Lawson’s description of this ‘Racer’ is graphic. ‘The long black Snake frequents the Land altogether, and is the nimblest Creature living. His Bite has no more Venom than a Prick with a Pin. He is the best Mouser that can be; for he leaves not one of that Vermin alive where he comes. He also kills the Rattlesnake wherever he meets him by twisting his Head about the Neck of the Rattlesnake, and whipping him to Death with his Tail. This Whipster, for all his Agility, is so brittle that when he is pursued, and gets his Head into the Hole of a Tree, if anybody gets hold of the other End, he will twist and break himself in the Middle.’
Lawson does not appear to have understood the nature of constrictors. ‘Whipping’ the rattlesnake was probably only the tail lashed in anger, or used in controlling the exceedingly active movements of the captor. As for its ‘breaking itself in halves,’ many exaggerated stories are told by unscientific spectators of the ‘brittleness’ of snakes, the simple explanation being that all are alike irritated and terrified when rendered helpless by their tail being fettered, and may then struggle until they injure themselves. The common blindworm (Anguis fragilis) has been seen to so-call ‘break itself in halves;’ but this will be explained in its place (chap. xxv.).
This sensitiveness—sensibility, one may almost term it—in the tail of snakes has been pointed out by the late Frank Buckland, Dr. Stradling, and others of like practical experience, affording useful information in case of danger. ‘If attacked by a boa constrictor, it is of no use to pull and haul, but catch held of the tip of the tail and unwind him.’ Also, ‘when striking, aim at the tail. The spinal cord there being only thinly covered with bone, it is more easily wounded; and when the spine is broken, the animal is disabled.’[58]
Certain it is, that by the muscular power of the tail snakes perform wonderful feats, not only erecting themselves, and maintaining their balance for a short time, as a long pole is balanced by an acrobat on his chin or his nose; hanging by an inch or so of the tip, as an acrobat hangs for a time on one foot or one finger; raising themselves against a smooth surface, as you see the large pythons at the Gardens do against the smooth sides or glass fronts of their cages, even to the very top, but springing, ‘executing leaps,’ as Roget and others term it. For though the ‘leap’ is not strictly like the action of a frog or a grasshopper, or a man whose two limbs act in concert and together, the result is the same,—the reptile accomplishes a long distance with quickness, decision, and aim. Professor Owen[59] calls it a saltatory motion, ‘the sudden extension of the coils of the body reacting upon the point of earth on which the tail presses, throwing the serpent forward.’ Sometimes, when the creature lies closely coiled, the sudden unbending has the effect of a spiral spring; and occasionally, when the tail is brought suddenly up to the head, and the serpent springs forward again, and continues to do this in pursuit, as has often been witnessed, the effect is that of a rolling hoop, and has given rise to a belief among the ignorant that the reptile really rolls along.
One in America, known as the ‘Hoop snake,’ is reported to ‘roll down hill,’ the idea originating possibly from the optical illusion in consequence of the rapid changes of position—an effect which we see in that amusing toy, the zoetrope.
The ‘black snake’ of Australia, Hoplocephalus pseudechis, is one of the very active venomous kinds, whose motions in pursuit or escape are almost like leaps, and present the appearance of a hoop or circle. Reputed ‘hoop snakes’ are there also. The reptile rapidly extends itself to full length, then brings up its posterior portion in a loop, and so springs forward again, continuing to do this with amazing rapidity.
The most easy and natural convolutions of a snake are lateral. As closely as their body can be coiled on a given space, as close as a ribbon or a rope, they can curl themselves round sideways, that is, with the ventral scales all prone to the ground, and the vertebral column upwards; nor could they, from the construction of their spine, coil themselves similarly in a vertical position, as a hedgehog and a dormouse roll themselves up. But temporarily and partially they can bend themselves vertically; for you see a snake often with a part of its body raised vertically against a wall, while the rest is horizontally along the ground, and consequently one part is at right angles with the other part, and as the creature rises against the wall every joint has in turn taken this position. Also, when coiled round a branch, you do occasionally see that the curves are not invariably and unexceptionally lateral, but sometimes vertical, although not so closely so as in the more natural coils. I have very narrowly observed this, because the ‘hoop’-like motion is often ridiculed; but it seems a not impossible action when a large circle is described by the body, though close coils would be less possible.[60]
A clergyman of Australia had a narrow escape from one of these ‘rolling’ creatures. His daughter gave me an account of the circumstance, she also, when a resident there, having been well acquainted with such scenes. Her father accidentally trod on one of those dangerous serpents, which immediately made a spring at him, but which he expertly eluded, and took to his heels with all speed, knowing the vicious nature of that snake. Looking back, he saw the reptile pursuing him with ‘strides’ or ‘bounds,’ stretching itself to full length, then bringing up its tail and springing forward again with terrific vigour. In its excitement it seemed almost to fly, now gaining on him, and now, as an occasional obstacle had to be avoided, giving his victim some slight advantage. For the space of three whole fields, ‘paddocks,’ he was thus chased, he the while using his utmost speed. His home was in the bush, and when, almost dropping with excessive fatigue and terror, he came within sight of it, one of his farm-servants saw him thus tearing along, and, guessing the cause, seized his gun, and hastened to meet the fugitive, and put an end to the chase.
Du Chaillu’s snakes were almost always ‘springing’ at him, and very probably some of them did so. At the same time, most of his snakes had ‘fangs’ as well; but then, in his ‘Wild Life’ he witnessed many other anomalies.
As a rule, the most active are the non-venomous kinds; yet among the venomous colubrines, the slender elapidæ, of which the above Australian snake is one, we find much activity.