lo INTRODUCTION. 



the 'emerald snake,' a 'living gem, which the dark damsels 

 of southern climes wind round their necks and arms,' another 

 describes snakes of emerald green which are dreaded and 

 avoided. One traveller tells of a ' coral snake ' whose bite 

 is fatal within an hour ; while elsewhere a ' coral snake ' is 

 petted and handled. Equally perplexing were the ' carpet 

 snakes,' 'whip snakes,' ' Jararacas,' and 'brown snakes.' 



Nor were names the only puzzle to unravel ; for in almost 

 every other particular writers on snakes are at variance. 



Those ' moccasin snakes ' in Virginia were venomous, I was 

 sure, having known of accidents from their bite. Hoping 

 to become enlightened as to their true name and character, 

 I repaired to the Zoological Gardens to ascertain if they 

 were known there. Yes ; there were several together in one 

 cage, labelled 'Moccasins' {TropidonottLs fasciaiiis) 'from 

 America ; ' but to identify them with the one in Virginia, of 

 which I had seen only a short portion from a distance, was 

 impossible. To add to the perplexity, Holland the keeper 

 assured me these were ' quite harmless.' 



' But are you siire these are harmless snakes ? They are 

 poisonous in America.' 



'Well, miss, they have bitten my finger often enough for 

 me to know,' returned Holland. 



' Then there must be tivo kinds of moccasin snakes,' I 

 argued, ' for the others are extremely venomous ; ' and I 

 related my Virginia experiences, and that I had known of a 

 horse bitten by one that had died in an hour or so, fearfully 

 swollen. 



' They have never hurt me,' persisted Holland. 



Subsequently I discovered that in the United States this 



