Snakes are numerous in various parts of the colony. Those known among the colonists as the “black and brown snakes,” are found about the banks of the rivers, or in swampy situations: the natives (they are not, however, the best authority for the extent of danger a venomous snake produces) say that its bite is not deadly, but causes the person to feel _sick and sleepy_ for a short time, which passes off without producing any further ill effects, even if no remedy be applied. It would be interesting to institute experiments, so that the extent of danger attending the bites of the venomous reptiles in the colony might be ascertained with some degree of correctness. As far as regards this snake, I am well informed by persons who have been bitten, that the effects are as above stated; but still it would be interesting to know the degree of violence the poison is capable of producing in each of the venomous reptiles. I examined a “black snake,” which had been just killed at the farm of Gudarigby, upon a “flat” near the river: it was of a shining, silvery, black colour above; the abdomen being dark red: it measured three feet and a half in length, and at its largest circumference, three inches: it was a male specimen. The stomach was filled with a quantity of green frogs with golden spots; (the _Rainette dorée_ of Péron?) some having the appearance of being just swallowed, whilst others were half digested: there was also a mass of digested matter, in which the remains of frogs could be distinctly seen. This snake appears to be a species of the genus “_Acanthophis_.” By the natives of Yas, the black snake is called “Bulbuk.” The “brown snake,” which I examined, is also venomous, and, according to popular opinion, the effect very dangerous upon the human constitution. The specimen measured nearly five feet in length, and five inches at its largest circumference; the upper part of the body was of a brown colour, (from which no doubt its name is derived,) with a few light shades of black; the abdomen was of a light, bluish black. In the stomach were found several half-digested lizards, and a quantity of worms, which in some parts had even perforated the coats: on a further examination, the lungs were also found perforated by, and had attached to them, a number of these worms, varying from one and a half to two inches in length, and of a bright red colour: I preserved them, together with the lungs, in spirits, and sent them to the museum of the Royal College of Surgeons, in London.[79]