THE ADDER'S SIESTA. 



the curves and crannies of the underground 

 hole where they had taken refuge. They 

 were there, of course, for their little winter 

 siesta, which occupies them for a trifle of 

 six months at a sitting. I pleaded hard for 

 their lives with the men, explaining most 

 earnestly that they would do much more 

 good than harm, from the point of view 

 of those whose talk is of beeves, and who 

 regard standing corn as the one really sacred 

 object in this beautiful universe. But I 

 need hardly say my special pleading proved 

 of no avail ; the hedgers chopped them up 

 fine before my eyes with their murderous 

 spades, on the familiar antique principle 

 of "laming them to be adders." Poor 

 helpless creatures, expiating thus unaware 

 the delicta, majorum! They would have 

 killed more mice in a week than the men 

 could catch in a summer; but they were 

 snakes for all that, and your rustic hates 

 and shrinks from snakes, et dona ferentes. 

 The adder's siesta is just as much a part 

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