58 



BRITISH SERPENTS. 



in defeating the vigorous efforts that, during the 

 swallowing process, the lizard makes to escape." 



Mr Baldry concludes a most valuable paper with a 

 regret that naturalists have not given more attention 

 to the close observation of coronella, in which regret I 

 certainly concur ; though in the case of a reptile whose 



Smooth Sxake, 



Note- 



Shape of head. Shape of tail. 



Steel-blue colour, showing where slough is peeling off. 



Absence of markings seen in adder and ring snake. 



British distribution is so extremely limited, and whose 

 numbers seem to be decreasing, it can fall to the lot 

 of very few capable naturalists to have the desired 

 opportunity. Still, I should not be at all surprised to 

 find, if the matter were closely investigated, that the 

 smooth snake occurs more generally in the south of 

 England than is suspected. 



