British Reptiles and Amphibians 



beings look upon all creeping things with pronounced 

 suspicion and dislike. 



In the case of amphibians this repugnance is not so 

 evident, at least so far as regards those found in the 

 British Isles. Most of our indigenous amphibians 

 secure a degree of patronage that is not conceded to 

 any of our native Snakes. It is not unusual to see 

 Newts kept as pets, but the reverse is the case as 

 regards any creature that crawls. Yet there are some 

 observers who venture to keep reptiles in a vivarium, 

 and find great interest in the study of their captives. 

 Toads and Frogs are treated with not a little considera- 

 tion even by the schoolboy, but any Snake crossing his 

 path has a stone hurled at its glittering frame. 



Yet there is a place for all the members of our native 

 fauna. It is an open question if the continual warfare 

 that is waged against the crawling reptile, and in a lesser 

 degree the Newts and other amphibians, tends to the good 

 of the immediate districts concerned. The slaughter of a 

 Grass Snake is not of itself likely to cause an upheaval 

 in Nature's realm, nor will the tragic death of a Natter- 

 jack prove adverse to the locality where its body lies. 

 It is when it comes to indiscriminate killing that Nature 

 is outraged. Persecution is one of the main reasons why 

 certain animals are found in specially selected localities. 

 It is this that causes the Viper and its kind to hide in 

 remote places. Toads and frogs are in a sense tolerated, 

 and hence they are found close to man and his civiliza- 

 tion. Were the decree to go forth that the same treat- 



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