THE KING SNAKE. 21 



It thus seems that the food of the ring snake is 

 exactly what would be expected from an animal 

 of its habits and anatomy. 



Reproduction. — In its reproduction the ring snake 

 is an oviparous animal — that is, an egg - producing 

 animal. The female does not bring forth young ring 

 snakes, but lays a number of eggs. What that precise 

 number is on the average I do not care to say too 

 definitely, considering the very various estimates given 

 by different writers. Thus the following figures are 

 given : — 



M. C. Cooke gives the number as 16 to 20 eggs. 

 H. E. Forrest n n 20 or more esgs. 



F. G. Atlalo „ i. 20 to 30 



Miss C. Hopley n n 15 to 25 n 



In his book of ' British Vertebrates ' Aflalo, however, 

 states that there may be as many as four dozen eggs 

 deposited at a time, and this is undoubtedly true. 

 A correspondent of mine who was investigating the 

 plague of snakes at Llanelly for me (see chap, iii.), 

 found forty bundles of eggs, the average number 

 in each bundle being thirty eggs. These were all 

 found at the same time and place, so give a good 

 opportunity of forming an estimate on the point. 

 It will probably be very near the correct figure to 

 estimate the average number of eggs deposited by 

 the ring snake in a season, though not necessarily 

 at one time, at from twenty to thirty. Their size 



