NOTES ON SNAKES IN EAST AFRICA 
881 
and an Earth Snake, was found dead two minutes later on 
my return. Its head was swollen tremendously, having 
been bitten in the throat by the Earth Snake, which, how- 
ever, was not to be seen ; possibly it had withdrawn into the 
grass at the writer’s approach or had found the scimitar- 
shaped bill too awkward for his small mouth. On December 81 
one was seen to eat a striped skink. 
The biggest specimens measured five feet ; a small female 
laid thirteen eggs on October 10 ; young specimens were 
taken early in January. 
The Herald Snake (. Lejptodira Jiotamboeia) , which is a Tropical 
and South African species, is common both at Nairobi and 
Morogoro. Black above, it is white-lipped and white beneath ; 
the upper surface is freckled with minute white spots, which 
serve to distinguish it from the otherwise very similar but non- 
poisonous House Snake which is also very common. The 
Herald Snake is usually under two feet in length, but occasional 
specimens are to be found over three feet long, in which cases 
the colour tends to olive. They frequent tents, outbuildings, 
or rubbish heaps in search of the mice or toads which constitute 
their food. Nocturnal in their habits, when molested they 
squirm like a worm. 
Another snake which rambles abroad after dark is the 
Half-ringed Cat Snake ( Tarbophis semiannulatus) , which the 
writer never met with till he came to Morogoro, and even here 
it seems scarce. 
The third and last division of the Colubridae embraces all 
the solid-toothed and therefore harmless Aglypha. Of these 
by far the most interesting is the almost toothless Egg-eater 
(Dasypeltis scaber). This extraordinary reptile has a most 
curious development of the vertebral hypophyses ; the lower 
spines of some thirty-two of its vertebras not only pierce the 
gullet, but are tipped with enamel and are used by the snake 
to crush the shells of eggs which it swallows whole. After 
the contents of the egg are safely received into the stomach, 
by some curious mechanism the two halves of the shell are 
fitted into one another and disgorged. 
The snake can be readily recognised by the large gular 
scales which enable it to distend its throat to the capacity of 
