38 BRITISH LIZARDS 



August ; in a later and colder season their advent is 

 delayed until September. The number of the off- 

 spring varies a good deal, rarely less than four or six, 

 but often as many as a dozen. Their size at birth 

 also varies, probably with the age and size of the 

 parent. Most we have seen have been very slightly 

 under 2 inches long, but that they may sometimes 

 be much larger than this the following quotation 

 from The Field Naturalist's Quarterly (August 

 1902) will show. The writer is Eev. S. Cornish 

 Watkins, who has for many years observed slow- 

 worms in nature and captivity. The illustration 

 opposite is the litter in question along with the 

 mother. 



" On September 8, 1902, 1 captured two female slow- 

 worms under a large stone in a disused quarry. They 

 were evidently heavy with young. I placed them in 

 a glass-covered box, with some damp moss, and kept 

 tliem liberally supplied with slugs, their favourite diet. 

 Each of them has since then brought forth a litter of 

 young ones, the one on September 20th, the other on 

 the 24th, and in each case the litter numbered twelve. 

 This is the maximum number stated to occur. I 

 measured the young ones on the day of their birth 

 and found that they were 3 J inches in length, a size 

 considerably larger than that given in the article 

 referred to.^ From the time of birth they were 

 extremely active, and commenced to feed upon good- 



^ The Field Naturalist's Quarterly, vol. i. p. 181. 



