Venomous Versus Harmless Snakes. 
105 
spring that gives an indication of its wondeiful muscular powers. It is 
with liorror tliat I still ahva3^s remember the circumstance when I first 
came into actual contact with a snake. During- one of my hunting exj)edl 
tions, while staying with Mr. Bach, I saw a 6 to 7 foot long snake Avinding 
its course slowly towards me : it was too far, however, to allow of my see- 
ing whether it was a. poisonous one or not. Both barrels of my gun being- 
loaded, I quietly take aim, shoot away, and the creature circles round 
in convulsions. A fluttering in the branches of the tree under which I am 
standing attracts my attention, and two beautiful parrots, new to me, 
that were perched in its shadows and had been frightened by the shot, are 
just settling down again upon the outermost portion of a twig. The snake 
appears to be mortally wounded, and with the still loaded barrel I bring 
dOAvn one of the birds. I now see the snake slowly winding its way to a 
thick bush, where it disa])pears while I am recharging. With the loaded 
wea])on in my hand I make another search for it, but in vain, and I Imve 
to get closer, when suddenly, swift as an arrow, the wounded reptile that 
had watched my approach and prepared to spring, darts against my 
shoulder and makes me take a big jumjp backwards. Struck all of a heap 
with terror, without knowing whether I am wounded. I see the animal 
again preparing to spring when a lucky shot however prevents it. On 
closer inspection I discovered just as much damage to myself as poison in 
my furious enemy : it was only the harmless black Ferpefodri/afi carinatusi 
Schleg. I have never found any poisonous snakes upon trees or bushes, 
a fact that seems to confirm Prince von Neuwied's observation that such 
creatures do not usually climl) them. They like dark lurking-holes just 
as much as they do the hottest rays of the sun and almost glowing sand. 
The ratio of poisonous to noni poisonous snakesi might be represented in 
Guiana as 1 to 8. The powers of fascination which the rattlesnake is 
especially said to exercise over birds and smaller mammals is an old-time 
myth : on the other hand, the Avild screar.i and flutter with which a bird 
seems to try to drive off not only this but every other mischievous enemy 
in general has more than once betrayed its proximity to me. Prince von 
Neuwied rightly puts it that this myth must have its origin in the state 
of terror into which perhaps an animal could fall when suddenly confront- 
ed Avith a poisonous snake and then seized by it: he also noted carefully 
the giddiness of the frightened creature after receiving a bite, upon which 
several generally follow one on top of the other. 
2.59. According to experiments car-ried out by reliable people in George- 
town, a poisonous snake liiting another poisonous snake only causes a 
short lethargy, which soon liowever passes off. Tjie Africans seem to 
have bi'ought over Avith them from their native land the art of taming 
]ioisonous snakes, because it is nothing rare for them to understand it so 
thoroughly that CA^en rattlesnakes, without having their fangs extracted, 
will coil quietly around their masters' arms without danger, and live with 
them on the friendliest of terms. 
200. Some days after Essetamaipu had met Avith his accident, we 
learnt by experience that when the A'ictim does not exceed the size of the 
reptile's jaws it can be carried about alive in the belly of a big snake for 
