s, perceived a puff-adder spring at his face. He
suddenly lowered his head, and the snake wound itself round his
wide-awake hat. The man knocked the hat off, and the snake was
immediately shot by a looker-on. The puff-adder always springs
backwards, and can make extraordinary leaps. There is a very fine
specimen now to be seen in the Zoological Gardens, Regent's Park.

I have heard from both Dutchmen and Kaffirs that there is a snake which
spits out its poison at any one who may approach, and makes capital
shots. Blindness often follows if the victim is struck in the eyes, and
a horrible disease of the skin if the face or hands are touched by the
poisonous secretion. I am not aware of the appearance or name of this
reptile. Besides the venomous snakes that I have mentioned as being
common about Natal, there is also a species of boa-constrictor which
grows to a considerable size; and although this snake is not dangerous,
still it is slaughtered by man whenever met, as it is destructive to
birds and small bucks. I shot six of these during my prowlings around
the bush and swamps of Natal; the largest was shot when I was in company
with an English gentleman who rarely went out shooting and was a prey to
despair almost before he had commenced. As the whole of that day's
proceedings serve to show that it is well never to give up or to throw
away a chance, I will describe them in detail.

We had for nearly four hours continually searched kloofs and ravines,
but we had seen no game whatsoever. As we were riding over a little
hill, I thought I saw something move on an opposite ridge, a little
behind me and on my left hand. I would not look round, but rode
steadily away until we had passed over the hill and were quite out of
sight of whatever had caught my attention. I then mentioned to my
companion that I fancied I had seen something more on the opposite hill,
and that I purposed creeping back to have a second look. He voted for
_riding_ over the hill, but this I would not hear of.

Keeping well down in the grass, I managed to peep through a tree, and
there saw a fine reitbok looking after us. He stood up for about a
minute as if he were watching to see if we had really gone away, when,
seeming to think everything safe, he laid himself down again. I
reported what I had seen to my impatient companion, and proposed that we
should make a long round, and come upon the buck from the opposite side.
We, therefore, left