570 SNAKES. 



none the worse for this temporary entombment. He had 

 turned round when two or three feet from daylight, and 

 come back to see the world once more. But it so happened 

 that Ophio closed his jaws in time over the few inches of 

 tail which still remained between them. Nor did he once 

 relax his grasp of this, but quickly and patiently began to 

 work his way up to the head and recommence his meal, and 

 this time with better success. An hour and a quarter I 

 watched, nor was any evidence of poison seen, so as to 

 reduce the powers of the bitten snake ; for bitten it must 

 have been in those prolonged and forcible grasps. 



In these conflicts one could but observe a dogged stupidity 

 on the part of the venomous snake, who, had he but brought 

 coils to his aid, might have simplified matters so easily. 

 The little Heterodons and even the Lacertines often assist 

 themselves with coils in managing their prey, though not 

 themselves constrictors ; but the venomous ones have not 

 the slightest notion of helping themselves in this way, as if 

 confident that in time their venom would do its work. In 

 self-protection, however, we have seen that a rattlesnake can 

 coil, p. 394. ' 



This Ophiophagus has caused to vanish, on an average, 

 not far short of a hundred snakes per annum since his arrival 

 in England, say seven hundred in all. In his native haunts, 

 actively moving and climbing amidst plenty of other snakes, 

 one might multiply the consumption by at least three, and 

 give to the Hamadryads the credit of assisting Government 

 in exterminating snakes to the extent of 300 each per annum. 

 These snakes, therefore, should be much prized by the 

 Government snake-exterminators, and in reward for services 



