442 The Natural History of Selborne 



pair of spectacles. The reptile, at the time of changing his coat, 

 had entangled himself intricately in the grass and weeds, so that 

 the friction of the stalks and blades might promote this curious 

 shifting of his exuviae. 



Lubrica serpens 



Exuit in spinis vestem" LUCRET. 



It would be a most entertaining sight could a person be an eye- 

 witness to such a feat, and see the snake in the act of changing his 

 garment. As the convexity of the scales of the eyes in the slough 

 is now inward, that circumstance alone is a proof that the skin has 

 been turned : not to mention that now the present inside is much 

 darker than the outer. If you look through the scales of the 

 snake's eyes from the concave side, viz. as the reptile used them, 

 they lessen objects much. Thus it appears from what has been 

 said, that snakes crawl out of the mouth of their own sloughs, and 

 quit the tail part last, just as eels are skinned by a cook maid. 

 While the scales of the eyes are growing loose, and a new skin is 

 forming, the creature, in appearance, must be blind, and feel itself 

 in an awkward, uneasy situation. WHITE. 



I have seen many sloughs or skins of snakes entire, after they 

 have cast them off ; and once in particular I remember to have 

 found one of these sloughs so intricately interwoven amongst some 

 brakes, that it was with difficulty removed without being broken : 

 this undoubtedly was done by the creature to assist in getting rid of 

 its incumbrance. 



I have great reason to suppose that the eft or common lizard 

 also casts its skin or slough, but not entire like the snake ; for on 

 the 3oth of March, 1777, I saw one with something ragged hanging 

 to it, which appeared to be part of its old skin. MARKWICK. 



