338 THE ROLL OF THE SEASONS 



by, and there is no particular reason for going 

 farther afield. 



All the snakes seen have, of course, been great 

 ones, for in this respect the unkilled snake resembles 

 the nearly caught fish. Still, there has not been the 

 huge one that the keeper saw on the rabbit-bank 

 last year. When you see a snake in the yard, 

 there is always the chance that it may come to 

 book and be measured in inches. One of the largest 

 is still somewhere in the pumpkin-bed, for it left 

 the other day its o\vn accurate measurement in the 

 shape of a cast skin, perfect from snout to tail-tip. 

 Its length unstretched is a trifle over three feet six. 

 What must its age be ? Our seven-inch eggling 

 (which, once out, could never be got into the egg 

 again), will be at least twice as long and three times 

 as heavy before it goes into winter quarters. Even 

 then it will be smaller than almost any snake that 

 you meet with in spring, when you can with care 

 see all the snakes there are. It should pass its 

 second foot by midsummer, and if the rate of 

 growth is nearly maintained should be in its second 

 summer almost as big as the monster of our pumpkin- 

 patch. Snakes undoubtedly, like fish, grow with a 

 rapidity proportioned to the plenty of their food, 

 and with abundance soon reach their maximum 

 size. On the other hand, there is no more accom- 

 plished starver than the snake. It can go for months 

 without food, though, of course, it must meanwhile 

 forgo the pleasure of growing. We have no means 

 of knowing what age a grass-snake will reach. We 

 have not the habit in our country of allowing a 

 snake to haunt one spot for many years or even days. 



