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and all the tissues of the snake at this part, from the intes- 
tine to the skin, were discoloured. This happened early in 
September. 
Like other reptiles the snake prepares for winter by con- 
cealing himself in some suitable retreat. Sometimes he retires 
into a hollow tree, or a stack of brushwood may afford him 
shelter, but in default of these, he burrows into the ground. In 
thus burrowing he does not push himself lengthwise into the 
earth, but he continually moves round in a coil, endeavouring 
to thrust his head, which is at the bottom of the coil, into 
the mould. By this means he slowly lowers himself in the 
soil, and gradually disappears from view; but he is in no 
danger of suffocation by the falling-in of mould, for his con- 
tinual movement presses into a firm wall the sides of his 
little chamber, in which he will rest secure alike from frost 
and tempest, fearing nothing, knowing nothing, for the cold 
of winter will completely numb his faculties, and he will have 
no more feeling than the dead leaves scattered above him. 
In this seclusion he remains throughout the winter months, 
but towards the end of March he gradually awakes, and 
works his way up into light and sunshine. He does not appear 
to be entirely guided by temperature in making his exit from 
this retreat, for I have found that if placed in a greenhouse 
before the usual time of waking, he will not be deluded by 
the genial warmth into the belief that summer has come, but 
will hide in his sleeping box until the end of March, and will 
then appear contemporaneously with his former companions of 
the hedgerow and thicket. 
The skin of the 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. 
When out snaking one ought to wear garden-gloves, as 
the best manner of capturing a snake is to seize him with 
the hands, and if these were unprotected an accident might 
be caused by mistaking the identity of the reptile. 
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