CHAPTER XI 



THREE COMMON REPTILES 



THE slowworm or blindworm is one of our 

 commonest reptiles ; it may be met with wher- 

 ever there is long grass and thick undergrowth, 

 and sometimes ventures out into the open to 

 sun itself. In the garden round my home 

 there is a damp ditch where the grass grows 

 long and rank, which is the dwelling place of 

 several of these little reptiles; but one does 

 not often see them, for they are shy, nervous 

 things, and slip about unnoticed between the 

 stems of the grass. 



The blindworm looks like a small snake, 

 being usually about twelve inches long. It is 

 a very big one which reaches eighteen inches in 

 length, and anything over that length is a 

 monster. It is a light brown or buff in colour 

 without markings or pattern of any description. 

 It is important to remember this, for the 

 blindworm is often mistaken for a snake, and 

 it is nothing of the sort, which mistake need 



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