ANACONDA AND ANGUIS FRAGILIS. 459 



could be quick enough when occasion required it. Knowing 

 her shy, burrowing instincts, I at once laid her on the mosses 

 which filled my little basket, and down she retreated, there 

 remaining without further trouble. 



Deposited in a box with the others, she acted similarly, 

 remaining hidden under the sand and moss, and never 

 showing herself on the surface, as the rest did whenever 

 a hopeful gleam of sunshine tempted them. Just the tip 

 of her little black, shining nose was sometimes visible, as 

 if she were getting a breath of fresh air on the sly. 



One of the other slow-worms — already several weeks in 

 my possession — had appeared to be in a similar condition, 

 and was much wilder than the rest, effecting escape and 

 circumventing me in a variety of ways, while her companions 

 were comparatively tame and contented. The green lizard, 

 also, had to be well watched, being exceedingly active, dart- 

 ing away like a flash whenever the cover of the box was 

 removed for an instant. Their cage was necessarily and 

 cruelly small, in anticipation of a journey to London, and 

 that I might have them in my own keeping while on the 

 move, which I expected to be for some weeks. It was 

 covered with a net secured by a strong elastic ; but they 

 could easily reach the top, and managed most cleverly to 

 push up this net, and so get out. The way in which one 

 of them called ' Lizzie ' achieved this, is described in the 

 ensuing chapter. Here we must keep to our subject. 



The box was generally close to an open window, in order 

 to catch any chance ray of sunshine ; but the truant propen- 

 sities of the inmates necessitated a frequent investigation, 

 and a raking up of the moss and sand with which they 



