. ai. 
267 
already mentioned, and is therefore found in places more remote 
from the haunts of men. The Ringed Snake derives its name 
from the yellow marks upon the sides of its neck, which form 
an almost complete ring or collar, and are so distinct that 
generally the reptile may be at once distinguished from all 
other snakes, and especially from the viper, his companion in 
our hedgerows. The ground-colour of the Snake varies in all 
shades between warm red brown and clear light green, and 
these different shades correspond with the length of time 
elapsed since the last shedding of the skin, for the brown 
snake becomes a green snake when this event takes place. 
The points of difference between the snake and viper are 
many and distinct. The snake, of whatever ground-colour he 
may be, has never a continuous line of black spots down the 
centre of the back; in the viper, this line, zigzag and blotched, 
is always present. The eyes of the snake are yellow and the 
pupils are round; in the viper the eyes are red and the pupils 
vertical, like those of a cat, and render the aspect of the viper 
more repulsive than that of the Ringed Snake, which is really 
a handsome reptile. The long forked tongue bears no poison; 
I need not say that no snake has any sting in its tongue or 
in its tail, but the teeth are the only weapons used for attack 
or defence, and in this respect the English snake is perfectly 
harmless. I have had blood drawn from my fingers by the 
accidental bites of snakes, but suffered no sort of inconveni- 
ence in consequence. The only weapon of the common snake 
is a foul odour, which he always pours forth when captured. 
In length the snake generally exceeds two feet, and is rarely 
more than three feet, although individuals have been found 
more than four feet long. The largest I have seen in this 
neighbourhood was three feet seven inches in length. Were 
we to believe all the statements made by persons who, when 
enjoying a country ramble, have been startled by a snake, the 
dimensions of the reptile would be increased to the size of a 
small boa. Fear is a powerful magnifier, but it is difficult to 
correctly estimate the length of a snake gliding rapidly through 
long grass or dense herbage. 
T 
