THE SLOW-WORM. 79 



changed on May 1st, and again July 14th. The 

 common name of " Blind- worm " is so utterly in- 

 appropriate that I cannot conceive how it arose, and 

 yet many country people will tell you that it cannot 

 see at all. But it is very evident that it discovers 

 its prey more by sight than by any other sense, and 

 its eyes are peculiarly pretty and gentle, without the 

 baleful aspect of those of the viper. My slow-worms 

 buried themselves in the garden during the winter, 

 and the first reappeared March 28th, very sluggish 

 and sleepy, and it ate nothing for several days. The 

 property of throwing off its tail and reproducing it 

 must be well known to my readers. 



On the Wan-en here they are very plentiful under 

 the large stones. Their usual length is about thirteen 

 or fourteen inches, but I had one brought which 

 measured nineteen and a half, of which the tail took 

 up eleven ; this was a monster. 



I began with an anecdote, and I will end with one. 

 A friend of mine was hunting for slow-worms 

 underneath some stones, and wanted very much to 

 move one immense rock, having an intuitive know- 

 ledge of the presence there of a host of victims. But 

 it was beyond his strength, and he called in the 

 assistance of the military in the shape of two soldiers 

 who happened to be passing by. When the stone 

 had been overturned there lay several slow- worms, 

 among which my friend immediately darted, seizing 

 two or three in each hand. The sight was too much 

 for the soldiers who fled precipitately, waiting for 

 neither thanks nor largess. 



