LIVE SNAKE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 119, 23 May 1938, Page 9

LIVE SNAKE.

DISCOVERY IN N.Z. i CHILDREN'S FIND. i CAPTURE BY MAORI. REPTILE 30 INCHES LONG. (By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) WAIROA, this day. Something in the nature of an alarming discovery was made near Table Cape, a lonely spot on the Mahia Peninsula, Hawke's Bay, on Thursday last, when two children were horrified to see a snake wriggling about on the ground. They immediately gave the alarm, and after some time the reptile was captured and killed. It was then forwarded to the editor of the Wairoa "Star," who has sent it to the director of the Dominion Museum in Wellington for identification. Table Cape, which is situated on the northern extremity of Mahia Peninsula, is perhaps one of the loneliest and most inaccessible places on the coast of New Zealand. On Thursday two Maori children were playing about some distance from the shore when one of them noticed the reptile. They ran to the home of Mr. Teihi Peka with their story, and he immediately made for the spot to ascertain what had frightened the children. On arrival there he saw the reptile, which he made an attempt to capture., On being disturbed, however, the snake formed itself into a hoop by gripping its tail with its mouth, and spun away just like a wheel. Some idea of the speed of the reptile can be gained from the fact that Mr. Peka had to put on a sprhit to catch up with it. This he did near the water's edge and, with the help of others, he was successful in throwing a looped cord over its head. The snake was then killed. The reptile was put into a cardboard box: and brought into Wairoa. Whether or not the reptile is of a dangerous variety it is difficult to say, but when Air. Peka tried to capture it, it did not make any attempt to attack him. Some people in Wairoa are inclined to think that it is a water snake, which had drifted ashore at Mahia and had made its way over the beach, but this is the case or not will not be # known until an opinion has been expressed by the museum authorities. Whatever variety of snake it Is, it appears to be a fairly good specimen. Its length measures 2ft Cin, and 'the circumference of the body at the thickest part is 4in. The skin is of the usual scaly texture, the back of the reptile being battleship grey in colour, with the underneath side a mustard colour. Towards the tail are several fairly broad stripes shaped like the letter S, and the tail itself is almost flat. The head of the reptile is small and flat. There is a great deal of conjecture as to how the snake found its way on to the Peninsula. Some are of the opinion that it has drifted ashore in a case thrown from a vessel off the coast. If the reptile turns out to be a water snake, it would not be difficult to explain its presence near Table Cape. The climate in the locality is very hot, and it is stated that snakes could live there once they got ashore. In the meantime the people in the locality are anxious to know a little more about their strange visitor.