night, was awakened by something biting one of his toes.
He looked and saw blood oozing from the injured
member. He took no notice at first, but when he began to
get giddy and sick he came to the conclusion that he had
been bitten by a snake. He first endeavoured to chop his
toe off with an axe, and only succeeded in breaking the
bone. A razor was next requisitioned and a portion of the
toe was removed. He caught the horse after an hour’s
effort, and eventually got to Bothwell.’ Notwithstanding a
broken, partially-severed toe, the victim went on to make
a full recovery. In January 1931, Stephen O'Connor of
Forest in the Circular Head region was testing some
potatoes he was cooking with a fork ‘when he felt
size of Tiger Snakes during a period of roughly a century
commencing in the 1840s. 58,59 These works also
summarise the clear link between rabbiting and snake
bites that resulted in a number of deaths, particularly
among children and teenagers. Because snake bite was
poorly understood and the fear of bites so extreme,
immediate first aid often consisted of amputations or
exploding gun powder over the bite site. 58 So common-
place were these practices that it becomes depressing
reading after a while, especially when children were
involved. There are a number of reports where firearms
were used to amputate bitten digits. In February 1920 at
New Norfolk near Hobart, 17-year-old George
I mmediate first aid often consisted of amputations or
exploding gunpowder over the bite site.
something prick his right arm, above the elbow, which
was bare. He took no notice more than to brush it with
his hand, as he thought it was a spark from the fire or an
insect. His arm was again pricked and on looking round
saw the head of a snake poking out from between the
woodwork of the fireplace and the bricks.’ The bite site
was cut with a knife, a ligature applied and a doctor
summoned, but O'Connor was dead before nightfall. 65
In previous works, the author has outlined the apparent
link between rabbit plagues and increased numbers and
Pearce was rabbiting with his father when a rabbit they
were pursuing ran into a hole. ‘The lad thrust his hand
into the hole with the intention of securing his quarry
but apparently he was seeking in the wrong quarter, as
the thumb of his hand was immediately seized by what
was subsequently discovered to be a large black snake.
The lad dragged the snake out of the hole, still hanging
to his thumb, and rallied to his father for assistance. The
father managed to detach and kill the snake. The father’s
pocket knife was found to be too blunt to be of any
service in treating the wound. Immediately, he told the
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