200 OPHIDIA. — COLUBRID^. 



the arboreal species, they both drmk and moisten 

 the forked tongue, which are distinct operations. 

 The same observation has been made of African 

 Serpents, and equally applies to our own Ringed 

 Snake. It is particularly fond of milk, so that it 

 often creeps into dairies to drink out of the vessels. 

 It has been even accused of twining up the legs 

 of cows, in order to suck their teats, but this is 

 manifestly absurd. The fondness of Mr. Bell's 

 tame Snake for milk, we have already cited. 



The same appetite is observed in the Black 

 Snake {Coluher constrictor, Linn.) of North Ame- 

 rica. So partial is it to this diet, that it is diffi- 

 cult to keep it out of a cellar where milk is kept, 

 after it has once found its way thither. A 

 pleasing story will be familiar to the memory of 

 some of our readers, of a Black Snake in New 

 England, that was accustomed to come and par- 

 take with a little child of its basin of bread and 

 milk, the boy now and then correcting the greedi- 

 ness of his self-invited guest, by raps on the 

 head with the spoon, when he thought it took 

 more than its share. 



In the museum of the Zoological Society is a 

 tame Snake that had been eleven years in the 

 possession of a gentleman, to whom it had shown 

 strong attachment. Mr. Jesse mentions that Eton 

 boys have always been great tamers of Snakes, 

 and many school anecdotes are current of the 

 attachment of these reptiles to their owners.* 

 The Rev. R. Sheppard had one in his rooms at 

 Caius College, Cambridge, nearly three months. 

 He kept it in a box of bran ; and during all that 

 time, he never could discover that it ate any- 



* "Gleanings," 71. 



