THE RING SXAKE. 33 



make all these details clear, and show that the 

 approach to the row is open on three sides. The 

 houses were built some sixty-eight years ago, and were 

 in bad repair at the time. No. 2 was the house where 

 the snakes appeared in such numbers. The woman 

 who occupied it one day saw a small snake on the 

 hearthstone right in front of the lire. The next day 

 she saw several dropping down from a small hole in the 

 ivall, about 2 feet from the ground- floor. They then 

 made a search and found a dozen more, and again in 

 another place found several small ones. The tenant 

 then complained that the place was unhealthy, and 

 left, having first reported this extraordinary state of 

 affairs. Some weeks later the sanitary inspector was 

 looking over some repairs to this particular house. 

 The back wall was taken down and also the oven, but 

 nothing reptilian was seen, until on removing the 

 debris the inspector saw a small snake and promptly 

 secured it. This specimen was forwarded to me for 

 identification. 



Such are the facts as I first got them, and as there 

 were several points which struck me as requiring a 

 little further elucidation, I wrote to Mr Lewis, of 

 No. 10 Cefncaeau Row, for further information. In 

 reply to my questions Mr Lewis kindly gave me the 

 following additional details concerning the snakes in 

 the immediate neighbourhood. 



In the next house to the one above referred to, a 

 large specimen, 2 feet 3 inches long, had been killed 



c 



