FASCICULI 
281 
dozen snakes in all, and the hooded cobra that attacked 
my brother on the Athi (p. 228) and was shot for its 
temerity, afforded the only instance of momentary 
excitement. This snake (Nay a haje) not only strikes 
with its fangs, but is capable of ejecting its venom from 
the mouth. 
In that district, during our lion-drives, we saw three 
or four fairly big black snakes resembling the European 
Colubers, and probably 6 or 7 ft. in length, pre¬ 
sumably black mambas. This was in January, and at 
the same season we came across one puff-adder above 
Nakuru. A whippy, adder-like snake, also near Nakuru, 
but in August, completes our list. It must be added 
that although we did not happen to see them, pythons 
are not uncommon, especially at Solai and Baringo. At 
the latter place Mr. Archer has shot several—one of 
18J ft., which had just killed a waterbuck calf, as shown 
in photo at p. 290. 
In South Africa a very different state of affairs pre¬ 
vails. There, snakes of many kinds abound, including 
several dangerous species. The green mamba, 1 for ex¬ 
ample, was specially numerous on the bush-veld of the 
North-Eastern Transvaal, where three or four sometimes 
showed up together, their vicious heads all raised verti¬ 
cally a foot or two clear of the grass, while they coolly 
surveyed the disturber before gliding away in the same 
half-erect attitude. These mambas appeared to be about 
10 or 12 ft. long, of which one-third is carried erect, 
1 An example of the way in which the more advanced scientists 
(quite unconsciously, no doubt) work “ up in the clouds,” high above 
the heads of humbler students like myself, and of how little assist¬ 
ance their labours thus render to field-naturalists, is afforded by this 
same “ green mamba.” By that name the snake is universally 
known throughout South Africa by black and white, Briton and 
Boer alike : yet the name cannot be found (or, at least, I failed to find 
it) in the whole library of the Zoological Society. So effectually is 
the identity of a well-known reptile concealed under scientific pro¬ 
cedure, that I am unable here to give its proper title. 
To christen every creature in our own tongue may require the 
ingenuity of a new Noah; but when a well-known name actually 
exists, surely it is criminal to suppress or ignore it ? 
