458 SNAKES. 



which, with some particulars of her behaviour in captivity, 

 shall form the subject of the next chapter. Here she will, 

 I think, be accepted among those examples of abnormal 

 incubation which belong to the present one. 



Searching for the lovely little Drosera and its attendant 

 exquisite mosses on 'The Common' at Bournemouth (the 

 one close to the town), on the look-out for lizards also, 

 I saw what at first sight appeared to be an extremely long, 

 black slug, lying on a smiOoth little patch of grass in the 

 sunshine. Approaching to inspect this shining nondescript, 

 I at once recognised a slow-worm. Being not only entirely 

 and deeply black, but unusually short and proportionately 

 thicker than any I had ever seen, the familiar ' worm ' had 

 not at first sight been identified. Its short, blunt tail had 

 evidently lost an inch or two ; and its bulk suggested a 

 speedy increase of family. Already I had four others 

 and a green lizard, the male Laccrta agilis, which I had 

 also captured. The date of * Blackie's ' capture was August 

 26, 1879; the precise time being important, because, as 

 just now stated, the period of gestation depends much on 

 the degree of external warmth that can be had to assist 

 in maturing the embryo ; and, as many of my readers 

 will recollect, very little sunshine had we that summer. 

 Chilly rains and cloudy weather marked the season ; and 

 to this I attributed the fact that at the end of August the 

 slow-worm was still enceinte, when, as Bell informs us, its 

 ordinary time to produce young is June or July. 



Taking her up, ' Blackie ' struggled and kicked, if such 

 a remnant of tail can be said to ' kick ' (the action being very 

 similar), and displayed activity enough to show that she 



