a n 
nage 
ers, 
SMOOTH SNAKE 
pet, provided that, when not in hibernation, a sufficient 
food-supply can be secured to keep it going. 
Smooth Snake.—Coronella austriaca (Fig. 3). Belongs 
to the same Family as the last-named species, but is 
much rarer in Britain, although it occurs elsewhere over 
the greater part of Europe. Although it sometimes 
haunts damp situations, it appears more fond of dry 
retreats, where it can secure during the Spring, Summer 
and Autumn an abundance of sunshine, in which it 
appears to revel. It produces about a dozen eggs during 
August, or early in September, and these are advanced 
Skull of 
Smoolh Snake 
Fig 4+ 
Smooth Snake Fig S) 
in incubation to such an extent that the young soon after- 
wards make their exit from their shelly covering. One 
writer distinctly states that the young are produced alive. 
The food appears to consist of other reptiles and mice. 
The body colour may be brown, brownish-yellow, 
reddish-brown, or rusty, and there is a double array of 
irregular dark spots on the back. The eyes are small, 
16 
