WILD CREATURES OF GARDEN AND HEDGEROW 



arranged all down its stomach and under- 

 parts. They are movable, the animal pushing 

 itself forward by means of them. By the way, 

 it is darker, almost black beneath, contrasting 

 prettily with the pale brown upper side. 



Why this creature should have got named 

 the 4 blindworm ' I cannot imagine, for it has 

 a pair of exceedingly sharp amber-coloured 

 eyes, that any one might notice at a glance, 

 and with which, moreover, it can see perfectly 

 well. Its other name, the ' slowworm,' is just 

 as unsuitable, for it is far from slow, and I 

 know to my cost the pace one can move and 

 how difficult it is to catch it should it get 

 away from you into the grass. More than once 

 has a so-called ' slowworm ' eluded me when 

 trying to catch it among long undergrowth- 

 it glides so smoothly and swiftly in and out 

 between the stems, disappearing at once in a 

 quite mysterious manner. 



Before going further I must give a warning, 

 and that is to be careful how you grab at, or 

 capture, a slowworm, not that there is the 

 smallest fear of it hurting you, but you may 

 damage it considerably, probably getting quite 

 a fright yourself, for when pounced upon, or 

 otherwise startled, a blindworm immediately 

 242 



