1902 Reptile Studies 179 



The egg - deposition of the oviparous reptiles is also 

 different from that of birds, in some species at least. 

 Thus the ring snake may deposit a considerable number of 

 eggs at once, these eggs being adherent to each other by 

 means of a glutinous secretion, and hence are often found 

 en masse. A ring snake in my cages last summer deposited 

 fifteen eggs in one day in this manner, and seven more on 

 the day following. Sometimes a number of eggs are de- 

 posited at intervals of several days, at other times all are 

 extruded at one time. Then again some snakes' eggs 

 exhibit the very curious phenomenon of becoming larger 

 after being deposited, as do those of some lizards. The 

 ring snake is an instance of this peculiarity also. As Dr 

 Gadow says, " This is explained by the growth of the 

 embryo, which stretches the shell and does not merely 

 live upon the contents of the egg itself, but also takes in 

 air and moisture." ^ The possibility of this being done is 

 due to the nature of the eggshell, which is not really a shell, 

 but consists of a tough leathery membrane, pervious to air 

 and moisture. It is generally supposed that the ring snake 

 takes no further interest in the reproductive process after 

 depositing her eggs ; certainly she does not incubate them 

 in a state of nature. Mr Linnaeus Greening, however, had 

 a ring snake that always incubated her eggs in captivity, 

 another curious instance of the effect of captivity on the 

 habits of snakes, a subject we discussed on a previous 

 occasion. The favourite place for the deposition of these 

 eggs is a manure heap, the fermentation of which provides 

 the heat requisite for rapid development. But any heap of 

 rubbish is apt to serve as an incubator, and cucumber 

 frames and corners of greenhouses are also occasionally 

 selected. The period of development varies somewhat in 

 length, according to the circumstances in which the eggs 

 are placed, but as a rule is about eight weeks from the date 

 of deposition. Some ring snakes' eggs, however, do not 

 hatch until the following spring if deposited late in the 

 summer or autumn. 



The usual time to find recently deposited eggs is towards 

 the end of June or early in July, the time varying with the 



^ Amphibia and Reptiles, p. 499. 



