466 OBSERVATIONS ON INSECTS AND VERMES. 



head of the slough like a pair of spectacles. The reptile, at 

 the time of changing his coat, had entangled himself in- 

 tricately in the grass and weeds, so that the friction of the 

 stalks and blades might promote this curious shifting of the 

 exuviaB. 



" LuTbrica serpens 



" Exuit in spinis vestem. Lucret. 



It would be a most entertaining sight could a person be an 

 eye-witness to such a feat, and see the snake in the act of 

 changing his garment. As the convexity of the scales of the 

 eyes in the slough is now inward, that circumstance alone is a 

 proof that the skin has been turned : not to mention that now 

 the present inside is much darker than the outer. If you look 

 through the scales of the snake's eyes from the concave side, 

 viz. as the reptile used them, they lessen objects much. Thus 

 it appears from what has been said, that snakes crawl out of 

 the mouth of their own sloughs, and quit the tail part last, 

 just as eels are skinned by a cook maid. While the scales of 

 the eyes are growing loose,, and a new skin is forming, the 

 creature, in appearance, must be blind, and feel itself in an 

 awkward uneasy situation. WHITE. 



I have seen many sloughs or skins of snakes entire ; after 

 they have cast them off; and once in particular I remember 

 to have found one of these sloughs so intricately interwoven 

 amongst some brakes that it was with difficulty removed with- 

 out being broken : this undoubtedly was done by the creature 

 to assist in getting rid of its incumbrance. 



I have great reason to suppose that the eft or common 

 lizard also casts its skin or slough, but not entire like the 

 snake; for on the 30th of March, 1777, 1 saw one with some- 

 thing ragged hanging to it ; which appeared to be part of its 

 old skin. MAKKWICK. 



