THB BLIMi-nn/tM, OK 8LOW.WORX 



the two central Htrij>.- .\t-ti.linc "iily to the middle of the body, while the two external line* 

 uiv prolonged n.-arly to the insertion of the hinder limbs. 



THK irtvat family of the Skinks finds u familiar representative in the common BLIXD- 

 u.'i:*, or SLOW-WORM, which, from its snake-like form and extreme fragility, might well 

 deserve the title of the gloss snake. In this reptile then- is no external trace of limbs, ti,,. 

 body IH-JII^ uniformly smooth as that of the serpent, and even more so than in aonteof the 

 snakes, when- thfl DM* &< " aMv ]>air oj limbs is indicated :;. ft OOVplft of little hook 

 likt- :i|<i>ndage8. Under the skin, however, the traces of limbs maybe discovered, but the 

 IMHH-S uf th>* shoulders, the breast, and the pelvis are very small and quite rudimentary. 



This elegant little reptile is very common throughout Europe, and is also spread over 

 some i >ort ions of Asia, not. however, U'ing found in the north. It is plentiful alone liedge- 

 |w, heaths, forest lamls. and -::r..' ,i -:...::-. .. . : t) , , find immediate sheltei from 

 its few enemies, and be abundantly supplied with food. It may often be seen ;:, u line 

 l.-Niin-ly over a lieu ten footpath, and I have onoe captured it while crossing a wide turnpike 



m i. 



Why the name of the Blind-worm should have been given to this creature I cannot even 

 conjecture, for it has a pair of conspicuous though not very large eyes, which shine as brightly 

 as those of any animal, and are capable of good service. Indeed, all animals which prey upon 

 insects, and similar moving things, must of necessity possess well-developed eyes, unless they 

 are gifted with the means of attracting their prey within reach, as is the case with some well- 

 known fishes, or chase it by the senses of hearing and touch, as is done by the mole. More- 

 over, the chief food of the Blind-worm consists of slugs, which glide so noiselessly that the 

 creature needs the use of its eyes to detect the soft mollusk as it slides over the ground n its 

 slimy course. Speed is not needful for such a chase, and the Blindwonn accordingly is -|,.\\ 

 and deliberate in all its movements except when very young, when it twists and wriggles 

 about in a (singular fashion as often as it is touched. 



The great fragility of the Blind-worm is well known. By a rather curious structure of the 

 muscles and bones of the spine, the reptile is able to stiffen itself to such a degree, that on 

 a slight pressure, or trifling blow, or even by the voluntary contraction of the body, the tail is 

 snapped away from the body, and on account of its proportionate length, looks just as if the 

 creature had been broken in half. The object of this curious proji-rty seems to be to insure 

 the safety of the animal. The severed tail retains, or rather acquires, an extraordinary amount 

 of irritability, and for several minutes after its amputation, leaps and twists aUmt with such 

 violence, that the attention of the foe is drawn to its singular vagaries, and the Blind-worm 

 itself creeps quietly away to some place, of shelter. 



Even after the movements have ceased, they may lie again .-\cited by touching the tail 

 with a stick, or ev.-n with the finger, when it will jump alxmt w ith a vigor apparently undimin- 

 ished. On frequently repeating the process, however, the mov.-m.-nts become jierceptibly 

 lees active, and after awhile the only sign of movement xxill lie a slight convuNixe shiver. 

 Half an hour is, as far as my own experience goes, the limit to which this irritability endures. 



I well remember meeting with an incident of this nature. I had come suddenly ujx>n 

 a reptile among the rank grass and underwood, that I at first took for a viper, and at which I 

 aimed a thrust with a little twig of decaying wood, which broke at once. Immediately after the 

 thrust, something began to hop and plunge about most violently just by my feet, and having 

 y wholesome dread of a viper's fangs, I jumped back a step or two, to the great indigna- 

 tion of a swarm of bees, which had settled themselves in the ruins of on old wooden hut dose 

 to the spot. They at onoe intimated their displeasure in that wing-language to expressive to 

 all bee-owners, so* hastily tossing the writhing object to a distance with the shattered remnant 

 of the stick, I got away from the bees, and experimented for some time on the tail of the 

 Blind-worm, as it proved to be. Even the flight through the air, and the heavy fall, seemed to 

 have little or no effect upon the irritability of the severed member, and when I reached it after 

 its fall, I found it hopping about quite merrily. 



When the tail of the Blind-worn is thus snapped off, the scales of the body project all 



