82 



ETON NATURE-STUDY 



Attention may be drawn also to reptiles in their natural 

 conditions. Much remains to be discovered with regard to the 

 habits of our six British reptiles,* and valuable information could 

 be gathered by nature students as to the localities where they are 

 to be found. This would be the first step towards finding the 



reasons why they 

 appear in one place 

 and not in another. 

 Local sports and 

 variations in colour 

 again, to which it 

 would seem that 

 all our reptiles are 

 liable, might also be 

 recorded. So little 

 do we know of the 

 smooth snake, that 

 any recorded obser- 

 vation by those who 

 are fortunate enough 



to live in the counties where it is found would be of the greatest 

 possible interest. It is alleged that this snake mimics to some 

 extent the viper in its colouration, and adds to the illusion by 

 flattening its jaws so as to give the head a broader outline, but 

 proofs are wanting.! 



Lastly, we would urge upon nature students, who feel inclined 



* See " Reptile Studies " by Dr Gerald Leighton, which appeared in the Field. 

 Naturalist's Quarterly in 1902. 



+ One of us has independently noted a similar habit on the part of some examples of 

 the common snake. 



From a photograph by Her. S. Cornish Watkins. 



FIGURE 92. A Viviparous Lizard. 



