54 SNAKES. 



armour. Most of them have short and rather curious tails, 

 as described in chap. xi. ; but many that burrow and hide in 

 the ground live a good deal on the surface as well. Our 

 little native slow-worm {Angids fragilis) is allied to these. 

 Their heads are small and narrow, their muzzle smooth 

 and strong to help them to work their way. Their jaws do 

 not stretch apart, nor does their head get out oT shape in 

 eating, the bones being all more consolidated ; and their 

 food being chiefly insects, slugs, worms, etc., they seize upon 

 these, and hold them, and then with quick snaps get them 

 down their throats. Many of them have rudiments of a 

 sternum, and pelvic bones — vestiges, perhaps, is a more 

 correct term, as we shall find by and by, for their saurian 

 ancestors had perfect limbs. The group is large, perfectly 

 harmless, and has representatives in most countries where a 

 snake or a lizard is to be found. None are of great size. 



(2) The Ground Snakes iVioXw^iQ by far the greatest number 

 and diversity, and though passing their time chiefly on the 

 surface like our ' ring snake,' can both climb trees and enjoy 

 the water. Some of the most venomous as well as the 

 harmless and gentle kinds, and some of the largest as well as 

 the smallest, live habitually on the ground. To fit them for 

 progression, they have the broad ventral scales described on 

 p. 46, wide dilatable jaws like Coluber natrix, and scales of 

 various patterns and colourings. Vipers, the cobras, the 

 coronellas, the boas, moccasins, 'carpet snakes,' and other 

 familiar names belong to this large group. 



(3) Tree Snakes include both venomous and innocent 

 genera. They are none of them large, many of them of 

 a brilliant green, and some of them exquisitely beautiful. 



