258 THE VIVARIUM. 
back. I remember how astonished I was to see my neighbour 
with it in his hands and allowing the reptile to crawl over his 
arms and round his neck, for I knew the antipathy of most people 
in his position to Snakes. When I expressed my surprise, he re- 
plied that he had felt no nervousness about handling the Snake, 
as he had not forgotten I had told him that no English Snake 
was poisonous except the Viper, and he knew this Reptile was 
no Viper, and thought it most probably belonged to me. I was, 
of course, gratified, not only at the recovery of my favourite, but 
also at the man’s confidence in me. The escape and recapture 
had, however, a curious effect upon the Snake. After I returned 
it to its case, it refused to eat anything at all for nearly, if not 
quite, a year. During this time I fed it occasionally, artificially, 
to prevent it from becoming very thin and weak. It made its 
escape one July, and in the following July it recommenced to 
feed. Why it fasted thus strangely I do not know.- Its little 
adventure did not seem to make it wild or nervous, for it was just 
as gentle as it had ever been; nor was it hurt in any way when 
recaught, as far as I could ascertain. 
I can most strongly recommend the Four-rayed Snake as an 
inmate of the Vivarium. It is gentle, hardy, beautiful, and inter- 
esting. It can generally be bought, according to size and condi- 
tion, for from 15s. to 25s. Its food may consist of small birds, 
mice, rats, and eggs. It will sometimes swallow an egg as large 
as that of a barndoor hen. As already mentioned, a good feeder 
is quite ready to accept dead animals. It needs no artificial 
heat during the summer, and, if in good condition, may safely 
be allowed to hibernate. . 
The following is a description of the Coluber quatuor-lineatus : 
One pree-ocular over one sub-ocular, two post-oculars (rarely 
three); the large eye is overshadowed by the supra. ocular 
shield, which projects; the vertical is shorter than the parie- 
tals, which are slightly pointed posteriorly ; eight upper labials, 
of which the fourth and fifth enter the eye, four or five lower 
labials ; the head is distinct from the neck; the lanceolate scales, 
except the outer rows, which are smooth, are distinctly though 
feebly keeled, and are arranged, nearly always, in twenty-five 
rows; the rounded ventrals number from 195 to 234, the 
