HABITS 101 



renew their epidermis, or do so but very rarely. Our 

 Common Adder can very seldom be induced to feed 

 in captivity. Other snakes may rid themselves of all 

 shyness to the extent of taking food from the hand, 

 or show such appetite as to seize a prey immediately 

 on being released from the small box or bag in 

 which they have travelled for a considerable time. 



Most snakes drink, and pretty often — not by 

 lapping with the tongue, but by drawing in water 

 from the mouth and immersing the anterior part of 

 the head. Some are said to be fond of milk, but 

 there is no foundation for the belief held by peasants, 

 that they enter sheds with the object of sucking 

 milk from the cows, which would be a material im- 

 possibility ; their real purpose in visiting such places 

 being a search for suitable dung-heaps in which to 

 deposit their eggs. 



Snakes cannot be credited with much intelligence 

 or educability, nor do they display any very marked 

 instincts. The least stupid and most easily tamed 

 are the species of the genera Coluber and Coronclla. 

 There is, however, considerable difference in this 

 respect between individuals of the same species. 

 Most snakes, when freshly caught, defend themselves 

 by biting, and some individuals retain their savage 

 temper after months of captivity ; others hardly ever 

 bite, even if molested. The Common Grass-snake, 

 for instance, hisses loudly and takes up a very 

 threatening attitude, or even pretends to snap with 



