9736 Reptiles. 



any disgusting secretion when irritated; their voice, if! may use the 

 term, is a ditFerent lone, being softer and more feeble than either that 

 of the adder or ringed snake ; they are also far less shy and more 

 easily tamed than the common snake. On the second day after the cap- 

 ture I procured three full-sized viviparous lizards, and placed them in 

 the glass jar with the snake ; it immediately became excited, and in a 

 few minutes seized one of the lizards a little in front of the hind legs : 

 the lizard was perfectly undaunted by this procedure and returned the 

 compliment by turning and seizing with its mouth a small piece of the 

 skin about the middle of the snake's body. The snake, after twisting 

 in every direction, shifted its hold and bit the lizard across the middle 

 of the body, and finally set to work at the head, gnawing it like a dog 

 does a bone, but still, in spite of all this, the lizard held firmly on. 

 This contest lasted for more than ten minutes, and then the snake 

 seemed to consider it a bad job, and ceased biting the lizard, which, 

 having gained a victory, soon let go its hold and ran away : the poor 

 lizard had, however, suffered most in the conflict, and died the next 

 day. The snake now turned its attention to another of the lizards, 

 and this time seized it by the root of the tail, which, of course, came 

 off, and was quickly swallowed ; barely had the tip disapi)eared from 

 sight before the snake suddenly caught the tailless lizard by the head, 

 and, by the usual slow process, commenced gorging its prey, an 

 operation that took exactly sixteen minutes by my watch. In the 

 night, or early the next morning, the third lizard was eaten by the 

 same snake. 



My second capture is somewhat of an epicure, and at present has 

 consumed more tails than lizards; it does not, however, confine itself 

 entirely to tails. With regard to this same tail-eating propensity of 

 the smooth snake, I may mention that three of the viviparous lizards 

 which I caught had previously lost their tails, but in what manner is 

 of course entirely open to conjecture. 



The iridescence on the head of my specimens is very much less 

 than that noticed by Mr. F. Buckland ; indeed it is not more than 

 exists on the darker markings of the adder in certain lights. There is 

 a sliglit difference in the colour of my two snakes; the smaller and 

 more slender one is rather darker, and has less brown under the chin ; 

 it is also more active and shy. 1 think this likely to be a male, and 

 the one first caught a female; but bow can I decide without dis- 

 section ? Is there any well-marked difference in the form of certain 

 of the scales, such as Mr. Jeuyns has pointed out, in regard to the 



