THE SMOOTH SNAKE. 65 



Of its disposition we at present know but 

 little from experience. Mr. Bartlett says, "I 

 could not help observing that it is much more 

 fierce than the common snake ; it bit me several 

 times, but without any injury to the skin, in 

 consequence of the shortness of its teeth." 

 And this is confirmed by Dr. Opel, who says 

 that, as a rule, it is irascible and ever ready to 

 bite. In this, however, individuals vary. While 

 the two he procured from Silesia never attempted 

 to use their teeth, were particularly gentle, and 

 suffered themselves to be taken up without 

 making any effort to escape, others would bite 

 at the finger on the slightest provocation, and 

 hang on by their teeth, so that it took some 

 little violence to remove them. He makes, how- 

 ever, one very consolatory observation upon this 

 portion of his experience, to the effect that he 

 never found the slightest inflammation or other 

 ill consequence follow from the bite ; and from 

 numerous experiments he fully bears out opinions 

 elsewhere expressed, that neither mammals nor 

 birds are in the least degree affected by the bite 

 of the Coronella l&vis, or ' Smooth Snake/ 



