avowed enemy of fnakes, on which account he is confidered,
both by the Colonifts and the Hottentots, as a facred bird. Of
the feveral kinds of fnakes that they here enumerate, one only
was confidered as innoxious; this was the boom Jlange or tree-
fnake, fo called from its being generally found coiled round the
branches of trees j it is from fix to ten feet in length, very
thick, and of a dark fteel-blue color approaching nearly to black.
It is faid to take its abode in trees for the fake of procuring its
food with the greater convenience, which in general confifts of
the fmaller kinds of birds. The fafcinating power afcribed to
certain fnakes of drawing animals within their reach by fixing
their eyes upon them, or by fome other means, has often been
remarked and as often dilbelieved. When a fadi is mentioned
o f fo extraordinary a nature that the generality of mankind
could not have obferved it, individual teftimony is not always
of fufficient force to eftabliih general belief. In the fouthern
part of Africa, where fnakes are every where met with in great
abundance, the fad; with regard to their fafcinating power over
birds is fo well known that very few o f the peafantry will hefi-
tate to vouch for the truth of it from perfonal obfervation; but
I have never heard it fuppofed here that the influence of the
charm was extended to the human fpecies, as has been a flirted,
feemingly on good authorities, to be the cafe in parts o f Afia
and North America. The moft formidable fpecies of this vene-
mous tribe of animals in the colony o f the Cape is the hooded
fnake, which they call the cobra capella. The Hottentots are
acquainted with feveral vegetable antidotes againft the poifon
o f ferpents ; but the moft approved remedy among the Dutch
is theJlange Jlun or fnake-ftone, which they hold to be infallible.
This
This is nothing more than a piece of firm bone of fome animal
made into an oval ihape and burnt round the edges fo as to
leave a whitifli fpot in the middle. The country-people, who
purchafe this remedy under the idea of its being a ftone taken
out o f the head of a certain fpecies of ferpent, were very much
aftoniihed on being told that it was only a piece of bone ; and
the more fo on finding that this fubftance ftood their teft o f the
goodnefs of the Jlange Jlcen, which was that of throwing out
bubbles on the furface when immerfed in water. To the poro-
fity of the bone may be afcribed its healing qualities, i f it
a£tually poflefles an y ; for which reafon any other fubftance
made up of capillary tubes, as common fponge for inftance,
might produce the fame effeCt.
About twenty miles to the weftward o f Zwart-kop’s bay
commences another wide, open, unfheltered indent in the coaft
called Camtoos bay, into which fall the Kromme river, the
Camtoos river, Van Staaden’s river, and feveral other inferior
ftreams. At the mouth of the Kromme river two or three
fhips may ride at anchor in tolerable good fhelter from moft
winds except the fouth-eaft. The country that furrounds this
large bay is covered with thick bruihwood, and in places with
clumps of foreft-trees. Near the mouth of Van Staaden’s river
we found, in the fteep fides of a deep glen, feveral fpecimens of
a lead ore. It was of that fpecies known by the name of
galena, which is lead mineralized with fulphur. The mafles
had no appearance o f cubic chryftallization, blit were granular
and amorphous in fome fpecimens, and the furfaces in others
were made up of fmall facets. This fort of galena is fometimes
called