68 NOTES TO THE 



the celebrated statue of the Laocobn, and, if I recollect right, the 

 marble children in the statue are represented as about the same 

 age and size as Mr. Mann's two children. " Cleo " is a particular 

 favourite of Mrs. Mann's, and I saw a very nice photograph of 

 her, with " Cleo " coiled round her neck. I subsequently saw 

 Mrs. Mann in this attitude, with her pet snake. " Cleo," has 

 shed her skin several times, and it is curious to remark that she 

 has shed her skin ten times in two years. Mr. Mann has the 

 last skin shed. It is quite perfect, and as thin as tissue paper, 

 and I should think would make good pattern for fancy lace 

 work. 



" Cleo " feeds principally on pigeons. If a pigeon is put into 

 her cage, and she is not hungry, she seems to make friends with 

 the pigeon, and will never attempt to eat it. Should, however, 

 a fresh pigeon be put into her cage, she will devour it instantly. 

 She feeds once a fortnight, and two pigeons will about last her 

 for this time. Mr. Mann has observed that when let loose 

 " Cleo " always tries to climb upwards, whereas the Lacertine 

 always seeks the ground. " Cleo " most certainly knows her 

 master and mistress. Once, when they went out of town, " Cleo " 

 was sent away. She pined and would not feed during their 

 absence. When Mr. and Mrs. Mann returned, after six weeks' 

 absence, " Cleo," on hearing her mistress's voice, instantly 

 rushed out of her box, curled herself round her, and kissed her 

 face. She evidently recognised her kind friends and protectors. 



Mr. Mann has also a large Indian python, but this snake is 

 not very well, and has private apartments to itself in a leather 

 carpet-bag. The snakes will feed out of Mr. Mann's hand. The 

 common snakes eat frogs, and frogs only ; the Lacertine eats 

 white mice ; the python delights in guinea-pigs. -Altogether I 

 was exceedingly pleased with Mr. Mann's collection of snakes. 

 By his very successful snake-taming he has opened up quite a 

 new chapter in natural history, and has shown what persevering 

 kindness will do in taming snakes, poor creatures which have 

 hitherto been thought to have little or no intelligence. 



"6* 



SONG THRUSH, p. 90 This bird " forms its nest of dry grass 

 firmly agglomerated with clay, to which rotten wood or cow-dung 

 is often added. The nest differs from that of most birds in being 

 hard and firm inside. A well-made nest of this bird's will hold 

 water, and the boughs on which it is placed often sprout. The 

 eggs of the song thrush are of a fine blue, with perhaps a slight. 

 tinge of green. They vary greatly in size. They are generally 

 marked with black spots, but I have four eggs marked with 

 ochre spots. A zone of spots is rare in this species, as in all the 



