POISONOUS SNAKES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20473, 27 January 1930, Page 5

POISONOUS SNAKES.

PERIL IN VICTORIA.

SEVERAL DANGEROUS TYPES.

NEED FOR VIGILANCE.

The comparative coolness of Christmas, and the weather immediately preceding it causec a marked diminution in the number of snakes seen by the holiday-makers in Victoria but since the beginning of January many have been reported from resorts in the mountains and at the seaside. ... " . With the exception of the tiger snake, which may be aggressive in any circum- , stances, most of the Victorian snakes, although venomous, are timid, says the Melbourne Argus and will not attack a person unless they are trodden upon while basking in the sun or are prevented from retreating. The fact that most city dwellers have a wholesome fear of snakes is the reason why there is a remarkably small number of fatilities from snakebite in the holiday period. The wearing of leather leggings or tough puttees when walking in country- likely to contain snakes is an excellent precaution. Statistics prepared for • the Australian Medical Journal show that in 281 cases of snakebite treated '154 were below the knee, and could have been avoided by the use of leggings. Puttees are a good protection against any snake in Victoria other than the death adder, as the fangs are usually short, and the poison comes down an open channel. Peril of the Death Adder. The fabric will in these cases absorb most of the venom before it reaches the wound, -which will be slight because of the thickness of the puttee. The death adder, however, has long fangs, in which the poison channel is almost completely closed and may inject a lethal dose of venom although the person bitten is wearing puttees. In the northern area of the State,' to which the death adder isV«onfined, it is advisable to put one's faith in leggings. . :Of the five principal kinds of venomous snakes in Victoria the death adder is the • most' dangerous. It is sluggish in its movements, and, being flat and the same colour as the dust, it may be tramped upon unknowingly. When angered it loses its sluggishness and strikes with amazing rapidity, injecting a- dose of poison much larger than that of-, other Victorian snake, despite its small size. The tiger snake'is vicious, aggressive, and extremely venonious. ; Its quantity of poison is no larger than that of other shakes of similar size, but the venom acts on the nerve centres' with surprising rapidity, leaving little time for treatment of any kind. Of all known cases of persons being bitten by tiger snakes, 45 per cent, of the cases have ended fatally The snake is distinguished by a series of about _SO transverse dark bars on a ground ranging from light to very dark brown. Other Venomous Varieties. The other common venomous Victorian snakes are the copperhead and the brown and black snakes. The copperhead, which is the. most dangerous of the three, is usually a . dark reddish brown, with a chestnut-coloured head. But it varies in colour, and may be brilliant red, with the belly olive-yellow. The brown snake is brown above, toning to dirty white below, with a tinge of purplish-grey. The black snake is the commonist Victorian species. It is fond of water, and may be found swimming in waterholes and dams. There is.-danger of being bitten by this species while bathing. It is very handsome, purple-black above, shading to red below, and may attain a length of even 7ft. It is not only the commonest of our snakes, but the most timid.