CHAPTER X 

 BRITISH REPTILES 



ADDER GRASS SNAKE SLOW WORM LIZARD 



Many people, for some reason best known to 

 themselves, do not like Snakes, Newts, Frogs, 

 Toads, Earwigs, and many other creeping and 

 crawling things. Miss Marie Corelli, in an intro- 

 duction to one of my books, has wisely said that 

 she always rather mistrusts not only young, but 

 grown-up people, who are afraid of Dogs, who 

 care nothing for Birds, and who utter exclama- 

 tions of repulsion or disgust at the sight of a Mouse 

 or a Spider! They do not seem (says Miss Corelli) 

 exactly " all right," as the phrase goes — for if we 

 are sane and healthy we must be well aware that 

 there are very few creatures that will do us any 

 harm unless we provoke them to self-defence. 



With these wise words from the pen of one of 

 our most delightful and gifted writers, I feel sure 

 all my readers will agree, and I am tempted to 

 write thus because of the subjects chosen for this 

 chapter. 



Whilst the Grass Snake is quite harmless, and 

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