BLIND- WORM. 47 



ber of young ones produced at one birth varies from seven 

 to twelve or thirteen. When brought forth, they are from 

 eighteen to twenty-two lines in length. The young be- 

 come very active almost immediately after their birth, and 

 soon learn to feed upon small soft insects, and probably 

 small worms, snails, or slugs. 



The shedding of its skin is performed by this species in 

 the same manner as by most of the true Ophidians. It is, 

 in fact, taken off in one piece, when the animal is at liberty 

 and strong enough to effect this ; and, like the others, it 

 leaves the skin, turned inside out, attached to the brush- 

 wood, or other substance which it has employed to en- 

 tangle or secure it as it was coming off. It is, however, 

 stated that in some cases it is inverted only as far as the 

 vent, and that the tail slips out of its covering "like a 

 sword out of its scabbard. 1 '' 



This animal is long, and almost of equal thickness 

 throughout the whole length, but rather tapering poste- 

 riorly. The body is slightly tetragonal. The head is 

 short and small ; the eyes small, but very brilliant and 

 quick ; the eyelids perfect, as in the Lizards ; the ears en- 

 tirely covered with the integument ; the teeth are very 

 small, and slightly hooked ; the tongue rather broad, not 

 very extensile, notched at the extremity, but not bifid as 

 in the true Snakes. Vertex covered with about nine 

 plates ; sides of the head, throat, back, sides, belly, and 

 tail, all covered with small and nearly equal rounded scales, 

 which are not carinated. The tail, which is obtuse, is, in 

 some individuals, not more than half the length of the 

 body, or even less ; but in others, reaches to nearly an 

 equal length with the head and body. My own observa- 

 tions would go to prove that this difference in the relative 

 proportion of these parts may in some measure depend on 



