7 THE LOG OF THE SUN 



dozen harmless species, the commonest, of course, 

 being the garter snake and its near relative the 

 ribbon snake. 



About this time of the year snakes begin to feel 

 the thawing effect of the sun's rays and to stir in 

 their long winter hibernation. Sometimes we will 

 come upon a ball of six or eight intertwined 

 snakes, which, if they are still frozen up, will lie 

 motionless upon the ground. But when spring 

 finally unclasps the seal which has been put upon 

 tree and ground, these reptiles stretch themselves 

 full length upon some exposed stone, where they 

 lie basking in the sun. 



The process of shedding the skin soon begins ; 

 getting clear of the head part, eye-scales and all, 

 the serpent slowly wriggles its way forward, 

 escaping from the old skin as a finger is drawn 

 from a glove. At last it crawls away, bright and 

 shining in its new scaly coat, leaving behind it a 

 spectral likeness of itself, which slowly sinks and 

 disintegrates amid the dead leaves and moss, or, 

 later in the year, it may perhaps be discovered by 

 some crested flycatcher and carried off to be added 

 to its nesting material. 



When the broods of twenty to thirty young 

 garter snakes start out in life to hunt for them- 

 selves, then woe to the earthworms, for it is upon 

 them that the little serpents chiefly feed. 



Six or seven of our native species of snakes lay 

 eggs, usually depositing them under the bark of 



