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NOTES ON SNAKES IN EAST AFRICA 
This snake is preyed upon by eagles, for on June 4, whilst 
stalking a martial hawk eagle, the bird disappeared for a 
moment and the next minute rose from a mealie patch bearing 
one of these snakes in its talons. Whilst circling low over the 
writer’s head it seized the snake in its beak, and still holding 
it in its talons swallowed it on the wing. On June 8 another 
species of hawk eagle was shot with a Hissing Sand Snake 
in its stomach. 
There were twelve eggs in a female which was killed on 
October 22. These eggs measured 1J inches by J inch. 
The Short-snouted Sand Snake ( Psammophis brevirostris) 
is very common in Nairobi, and the writer has often captured 
them when crossing paths and roads both there and at Arusha. 
Its habits of feeding and dietary in captivity are similar to 
the preceding species. 
An unusually coloured specimen of the Two-lined Sand 
Snake (P. biseriatus) was taken basking on a heap of stones 
on the rifle range at Yoi. 
A handsome and gentle snake is Rhamjphiophis oxyrhynchus, 
which owns no English name, but is called by the natives 
Earth Snake, probably because its reddish colour is somewhat 
similar to the soil. When first caught it is naturally wild, 
but becomes so tame that the writer has moved eight or nine 
from case to case as they lay in a twisted heap. After a few 
days in captivity it is safe to handle them freely without 
any risk of being bitten. They probably eat mammals, birds, 
and reptiles. 
A live mouse being put into the cage on December 9 at 
10.30 a.m. was seized and constricted with three coils around 
it ; at 10.31 a.m. a Hissing Sand Snake came up and seized 
its hind-leg ; at 10.33 a.m. the Earth Snake took hold of the 
mouse’s tail at the root and loosening its coils endeavoured 
to swallow the creature tail first ; the hind-legs proving a 
serious obstacle, however, it moved its jaws round to mid- 
body by 10.35, when it got the mouse’s head into its mouth ; 
at 10.39 a.m. only hind legs and tail were left. At 10.41 — 50 
seconds — the last vestige of tail had disappeared. 
On July 12 a live and newly-fledged young sun-bird which 
I put into the snake-case, where there was a small python 
