THE VIPER. 33 



not run helter-skelter, a dozen at a time, down the throat of an 

 enemy ; nor do snakes, when feeding, gulp down a number of 

 snakelings at once, but one at a time, and by the action of the 

 jaws moving gradually over the prey. The limited space in these 

 pages will not permit of more on this subject than to state that 

 both among reptiles and fishes are well-known examples of similar 

 parental guardianship, which might be cited ; and that in my 

 larger work on "Snakes" a whole chapter is devoted to the 

 question of this maternal refuge. 



