Identifier: amongcannibalsac1889lumh (find matches)
Title: Among cannibals; an account of four years' travels in Australia and of camp life with the aborigines of Queensland;
Year: 1889 (1880s)
Authors: Lumholtz, Carl, 1851-1922 Anderson, Rasmus Björn, 1846-1936, tr
Subjects: Ethnology Natural history
Publisher: New York, C. Scribner's sons
Contributing Library: Boston Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Internet Archive

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man. For my part, I had gradu-ally become so accustomed to snakes that it simply amusedme to see them, if they did not come into too dangerousproximity. The beauty of their forms and motions awakenedmy admiration, though on the other hand it must be admittedthat their life and habits are not particularly interesting. About two-thirds of the Australian serpents are poison ■ous, but only five varieties are said to be absolutely danger-ous to man. People who visit the tropics for the first time alwaysfear these reptiles at first, and no doubt justly so, but incourse of time they discover that their fear has been toogreat and that it should be overcome. When a person isbitten it is especially important to keep cool, for fear andexcitement make the matter worse and may end in disaster.It is no rare thing for a bushman when bitten to be foolishenough to chop off the bitten limb. As the serpents are so numerous in Australia, it is ofcourse necessary to keep a sharp look-out and not get too
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CO(N < < w Id<Zto XXV ADVENTURE WITH A SNAKE 299 close to them. They may be met with everywhere—on theground, in the trees, in the water, nay, even in the houses.Though most of the snakes seek their food at night, oneswatchfulness should not be relaxed in the daytime. Thebushmans precaution of always examining his bed before re-tiring to rest I deem worthy of imitation. A boy near Rock-hampton was bitten by a brown snake in his bed and died. Deaths from serpent bites are rare in Australia. In acase known to me a man died from the bite of the brownserpent (Diemenia) without feeling any pain to the very last,while I also know of instances where serpent bites havecaused the most violent pain. The serpents are in fact timid, and are inclined to runaway from danger, and so far as I have been able to observe,they never attack men unless during the pairing season.But if we come suddenly upon them, their irritable andugly temper makes them bite with a movement as quick aslightning.

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