296 Snake Lore. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



SNAKE-LORE SNAKES SWALLOWING FROGS SWIM- 

 MING FOND OF MILK TRAPPING SNAKES FROGS 



CLIMBING TOADS IN TREES THE BROOK THE 



HATCH kingfishers' HAUNTS. 



There are three kinds of snakes, according to the 

 cottage people — namel}', water snakes, grass snakes, 

 and black snakes. The first frequent the brooks, 

 ponds, and with3--beds ; the second live in the mounds 

 and hedges, and go out into the grass to find their 

 prey : the third are so distinguished because of a 

 darker color. The cottage people should know, as 

 they see so many during the summer ; but they have 

 simply given the same snake a different name because 

 they notice it in different places. The common snake 

 is, in fact, partial to the water, and takes to it readily. 

 It does, however, seem to be correct that some indi- 

 viduals are of a blacker hue than the rest, and so 

 have been supposed to constitute a distinct kind. 



These creatures, like eveiy other, have tlieir favor- 

 ite localities ; and, while 3'ou ma^- search whole fields 

 in vain, along one single dry sandy bank ^'ou may 

 sometimes find half a dozen, and they haunt the same 

 spot year after year. So soon as the violets push up 

 and open their sweet-scented flowers under the first 

 warm gleams of the spring sunshine, the snake ven- 



