196 COLUBRID^ 



in hedges and vineyards, often climbing on shrubs. 

 In the Spanish Peninsula, according to Bosca, it is 

 common in forests and on the sheltered side of 

 valleys, under stones or in holes in the ground. A 

 specimen I kept alive for a short time showed a more 

 furious temper than I have ever witnessed in any 

 snake, repeatedly flying with open mouth against the 

 glass of its cage whenever I entered the room in 

 which it was kept. Other specimens are reported to 

 have become quite tame after a certain time. It is 

 one of the quickest of European snakes, one of the 

 most difficult to catch ; it is a good climber. The 

 food consists of mice, birds, and lizards ; the young 

 are said to occasionally eat grasshoppers. 



Reproduction. — According to J. von Fischer, the 

 eggs, nine in number, are deposited twenty-five days 

 after the pairing, which takes place in May or June, 

 and measure about 2 inches by f inch. 



Genus CORONELLA, Laurenti 



Maxillary teeth increasing in size posteriorly. 

 Head not or but slightly distinct from neck ; eye 

 rather small, with round pupil. No subocular shields. 

 Body moderately elongate ; scales smooth, with apical 

 pits. Tail moderate. 



This genus, embracing about twenty species, is 

 represented in the different parts of the Northern 

 Hemisphere, extending a little beyond the Equator 

 in East Africa. Two species are European. 



