; it is from fix to ten feet in length, very 
thick, and of a dark fteel-blue color approaching nearly to black. 
It is faid to take its abode in trees for the fake of procuring its 
food with the greater convenience, which in general confifts of 
the fmaller kinds of birds. The fafcinating power afcribed to 
certain fnakes of drawing animals within their reach by fixing 
their eyes upon them, or by fome other means, has often been 
remarked and as often difbelieved. When a fadt is mentioned 
of fo extraordinary a nature that the generality of mankind 
could not have obferved it, individual teftimony is not always 
of fufficient force to eftablifh general belief. In the fouthern 
part of Africa, where fnakes are every where met with in great 
abundance, the fa<5t with regard to their fafcinating power over 
birds is fo well known that very few of the peafantry will hefi- 
tate to vouch for the truth of it from perfonal obfervation j but 
I have never heard it fuppofed here that the influence of the 
charm was extended to the human fpecies, as has been alTerted, 
feemingly on good authorities, to be the cafe in parts of Afia 
and North America. The moft formidable fpecies of this vene- 
mous tribe of animals in the colony of the Cape is the hooded 
fnake, which they call the cobra capella. The Hottentots are 
acquainted with feveral vegetable antidotes againft the poifon 
of ferpents ; but the moft approved remedy among the Dutch 
is the Jlange Jleeti or fnake-ftone, Vv^hich they hold to be infallible. 
This 
