" It grows to a length of from thirty to thirty-six inches." 



THE COMMON, OR RINGED SNAKE 



HIS creature is far commoner 

 in many parts of Britain 

 than the general public 

 would imagine. I have met 

 with it in the outer suburbs 

 both on the northern and 

 southern sides of London, 

 and some years ago had a 

 young one brought to me that had been 

 picked up in a street close to Ludgate 

 Hill. It had in all probability been 

 conveyed thither from the country in- 

 side a roll of printing paper. 



The Grass or Water Snake, as it is also 

 sometimes called, frequents low, damp 

 meadows, moist woods and tangled 

 hedgerows growing in the neighbour- 

 hood of ponds, but may frequently be 

 met with far from water of any kind. 

 It grows to a length of from thirty 

 to thirty-six inches, and occasionally 

 even longer specimens are found. The 

 general coloration of the upper parts 

 of the reptile's body is light brownish- 

 grey, tinged with green, and marked 



with two rows of black spots. Im- 

 mediately behind the head there is a 

 broad band, or two curved spots of 

 bright yellow, and this fact, together 

 with its longer and more attenuated 

 tail, readily distinguish it from the 

 viper or adder, even when only a 

 momentary glance of it is obtained. 



The Common Snake casts its skin 

 several times during the course of the 

 summer, and looks very beautiful when 

 the sun is shining upon its new coat of 

 scales. 



It swims with ease and expedition. 

 In the water it catches frogs and 

 small fishes, and, upon land, toads, 

 lizards, mice, and small birds. I do not 

 think, however, that it climbs bushes 

 in order to rob birds' nests. On one 

 occasion I surprised a member of this 

 species in the act of swallowing a large 

 toad, and Bell records the fact that he 

 has heard a frog croak several minutes 

 after it had been swallowed by its 

 captor. 



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