SNAKES. 181 
bottom of its cage, a piece of cork, the side of its bath, or a 
branch of a tree. It is trying to peel back the epidermis from 
the edges of its upper and lower jaws, prompted, no doubt, to 
make this attempt by some unpleasant irritation. Presently the 
creature’s endeavours meet with success, and the delicate 
membrane may be seen turned back, both above and_ below, 
_ from the jaws. When such a start as this has been made, the 
_ rest of the operation is comparatively easy. By the help of the 
action of the ribs, by crawling among coarse herbage if the 
animal be at liberty, by climbing trees, by creeping under piles 
of cork bark, or by working its way under the body of a comrade, 
the Snake sheds its cuticle, leaving it reversed, and generally 
entire. A perfect slough is a very beautiful and interesting 
object and quite worthy of careful preservation. Sometimes a 
portion of the cuticle of the tail is left unreversed. 
If a Snake be old, very large, or not in good health, the slough 
comes off in pieces, parts sometimes not being removed at all. In 
the latter case, the Snake should be bathed in warm water, and 
the remaining pieces of the old epidermis gently peeled off. I 
have noticed that even a tame Snake is likely to attempt to bite 
while this operation is being performed. This, of course, is only 
natural. Therefore, the creature should be properly held by an 
assistant, if there be any objection to a bite. The bite of a small 
innocuous Snake may be treated with indifference, but that of 
a larger animal is another matter. 
When a Snake has shed its skin, it appears in all its beauty. 
Its colours are bright, its movements are quick and graceful, and 
its scales glisten with a lovely iridescence. Its first act, probably, 
will be to drink; its second, perhaps, to look for food. At any 
rate, it may be taken for granted that a healthy Snake will feed 
within three or four days of “ change of skin.” A tame Snake 
of my own has completed the shedding of its slough while I was 
holding a portion of the latter in my hand. 
Young Snakes shed their “skin” for the first time when they 
are from about six to ten days old. Sometimes they do not feed 
at all until they have accomplished this operation. Snakes in 
their early life slough much more frequently than they do when 
mature. 
