194 OPHIDIA. — COLUBRID^. 



went in a boat to some distance up a large river, 

 she tlirew the Snake into the water, imagining 

 that its fidelity would lead it to follow her, and 

 that, by swimming, it would readily overtake the 

 boat. The poor animal exerted all its efforts ; 

 but the current proving at that juncture un- 

 usually strong, owing to the advance of the tide, 

 in spite of all its struggling it was borne down 

 the stream, and w^as unfortunately drowned. 



Like all other Serpents, the Snakes shed the 

 outer layer of the skin at irregular periods, de- 

 pendent on the • state of the animal's health, on 

 its abundance of food, on the temperature of the 

 weather, and other circumstances. Sometimes the 

 sloughing takes place four or five times a year. 

 It appears that the skin is always reversed in the 

 process, and is first split behind the head, when 

 it is detached by the animal's drawing itself 

 through narrow apertures. White of Selborne 

 thus describes the cast skin. " About the mid- 

 dle of this month (September), we found in a 

 field, near a hedge, the slough of a large Snake, 

 which seemed to have been newly cast. It ap- 

 peared as if turned wrong side outward, and as if 

 it had been drawn off backward, like a stocking 

 or a woman's glove. Not only the whole skin, 

 but even the scales from the eyes, were pulled off, 

 and appeared in the head of the slough like a pair 

 of spectacles. The reptile at the time of chang- 

 ing his coat, had entangled himself intricately in 

 the grass and weeds, in order that the friction of 

 the stalks and blades might promote this curious 

 shifting of his exuviae. 



" It would be a most entertaining sight, could 

 a person be an eye-witness to such a feat^ and see 



