290 BRITISH SERPENTS. 



sticklebacks in an aquarium. He lowered his head in 

 the water and opened his mouth, when the fish mis- 

 took his red jaws for a piece of meat, or perhaps a 

 worm, and coming near were captured. This snake 

 was a small one, but had no difficulty in disposing of 

 a stickleback, whether the spines of the fish (which 

 are a quarter of an inch long) were erect or depressed. 

 The snake is said to eat toads, and undoubtedly does 

 so, but not, I believe, habitually. I have had but 

 one which would touch a toad. This snake was very 

 hungry and ate a little toad. About four days after- 

 wards the snake died ; and as there was a bright-green 

 mark on his stomach, I cut him open, and there was 

 the toad undigested, but a nauseous mess, dark green in 

 colour ; and all the tissues of the snake at this part, 

 from the intestines to the skin, were discoloured. 



" The skin of this snake is generally cast entire, and 

 always exceeds the length of the reptile from which it 

 has been removed. I have always found the skins of 

 snakes which were captured in the fields to be more 

 brightly polished than those of snakes captured among 

 stones. 



" The female does not incubate her eggs, but still 

 she appears to have some sort of feeling of protection 

 towards them ; for after any of my snakes had laid 

 eggs they were always singularly fierce and intract- 

 able, hissing violently when the litter in the cage was 

 disturbed, and one of them struck at my hand when 

 the eggs were removed. 



