----- Original Message -----
From: "Sean McBride"

Thanks, Sean, and welcome to the list.  Your sources are great, very fine
indeed, and wholly appreciated.  But before you go congratulating yourself
<g> you're hardly a devil's handyman since the examples are wonderful
illustrations of  points I made in my earlier post.

> "Carpet snakes were caught by the neck, and father has several times seen
>a  native catch and then feel a carpet snake, and if he were poor (in fat)
let
> him go (Petrie 1904:81)"

Perfect example of the luxury of choice to override a chance to eat.

>  If the animal is  'njuka' or fatless, it is usually left unless they are
themselves starving"

"Starving" says it all as the converse of  luxury.  In a starving state,
people have been known to eat just about anything they can lay their hands
on.  The only qualifier I can add is that "starving" is a subjective state
long before it becomes a deadly one, and it's a powerful motivator to eat
whatever's available.

Theola