mamba 的词源

这种大型毒蛇主要分布在撒哈拉以南非洲，首次记录于1859年，来源于祖鲁语的 (i)mamba 或斯瓦希里语的 mamba。

"Now about snakes. I have never forgotten your quiet, dignified unbelief in my snake histories, and have taken every opportunity of finding out all I can about them; more particularly of the 'mamba' or chasing snake. It is a most vicious creature, and will chase you a mile. You must ride hard if one makes for you. It reaches sixteen or eighteen feet, and has the power of erecting itself on its tail when in pursuit of its object; then throwing itself down and rushing on twenty yards or so, and then rearing up again: and so on, till it comes to some bush or tree, round which it throws its strong tail, and then strikes right and left at its enemies." [Journal of the Society of Arts, March 11, 1859]

“现在说说蛇。我从未忘记你对我蛇故事的冷静、庄重的不信任，因此我一直在寻找一切机会，尽可能多地了解它们，尤其是‘mamba’或追逐蛇。这是一种极其凶猛的生物，如果它朝你追来，你必须拼命骑马逃跑。它的体长可达十六到十八英尺，追逐猎物时能竖起身体，随后又会猛地向前冲去，冲刺二十码左右后再重新竖起身子，就这样反复进行，直到它找到灌木丛或树木，然后用强壮的尾巴缠住目标，再左右攻击敌人。” [《艺术学会杂志》，1859年3月11日]