478 SNAKES. 



a Cow, for then they twist their Tailes about the Cowe's 

 Legges. The Slow-worm biteth mortallie, and the Cow 

 dyeth!' Consistent this with the 'Blind-worm's sting' of 

 the poet of that day. Of the six or seven that have been 

 in my keeping at one time or another, not one has, under 

 any provocation, attempted to bite me. They were handled 

 continually, twirled about, and tied into knots (with gentle 

 treatment, of course), but not one of them ever broke itself 

 in 'halves' or opened its mouth with malice intent. Lizzie 

 sometimes in winding about my fingers got herself into 

 very pretty knots, and in such tied-up fashion when placed 



Li/Tzie in a knot. 



on the table she would remain motionless for a time, and 

 then be«"in to move away. Curious was the effect at this 

 juncture. The knot was not loosened at all ; but as the little 

 reptile began to .move, the knot passed downwards, and she 

 crawled out of it, while its form remained the same to the 

 very end of the tail. It was similar to what we saw when 

 the little four-rayed snakes constricted their birds ; the form 

 of their coils altering no more than would a slide passed 

 alon"- a rope. Neither did such a knot disturb Lizzie. She 

 appeared quite unconscious of it, and simply crawled out 

 of it. Perhaps any ' brittleness ' discoverable may have been 

 from rough handling, as one can easily suppose a too abrupt 

 untwining of the reptile when clinging round the fingers 

 would so alarm it that it would cling the tighter. A gentle- 



