COLUBRINAE 617 



which are arranged in twenty-one to twenty-three rows, the 

 distinctly angulate ventrals and the doul)le anal and sub-caudals ; 

 the fourth and fifth of the upper labials border the eye, which has 

 a round pupil. The coloration is very variable, as a rule olive- 

 l)rown alcove with a dark streak behind the eye ; tlie upper lips 

 and a triangular patch on the temples are yellow ; the under parts 

 are uniform pale yellow. Some specimens are pale golden brown ; 

 others are very dark, almost black; while some have four darker 

 stripes along the body, and lastly whitish specks occur on the 

 upper surface. Large Aesculap snakes grow to a length of 5 

 feet. Their food consists chiefly of mice. They become very 

 tame, although many of them at first bite furiously. Their 

 climbing capacities are astonishing, the snakes being able to scale 

 high and vertical walls provided there is the slightest " foothold." 

 Some of my specimens escaped in the room and were at last 

 found near the ceiling, resting on the rods of the curtains, up 

 the folds of which they had managed to wriggle. Boulenger 

 kept one for many years in a glass cage, where the snake 

 entwined himself round the branches of a stick and allow^ed us 

 to take him with the stick out of its socket and to inspect him. 

 Being kept in an inhabited room, the snake did not exactly 

 hibernate, creeping into the moss at the bottom of the cage ; but 

 it refused to feed, and remained in a ratlier drowsy condition 

 coiled up on its favourite stand. During the pairing season they 

 frequently resort to the water, at Schlangenbad at least ; the 

 few eggs are deposited under dry moss or in dry, decayed wood, 

 and are hatched in about six weeks. 



C. {Rhinechis) scalaris has the smooth scales disposed in 

 twenty-seven rows. The snout is strongly projecting, and has a 

 V-shaped dark mark on the top; a black streak runs through 

 the eye, and another black spot lies below the eye. Young 

 specimens are pale brown with a series of dark H -shaped marks 

 on the back, suggesting a ladder, hence the specific name. In 

 the adult these marks are replaced by a pair of brown stripes 

 running along the back ; the under parts are always uniform 

 yellow. Total length about 3 feet. This snake is restricted 

 to the Iberian Peninsula and to the South of France. Most 

 specimens are very ill-tempered. The young live upon locusts 

 and small lizards, the old eat mice and small birds. In captivity 

 they also take dead animals — a rare habit with snakes. 



