THE FAUNA OF THE MOOR 125 



black lines, and black below. Over the scales there is, 

 as in other reptiles, a thin layer of epidermis, which is 

 shed or moulted periodically. It is polished in the 

 Slow Worm and is shed in flakes, whereas in Snakes 

 it comes off all in a piece as the " slough," which is 

 turned inside out from the head backwards. 



On the top of the skull there is a tiny mark which 

 indicates the position of a remarkable body, the 

 parietal organ, that grows upwards from the brain 

 in many backboned animals. In the New Zealand 

 " Lizard," Sphenodon, which is the only surviving 

 representative of a lost race, the parietal organ has 

 distinct traces of being an eye, and there is some hint 

 of this in the Slow Worm. It seems to be a sense 

 organ, and some have suggested that it has to do 

 with feeling changes of temperature. 



Slow Worms hunt on the moor during the day 1 , 

 seeking for Earthworms and Slugs, Insects and 

 Spiders, and other small animals. They catch them in 

 their fang-like teeth. Neither young nor old like the 

 glare of the sun, but warmth seems to be appreciated, 

 and one sometimes gets a glimpse of a full-grown 

 Slow Worm basking curled up on a bank. A glimpse 

 is all one usually gets, for the Slow Worms seem 

 sensitive even to a shadow. When frightened they 

 glide very quickly into shelter, among loose stones or 

 into a hole or among the herbage and moss. In such 

 places they also pass the night. When winter comes 

 they burrow into the dry ground, being careful to 

 select a well-drained, sunny, and secluded spot. A 

 number of them are found in the same winter quarters, 

 lying close together in a lethargic state corresponding 

 to the hibernation of some Mammals. 



