174 FETIDNESS OF COMMON SNAKE. [PART II. 



Snake under provocation. Of its lasting proper- 

 ties I suffered the following unpleasant proof. 



Having once found two lying coiled up close 

 together, I disabled them both by grounding 

 the butt of my gun on them, only using it, I 

 think (so far as they were concerned), for that 

 one blow. The butt however became in conse- 

 quence of it so thoroughly impregnated with their 

 fetid stink, that I could hardly bear to use the 

 gun for weeks afterwards. Were I to say that 

 the smell was disagreeably perceptible on it for 

 a good many months, I believe I should not be 

 in the least over-stating the case. 



As one of our garden-men was, a few years 

 ago, passing by a small stream forming the com- 

 munication between two ponds, his attention was 

 attracted by an unusual splashing in it. On going 

 to the spot, he found this was occasioned by a 

 violent struggle between a Common Snake of some 

 twenty inches in length, and an Eel about two- 

 thirds of his own size, which he was using his 

 utmost endeavours to swallow, and had actually 

 succeeded in getting half-way down his throat, 

 while the Eel was still making frantic exertions 

 with the extant part of his tail, in his futile 

 attempts to escape. The man put an end to the 



