of course, deadly,
but a tarantula bite, or a centipede sting, will cripple a strong man
for weeks, while a feeble constitution stands a fair chance of
succumbing. But of all these pests, none can equal the snakes, which
not only swarm, but seem to have no fear of man, selecting dwellings by
choice for an abode. These horrible reptiles are of all sizes, from
the large carpet snake of twenty feet, to the little rock viper of
scarcely half a dozen inches. The great majority of these are
venomous, and are of too many different kinds for me to attempt their
enumeration here. The most common with us were the brown, black, and
whip snakes, and the death-adder, all poisonous; and the carpet-snake,
harmless. The brown and black snakes run from two to eight feet in
length, frequent the long grass, chiefly in the neighbourhood of
swamps, and from the snug way in which they coil up, and their
disinclination to move, are highly dangerous. The latter is very
handsome, the back of a brilliant black, and the under portion of a
sea-shell pink. Their skin is sometimes used by bushmen as a cover to
their waistbelts, which are much beautified thereby. The whip-snakes
are of all sizes and of all colours; in fact, under this name the
colonists include all the slender climbing snakes, so many of which
inhabit Australia. In my opinion, these are the worst; for they come
boldly into your room in search of warmth, and may be found stowed away
in a boot, or under the pillow, or in any place where they are least
expected. Last and worst of our venomous snakes comes the death, or
deaf, adder, for it is called indiscriminately by both names, and amply
justifies either prefix. The hideous reptile is very thick and stumpy
in proportion to its length, which rarely exceeds two feet, whilst its
circumference may be put down at one-fifth of its total measurement.
The tail is terminated by a small curved spike, which is commonly
regarded as the sting; but though when touched it doubles up, and
strikes with this horn, as well as bites, I do not think the tail does
any material damage, but this opinion one would find it difficult to
make a bushman credit. I once saw a man take a death-adder up--quite
unintentionally, you may be sure--between two shingles, and it
immediately struck backwards with both head and tail, the two
extremities luckily meeting above his hand. From the sluggish habits
of this reptile, it is popularly accounted deaf, and it