SNAKES 143 



dry and marshy localities, is comparatively slow in its 



movements, and is easily captured ; it does exceedingly 



well in captivity, better, in fact, than any other European 



snake, becoming very tame and feeding from the hand. 



It feeds principally on birds and mammals ; it is also fond 



of eggs, which, being an expert climber, it is able to procure 



from the nests. The eggs, six to fifteen in number, are 



laid in July and August, and hatched the following month. 



The ^scuLAPiAN Snake, Coluber longissimus, which is 



distributed throughout Italy and South-Eastern Europe, 



and is also found in certain parts of Central and Northern 



Europe, as far north as Denmark and Poland, has been 



supposed to be one of the snakes worshipped by the 



Romans, and its occurrence in various Northern and 



Central localities, which were once Roman thermal stations, 



has given rise to the supposition that their presence in 



such localities is due to importations in the temples of 



-^sculapius ; there is, however, probably more reason to 



assume that the disconnected habitat of C. longissimus 



indicates a species once more generally distributed in 



Europe, and now in process of extinction in the Northern 



and Central parts. In colour this snake is yellowish or 



dark olive above, some of the scales with whitish spots or 



lines which may form a network ; the young have dark 



brown dorsal spots, which form a number of longitudinal 



series, and a yellow collar like our Common Grass Snake. 



The ^sculapian Snake usually inhabits woods or meadows. 



It is vicious when freshly captured, but soon becomes 



amenable to captivity, and feeds with some regularity on 



small mammals. Its period of hibernation is remarkable 



for its length, extending from the beginning of October 



