HABITS OF A SMALL SNAKE IN CAPTIVITY. 553 



is of course at once distinguished by its delicate bluisli-green colour. 

 I have often seen the two crossing each other's paths without exhibit- 

 ing any hostile propensities, although the grass snake is said to fight 

 desperately at tin).es with the ringed snake and other small species. 



My little captive appeared to accommodate itself to its prison veiy 

 readily. It would lie coiled up and almost invisible among the grass, 

 or hang suspended from some of the grassy stalks, during many con- 

 secutive hours, and would then become for a time exceedingly active, 

 twisting itself very rapidly throiigh the stalks, and gliding backwards 

 and forwards from one end of the bottle to the other. It very rarely 

 left its grassy cover, however, and entered the empty bottle ; but now 

 and then it did so. When hanguag motionless, and especially during 

 pauses in its perambulations, it kept up a constant protrusion and 

 withdrawal of its forked tongue. As a rule, the tongue was darted 

 straight out, and was then drawn back with two or three rapid lateral 

 vibrations, and this movement was sometimes maintained for hours 

 together. The little creature never seemed to exhibit any fear, btit it 

 evidently tried to conceal itself at times aniong the grass ; and when I 

 first had it, I thought occasionally that some one must have opened the 

 bottle during my absence, and let the creature escape, as I frequently 

 looked for it without detecting its presence for several minutes, so 

 closely did its body resemble the half withered grass and stalks 

 amongst which it had twisted itself. To some extent also, I am sure, 

 there was a slight adaptation in colour to the objects in contact with 

 different portions of its skin, more especially when the sun was 

 shining strongly upon it. During the entire winter it never exhibited 

 the slightest disposition to hybernate, although the bottle on several 

 occasions was exposed accidentally to a very low temperature. 



I tried it with all kinds of food, but during the seven months that 

 it remained in my possession, I never saw it eat the slightest particle. 

 It took not the slightest notice of flies, spiders, and other insects ; and 

 I have seen a large fly settle on the outer cornea of one of its eyes, 

 and remain there for some minutes, apparently unobserved. It drank, 

 however, constantly, scooping up the water, and then raising its head 

 to swallow, exactly in the manner of a bird — the tongue taking no 

 part in the operation. Milk it would not touch ; and on one occasion 

 when I placed a drop of honey on its snout, it shewed signs of irri- 

 tation, and rubbed off the honey immediately against the grass and 

 the sides of the bottle. 



