The most easy and natural convolutions of a snake are _lateral_. As closely as their body can be coiled on a given space, as close as a ribbon or a rope, they can curl themselves round sideways, that is, with the ventral scales all prone to the ground, and the vertebral column upwards; nor could they, from the construction of their spine, coil themselves similarly in a vertical position, as a hedgehog and a dormouse roll themselves up. But temporarily and partially they _can_ bend themselves vertically; for you see a snake often with a part of its body raised vertically against a wall, while the rest is horizontally along the ground, and consequently one part is at right angles with the other part, and as the creature rises against the wall every joint has in turn taken this position. Also, when coiled round a branch, you do occasionally see that the curves are not invariably and unexceptionally lateral, but sometimes vertical, although not so closely so as in the more natural coils. I have very narrowly observed this, because the ‘hoop’-like motion is often ridiculed; but it seems a not impossible action when a large circle is described by the body, though close coils would be less possible.[60] A clergyman of Australia had a narrow escape from one of these ‘rolling’ creatures. His daughter gave me an account of the circumstance, she also, when a resident there, having been well acquainted with such scenes. Her father accidentally trod on one of those dangerous serpents, which immediately made a spring at him, but which he expertly eluded, and took to his heels with all speed, knowing the vicious nature of that snake. Looking back, he saw the reptile pursuing him with ‘strides’ or ‘bounds,’ stretching itself to full length, then bringing up its tail and springing forward again with terrific vigour. In its excitement it seemed almost to fly, now gaining on him, and now, as an occasional obstacle had to be avoided, giving his victim some slight advantage. For the space of three whole fields, ‘paddocks,’ he was thus chased, he the while using his utmost speed. His home was in the bush, and when, almost dropping with excessive fatigue and terror, he came within sight of it, one of his farm-servants saw him thus tearing along, and, guessing the cause, seized his gun, and hastened to meet the fugitive, and put an end to the chase. Du Chaillu’s snakes were almost always ‘springing’ at him, and very probably some of them did so. At the same time, most of his snakes had ‘fangs’ as well; but then, in his ‘_Wild Life_’ he witnessed many other anomalies. As a rule, the most active are the non-venomous kinds; yet among the venomous colubrines, the slender _elapidæ_, of which the above Australian snake is one, we find much activity.