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Hongkong Daily Press.
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钱辟者百宣仟式萬式第 日肆拾月肆年巳己
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HONG KONG, THURSDAY, MAY 23, 1929. 四拜禮 日卷廿月伍年九廿百九仟登英”
THE SNAKES OF THE NEW TERRITORIES.
CAPTURING A LIVE PYTHON.
POISONOUS. SEA-SERPENTS PRIZED BY THE CHINESE.
BURROWING REPTILES. VIPERS.
The possibility of the existence of poisonous snakes on the Island and in the New Territories has long been a bone of contention among residents in the Colony.
While there is one school of thought which would have us believe that poisonous reptiles exist here in numerous varieties, there are others who en- tirely scoff at the idea that snakes are found here at all! There is more truth in the former belief than in the latter.
•
(BY HERBERT FIELD.]
to a bamboo cage for export to a foreign Zoo.
PYTHONS.
Beware of Grass Snakes, Grass snakes are plentiful, parti- cularly in the neighbourhood of in-Fanling. These reptiles are also non-venomous, although it should be remembered that a nip from a grass-nake has been known to pro- duce death in cases of bitten persons with disordered blood.
A Fallacy Exploded The head man of the village formed me that pythons are fairly numerous in the New Territories but they are timid reptiles and are adepts at hiding. The common be lief that these snakes crush their prey into a shapeless mass and thea smother them with saliva was have burrowing habits. The genus A certain number of local snakes scoffed at by my informer who said Cylindrophis is the most plentiful prey head frat and played its found in the vicinity of paddy- that a python always swallowed its of these varieties and is usually head rapidly all over the victim, fields. The head of this species is nosing" about until it found blurs and the eyes are covered with the head of its prey.
A thin white membrane which
Only a week ago the writer was interested in the operations of a party of Chinese who were hauling ia a ataked fishing net close to on the foreshore on the southern shore of Junk Bay. noticed the head the case with the sucking pick which while not entirely blind. The thin I certainly observed this to be makes it exceedingly, short-sighted, and neck of a sen-snake (Distura was suffocated in one of the coils body of these snakes-rarely more ryanpeineta) sticking through the of the snake before it was swallow-than two feet in length-is quite mesh of the net, thereby occasioning ed. The reptile opened its jaws smooth and of a dark, almost black," great excitement among the fishers. very wide and took a prodigious colour..
Trapped By Graed.
bite at the pig. It then wrink- The reptile, which was about led" its head further forward until four feet long, was eventually killed the pig, was completely engulfed and it was discovered that it was when it continued to
wriggle prevented from escaping through the forward part of its body over the mesh by the fact that it had the prey in its gullet, giving me swallowed a large fish entire, which the impression of an earth-wo had distended its, stomach abnor attempting to wriggle away when mally. Far from being a varity, its tail is held fast. I learned that this apecies of sea- sanke is frequently caught in these waters and quite a lucrative busi. ness is done by local fisher folk who sell these serpents to Chinese chemists for concocting medicinal preparations.
While these reptiles may be re- garded as poisonous in that they possess poisonous saliva, there is no cnar on record of a human being having been bitten by then. It is, therefore, possible that they reserve their venom for paralysing the Iarger fish which form their prey.
The poisonous land snakes in the Colony are represented mainly by two Proteroglypha of the sub-family lapince, and by four types of viper. Bamboo snakes are fairly plentiful, even existing on various parts of the Island of Hong Kong Lithough their bite is distinctly poisonous, it is never fatal.
They are very flexible and can atten out like ribbons, thus being enabled to squeeze under stone. If cornered, this snake will assame its blaff is "called," will rapidly a very threatening attitude, but, if glide away, without attacking. Its
bite is venomous."
Comfort for the Nervous. Another reptile which, in the summer, is sometimes found around the shores of the islands here is a species of small green turtle. The females sometimes come ashore to lay their eggs, in the sandy beaches. The eggs are then abandoned to hatch out themselves in the normal The Elepince include two renom course of events. For some reason ous specimens of Kraits," as theyther, however, the young rarely are tormed in India. Fortunately, inferialis they are very rare and are careful
Strange to say, when the Chinese
to avoid the haunts of man. One fisher folk observe these turtles on type is coloured cream and black the beach, they make no attempt
At any rate, on being assured by The other variety is a uniform to catch them, being content, merely
a native that it would be safe to do so, the writer handled a newly. caught specimen in Aberdeen with
aut dire consequences.
olive-brown with a brownish head. Its underneath part is grey, while the lips, throat and chin are vivid yellow.
with stealing the eggs after the female has swum out to sen again. The turtles come in our one tide and go out with the ebb, frequently laying, between the tides, as many as 150 eggs at a time.
These snakes appear to be parti- More Deadly Than the Cobra. eularly, good-tempered. Banded in
It is said that the bite of the krait two colours, grey and yellow, the is more deadly than that of the The egg are enclosed in a tai is Battened after the fashion cobra but, strange to say, although leathery shell-something like the of the tail of an eel, but more pro animals are frequently attacked by skin of the lychee and, although nounced, and forms an ideal pro-it, dying within a very few minutes the type found locally is no larger pellant. They are frequently met after being bitten, it rarely at- than a pigeon's egg, natives pay a with on land, particularly in man- tempts to stand up to an attacking great price for them and they are grove swamps or among weed-cover- man.
certainly a delicacy. ed rocks.
There is a species of viper, which, In conclusion; we find then, that: when curled up, closely resembles | fungus. It is brown in colour and its bite produces a sensation of numbness and partial paralysis, although it is never fatal. It is sometimes met with among the fir and spruce trees on the hills, the fallen copes serving as an ideal colour-background to hide its pre
Trapping Fythons, Pythons are fairly plenteons in the New Territories. Although they possess remarkable crushing powers, they have never been known to at tack a man. The python curtua is the genus, found here. It is some what smaller than the pythons of Borneo and India.
sence.
several varieties of snakes do exist here, as is only natural when one" remembers that this is a tropical place. On the other hand, it is com- forting to remember that the most venomous snake will never attack unless it is attacked, and snakes generally fear man and do their utmost to avoid him. As they can travel at an almost incredible speed-certainly faster than a map ean ran it is more often than not the case that they disappear
long before they are seen..
Before
the onward march of civilisation here, the more poisonous reptiles are gradually being exter- minated or are migrating to more sparsely-populated districts.
On the outskirts of a village near Taipo recently, I was afforded, the Dryophia prasinus is really an rare thrill of watching the natives aboreal snake, although it is some- netting a live specimen which was times encountered in bamboo about twelve feet long, with a thickets. It is quite harmless and is diameter of about eight inches at exceedingly beautiful and graceful its thickest part. The reptile had in motion. It is green in colour been trapped in a tiny compound, and in often taken to be a grass built of stonen, in which a little snake by the uninitiated. sucking pig had been tethered. I picked up one of these reptiles
A gap about nine inches wide in near Pokfulam Reservoir and, Even in snake-intested countries, the "wall" of the compound had although I pryed open its mouth deaths from snake-bite are most permitted the entry of the snake to examine its teeth, it made no rare, and I think I am perfectly but, after swallowing the pig, the attempt" te bite, merely coiling safe in saying that there is not one reptile had been unable to emerge itself gently around my arm. When fatality due to snake-bite on record completely, and had stuck fast. It I released my grip on ita neck, it in this Colony. This goes to prove had then gone to sleep and its com slowly uncoiled and attempted to the contention of all naturalista plete capture was comparatively crawl into my pocket. It crawled that anakes are most timid crea easy. It was held firmly by about leisurely away into the under-tures by nature and only attack a dozen men and women and, wrap-growth when I removed it and under the influences of extreme fear ped in a net, was then transferred placed it on the ground.
or provoked anger.
Diary of Coming Events.
Today. (May 23.)
Queen's College: Boxing Tourna ment, 10.30 am.
Canton Insurance Office Limited: 46th Ordinary general meeting. Jardine, Matheson's Board Room, hoon
Wah Yan College: ·Prize giving,. 5.15 p...
The
English Comedy Co.: Ringer,"
r," Theatre Royal, 9.16 p.m. Queen's Theatre: When a Man Loves,"
Dinner Dance: Peninsula Hotel, 'I 9.30 p.m.
· EuropeanTM - Mails:-Inward; Europe vid Suez (Rajputana);"
Friday
·(May 24.).
Empire Day. Christian. Fellowship Meeting: Helena May Institute, 10.30 a.71."
Union Insurance Cos of Canton, Ltd., 50th Ordinary yearly meeting, Union Building, 11a.m.
World Theatra: "Body and Soul" China Fire Insurance Co., Ltd.¡ (at 6.15 and 9.20) other houses Both Ordinary yearly meeting, Ohinère pierard The Birt GeneratUnion Barding 1113 Im
Star Theatre "Another Benndal." British Trader's Insurancu, Co, Tea Dances: H.K. Hotel and Ltd., 63rd Ordinarly yearly meet Peninsula, Hotel, 4.30 p.m.
ing, Union Building, 11.20 a.m..
English Comedy Co.: A Cuckoo in the Nest," Theatre Royal, 9.15 Polk
Queen's Theatre: When a Man Loves."
World Theatre: "Body and Soul”. (at 5.16 and 9.20) other houses Chinese picture "The Girl General." Star Theatre: "Another Scandal." Navy League Film "Keep Watch," Queen's Theatre, 5. p.m.
Ten Dances: H.K. Hotel and Peninsula Hotal, 4.30 p.zù'
Dinner Dance: Península Hotel, 8.30 p.m.
Europein Mail-lyward?Cutoße vid Biberia (Moren). Outward: Europe vid Biberia (Rajputana), 8.30 a.m.
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