468 SNAKES. 



far apart as their home permitted. In the evening, if placed 

 on the table near the lamp, they seemed to mistake that for 

 sunlight, and would come up and ramble restlessly about on 

 the surface for several hours. Their vitality was amazing. 



One evening when showing them to a friend and permit- 

 ting their antics upon the table, one of them was suddenly 

 and mysteriously missing. We had carefully guarded the 

 edge of the table ; indeed, they were well in the centre of it, 

 and it seemed impossible for them to fall off. We searched 

 the carpet, notwithstanding, and with most careful scrutiny ; 

 and finally deciding that the truant must have been replaced 

 with some moss unobserved, gave up the search. 



Next morning, on entering the room, my maid thus 

 greeted me : ' Lor', Ma'am ! if I didn't find one of your little 

 snakes down on the carpet close to your chair, and for all 

 the world I as near as possible tramped on it. I put it in 

 along with the others, and It worked its way down In no 



time 



Imagine that poor little shred of life passing the night In 

 frantic efforts to burrow Into the carpet and retire below 

 according to custom ! Whenever held or touched, their first 

 Impulse was to conceal themselves beneath, and they would 

 dive and butt with impetuous agitation In their endeavours 

 to push themselves out of sight. 



The event in the family had caused me to postpone the 

 hibernating arrangements ; so as long as the others ate (a 

 thaw enabling us to dig up worms again) and courted day- 

 light, I kept them in the warm room. But as will be 

 remembered, very severe frost set in that winter (1879-80), 

 and no more worms could be dug up. While hibernating. 



