22 
The Queensland Naturalist. 
July,' I92t 
corresponding exactly to examples from Birchip, Victoria. 
It was a very hot morning, I was returning home 
weary, when one flew past the cab. I got out and missed 
it, but soon found that they were in numbers chasing 
each other round a sort of circle among some gum 
saplings, keeping quite near the ground. In spite of their 
erratic, mazy flight, by standing still at one spot I was 
able to capture them easily as they flew past, by a short 
following stroke. In this way I took ten examples, all 
males, in about as many minutes. I then left them, for I 
did not want to exterminate the species. I should be 
sorry to do that. I like to think of them as still flying 
round in giddy circles, flashing their azure wings in the 
brilliant sunshine, not only at Charleville, but at hundreds 
of places in the Never-Never country, supposed by some 
to be so gloomy and so sterile. 
(To be Continued.) 
o 
CANNIBALISM AMONGST SNAKES. 
An interesting case of cannibalism amongst snakes 
is reported by the Director of the Queensland Museum 
(Mr. II. A. Longman). 
On Tuesday, March 8th, a live specimen of the 
yellow-spotted black snake ( Pseud echis guttatus ), which 
is a rare ally of the common black snake, was placed with 
another specimen in a strong enclosed case on the museum 
verandah, which was tenanted by a live death adder. The 
next morning the death adder had disappeared, and an 
obvious increase in the girth of the yellow-spotted snake 
gave evidence of a surprising meal. On Wednesday 
morning the death-adder was disgorged, being dead, of 
course, and considerably damaged. 
The yellow-spotted snake, which is a very vicious 
species, and flattens its head after the fashion of the 
Indian cobras, was about, 4 feet in length, and was 
captured near Benarkin by Mr. E. II. Belson. The death 
adder, although less than half that length, was a robust 
specimen, and it is somewhat surprising that so muscular 
and venomous a species should have fallen a victim to 
the appetite of the other snake. 
The death adder had been living in the Museum 
since November 21, 1918, when it was donated by Mr. V. 
W. A. Moller, this being an unusually long time for this 
