SLOW WORM 



keeping perfectly still. It is probably because of this 

 that it has obtained its name of Slow Worm. I have 

 found it most frequently in Kent and Cornwall, but there 

 are few, if any, counties in which it does not occur, 

 though in several it is of local distribution. It haunts 

 commons, downs, heaths, grassy waysides, and woods, 

 and when discovered may be picked up and handled 

 without fear of any harm accruing to the captor. But 

 care must be taken not to interfere with the tail, as many 

 species of Lizards have a knack of snapping off a portion 

 of that appendage with the idea apparently of making 



good their escape. Moreover, it is a capital device for 



enabling the Slow Worm and its cousins to escape from 



natural enemies when a hold is secured of the tail end. 



The reptile, minus a part of its extremity, goes off to 



all intents and purposes no worse for its adventure, and 



its pursuer has obtained a meal. Lizards reproduce 



either by depositing eggs, or bringing forth living young. 



The present reptile comes under the last-named category. 



17 



