﻿176 COLUBRID.E 



hand that has seized it. The generic term Zamenis, 

 of Greek derivation, alludes to its viciousness, which 

 also accounts for its German name, *' Zornnatter." 

 This snake, occurring in Malta, may well have been 

 the " Viper " which fastened on the hand of St. Paul. 

 Some specimens have been kept for months in cap- 

 tivity without losing their savage temper, hissing and 

 flying with open mouth at anyone approaching the 

 glass walls of their prison ; others, on the other hand, 

 become quite tame in a very short time, such as one 

 which I kept for nearly two years. Except when 

 sunning itself on a cold early morning in the spring, 

 this snake is always on the alert, and difficult to 

 capture, uncoiling itself and darting away like an 

 arrow at the least disturbance. It lives in preference 

 among shrubs or on the edges of woods, avoiding 

 damp localities, and females at least appear to have 

 sedentary tastes. Lataste tells us of one, near 

 Bordeaux, which he repeatedly met for over two 

 years within 20 yards of the same spot, a bush 

 between a wood and a meadow, without ever being 

 able to capture it. 



The food of this snake is very varied, consisting of 

 voles and mice, young birds which it takes from the 

 nests, being a good climber on bushes and low trees, 

 occasionally of frogs, but above all of other reptiles : 

 lizards, slow-worms, and snakes, which it does not 

 attempt to crush before deglutition. It has even 

 been observed in Istria to eat locusts {Acridium 

 c^gyptium) and sphyngid moths. 



