BLIND-WORM. 45 



in two either by a blow or an attempt to bend it. Hence 

 it acquired the specific name of fragilis, applied to it by 

 Linneus. This property, however, is not peculiar to the 

 present species : the Glass-snake, as it is called, an Ame- 

 rican species, has derived its name from a similar circum- 

 stance. Like the Viper, and, in a less degree, also the 

 Common Snake, this species is not easily induced to feed 

 in a state of confinement. I have kept them repeatedly, 

 and have offered them young frogs and insects, but with- 

 out being able to induce them to take them. That this 

 failure, however, was rather due to my ignorance of their 

 favourite food than to any disinclination on their parts 

 to feed in captivity, the following note by Mr. George 

 Daniel in Mr. Bennett's edition of White's Selborne suf- 

 ficiently testifies. 



" A Blind-worm that I kept alive for nine weeks, would, 

 when touched, turn and bite, although not very sharply ; 

 its bite was not sufficient to draw blood, but it always re- 

 tained its hold until released. It drank sparingly of milk, 

 raising the head when drinking. It fed upon the little 

 white slug (Limax agrestis, Linn.) so common in fields and 

 gardens, eating six or seven of them, one after the other; 

 but it did not eat every day. It invariably took them in 

 one position. Elevating its head slowly above its victim, 

 it would suddenly seize the slug by the middle, in the same 

 way that a ferret or dog will generally take a rat by the 

 loins ; it would then hold it thus sometimes for more than 

 a minute, when it would pass its prey through its jaws, 

 and swallow the slug head foremost. It refused the larger 

 slugs, and would not touch either young frogs or mice. 

 Snakes kept in the same cage took both frogs and mice. 

 The Blind- worm avoided the water; the Snakes, on the 

 contrary, coiled themselves in the pan containing water 



