THE SCHAAP-STICKER. 



I2 S 



As an example of the first family of these Serpents, we may take the common BROWN 

 SNAKE of America (Conocephalus stridtus). 



This reptile is quite harmless, and is plentiful in many portions of America, having 

 rather a wide range of locality. Although common it is not conspicuous, for its small 

 dimensions, its sombre hue, and its retiring habits serve to conceal it from the general 

 gaze. It is usually found hiding under the bark of trees, in stone heaps, or among the 

 crevices of rocky ground, choosing those localities because it feeds principally on 

 insect prey, and can find abundance of food in such places. Its color is grayish brown 

 above and white below. It is a small species, rarely reaching eleven inches in length. 



THE large family of the Coronellidae contains many curious Serpents, among which 

 may be mentioned the well-known SCHAAP-STICKER of Southern Africa. 



This Snake has a rather wide range of country, being spread over nearly the whole 

 of Southern Africa, and very common at the Cape of Good Hope. It is a handsome 

 little reptile, prettily marked, and brisk and lively in its movements, as is required for 



SCHAAP-STICKER. Psammopbj'lax rbombeatus. 



the purpose of catching the agile prey on which it feeds. The Schaap-sticker lives 

 mostly on insects and small lizards, and darts upon them with great swiftness of move- 

 ment. It is generally found crawling among heaps of dead leaves, or trailing its 

 variegated form over grassy banks, where it finds the prey on which it subsists. 



The color of this Serpent is extremely variable, and decidedly different in the old 

 and young. In the young specimen, the spots that ornament the back are darker than 

 in the adult, and there is generally a little wash of green over the surface. The general 

 color of this Snake is brown, with a grayish or golden tint according to the individual. 

 Along the back run several rows, usually three or four in number, of dusky spots, gen- 

 erally of a somewhat oval or rhombic form, and edged with deep black. In one speci- 

 men in the British Museum, the spots have coalesced so as to form three continuous 

 bands running along the body. The length of the Schaap-sticker is about two feet. 



ANOTHER species belonging to this family (Coronella Austriaca) has been once or 

 wice captured in England, but its occurrence is extremely rare. In two cases where 



