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
seems quite unalarmed even by the report of a gun. You may walk over it a
dozen times, as it lies basking in the sun, usually in the most frequented
part of the road, and it will take not the slightest notice, but if
touched, however gently, it bites at once.
When I first went to Cardwell, I was talking about death-adders, and the
naive remark made by one of the inhabitants amused and at the same time
rather terrified me, for the perfect knowledge he exhibited of the reptiles
showed plainly how common they were there.
"Nasty things," he said, "but Lord, they won't hurt you. Best not try to
get one alive into a bottle, though. I tried that little game on, with a
pickle-jar and a stick, but I couldn't get him in, and he doubled up and
very nearly bit me; his tail just grazed my hand as it was."
I thanked my informant, and assured him from the bottom of my heart, that
whenever I 'did' try to coax a death-adder into a bottle, I would benefit
by his experience and use the greatest caution.
The eye of this snake is remarkable for its vivid yellow, crossed by a
black longitudinal pupil. The colour of the body is a mixture of dull
hues, and the abdomen pinkish; the head broad, thick, flattened, and its
'tout ensemble' hideously repulsive. But I am digressing, and leaving poor
Cato still uncared for.
The snake, which was a very large one, had been laid hold of by the boy in
the imperfect light, and had instantly bitten him in the wrist, on which
the punctures of the fangs were plainly visible. A handkerchief was at
once tied round the wounded limb, with a small pebble so placed as to
compress the brachial artery inside the forearm, and with the iron ramrod
from a carbine as a lever, we screwed this rough tourniquet up until the
circulation was in great measure cut off.
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