SNAKES 129 



body invariably number nineteen. In coloration the 

 Grass Snake is very variable ; the typical form of England 

 and Central Europe is grey, olive, or brov^^n above, w^ith 

 black spots or narrow cross-bands ; a white, yellow, or 

 orange, sometimes interrupted, collar is situated on the 

 nape, and is bordered behind by two black triangular or 

 crescentic patches ; the under-surfaces are checkered black- 

 and-white, or grey. In Jersey and the Spanish Peninsula 

 the collar-marking, which is invariably present in the quite 

 young, is very much reduced, or even entirely absent in 

 the adult. In Italy, South-Eastern Europe, and Asia 

 Minor, another variety occurs, in which the collar, al- 

 though well-defined, is widely interrupted in the middle, 

 while a yellow or orange stripe extends along each side of 

 the back. Specimens from Corsica and Sardinia are grey 

 or olive above, with the black markings confluent into more 

 or less regular annuli ; the collar is absent, being trans- 

 formed into the first annulus. 



Although often found in the neighbourhood of water, 

 the Grass Snake is not nearly so aquatic as most other 

 members of its genus, being sometimes met with at great 

 distances from water, and captive specimens do not thrive 

 if kept in very humid surroundings, developing sores and 

 refusing to feed. When freshly caught it hisses loudly 

 without biting, but emits a very powerful and disagreeable 

 odour from its anal glands, upon which it relies as a means 

 of defence. The food of adult specimens consists of frogs, 

 toads, and fishes ; that of the young of earthworms and 

 the larvae or young of various Batrachians. 



The Grass Snake pairs during the months of April and 

 May, the eggs, ten to forty-five in number, which are 



K 



