. The popular natural history . Zoology. 434 THE CERASTES. leisure. In order to make it adhesive to the arrow-point, it is mixed with tiie glutinous juice of tne amaryllis. The colour of the Puff Adder is brown, chequered with dark brown and white, and with a reddish band between the eyes. The under parts are paler than the upper. The true Cerastes, or Horned Viper, is a native of Northern Africa, and divides with the cobra of the same country the questionable honour of being the "worm of Nile" to whose venomous tooth Cleopatra's death was due. The bite of this most ungainly-looking
. The popular natural history . Zoology. 434 THE CERASTES. leisure. In order to make it adhesive to the arrow-point, it is mixed with tiie glutinous juice of tne amaryllis. The colour of the Puff Adder is brown, chequered with dark brown and white, and with a reddish band between the eyes. The under parts are paler than the upper. The true Cerastes, or Horned Viper, is a native of Northern Africa, and divides with the cobra of the same country the questionable honour of being the "worm of Nile" to whose venomous tooth Cleopatra's death was due. The bite of this most ungainly-looking serpent is extremely dangerous, iliough perhaps not quite so deadly as that of the cobra, and the creature IS tiierefore not quite so much dreaded as might be imagined. The Cerastes lias a most curious appearance, owing to a rather large horn-iike scale ivhich projects over each eye, and which, according to the natives, is possessed of wonderful virtues. The Cerastes has, according to Bruce, an awkward habit of crawling until it is alongside of the creature A^hom it is about to attack, and then making a side-long leap at its victim. He relates an instance where he saw a Cerastes perform a certainly curious feat:—'' I saw one of them at Cairo crawj up the side of a box / ''~"^^S^^^\ \ '"^ which there were many, ^' -^ Xv\\\ \ and there lie still as if hid- ing himself, till one of the people who brought them to us came near him, and though in a very disadvan- tageous position, sticking, as it were, perpendicularly to the side of the box, he leaped near the distance of three feet, and fastened be- tween the man's fore-finger and thumb, so as to bring the ; The Cerastes usually lives in the driest and hottest parts of Northern Africa, and lies half buried in the sand until its prey should come within reach. Like many serpents, it can endure a very prolonged frost without appearing to suffer any inconvenience ; those kept by Bruce lived for two years in a glas
Size: 1760px × 1420px
Photo credit: © The Book Worm / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectzoology, bookyear1884
