100 THE COMMON SNAKE. 



run upon the grass, in the court of the college ; and 

 sometimes with a swim in a large bason of water^ 

 which it seemed to enjoy very much. When this 

 gentleman left the University, he gave his bedmaker 

 orders to turn it out into the fields j which, he be- 

 lieves, was done. 



These animals prey on frogs, insects, worms, and 

 mice ; for the former of which they often go into the 

 water, where they swim with great elegance. After 

 a snake has devoured a tolerably large frog, or a 

 small bird, its prey will be seen to form a knot in its 

 body ; and it then becomes so stupid and inactive as 

 easily to be caught.— The gentleman who favoured 

 me with the preceding account of a tame snake was 

 witness to one of these animals seizing a frog. It 

 laid hold of it by surprise, by one of the legs, and 

 immediately began to swallow it. He watched 

 them for near a quarter of an hour> when the poor 

 frog cried out so piteously that he determined to 

 release it ; but in the struggle the leg and thigh 

 had been torn off and devoured. — The Common 

 Snakes are said to be particularly fond of milk, so 

 much so that they will occasionally creep into 

 dairies to drink the milk from the vessels. It is 

 even said that they will twine themselves round the 

 legs of cows to reach their udders, and that they 

 will sometimes suck them till the blood follows*. 



It is supposed to be of a species nearly allied to 

 this, called the French Snake, that an interesting. 



* La Cepede, iii. 35V 



