50 



OPHIDIAN EEPTILES. 



which they love to plunge ; hence they are sometimes called Water 

 Serpents, Swimming Serpents, Hedge Eels, and other provincial 

 synonyms. They sometimes attain to as much as and more than a 

 yard in length. The summit of their head is covered with nine 

 large scales, disposed in four rings. The upper part of the body is 

 of a more or less darkish grey colour, marked on each side with 

 irregular black spots. Between the two rows of spots are two 

 other longitudinal rows, which extend from the head to the tail. 

 The belly varies from black to a bluish white. Upon the neck 

 are two whitish or pale yellowish spots, which form a kind of half 

 collar or ring, from which its name is derived ; these two spots 



Tig. 11. Kinged Snake (Tropidonotus natrix). 



become much more apparent from being contrasted with two 

 other very dark triangular spots placed near them. They prey 

 upon lizards, frogs, and mice, and they even surprise young 

 birds, and devour the eggs in their nests, for they climb trees with 

 facility. Towards the end of the autumn they seek the warmest 

 places, approaching near to houses ; or they retire into subter- 

 ranean holes, often at the bottom of some hedge, which is 

 almost always in an elevated place, secure from inundations. 

 The Ringed Snake is found in nearly all European countries, 

 and can be handled without danger. Lacepede gives some 

 interesting details, showing the gentleness of its habits. They 



