THE LIZARDS 159 



blinking eyes and well-formed ear-openings, seems in- 

 congruous when compared with the limbless body. In 

 its locomotion the animal is stiif and ungraceful, utterly 

 unlike the sinuous movements of a snake. When a 

 Glass "Snake" is handled it really appears to creak in 

 the tight-fitting, bony armor; if grasped by the tail it 

 disengages that organ with a single twist, no blood 

 attending the shedding of an organ that thrashes in 

 livelier fashion than when attached to the original pos- 

 sessor. It is almost needless to say that the story of 

 the Glass "Snake" hunting up the discarded tail, or 

 vice versa^ with a view of patching up matters, is purely 

 fallacious. 



Captive Glass "Snakes" are intelligent reptiles, be- 

 coming keen observers of one's movements. They will 

 advance from a far corner of their cage and take food 

 from the hand, evincing a studied care not to bite the 

 fingers holding the morsel. The bright yellow eyes not 

 only seem sharp and cunning; they are actually keen 

 of vision. The writer feeds his specimens small pieces 

 of raw beef stirred in well-beaten egg. This, varied 

 with a diet of meal worms, keeps them flourishing for 

 years. They will break the eggs of small birds — even 

 those as large as a pigeon, then lap up the contents with 

 their flat, nicked tongues. Their j aws are powerful and 

 they do not hesitate to attack small mammals like mice 

 and young rats, giving the prej^ a few vigorous shakes, 

 biting hard at the same time. The prey is swalloAved 

 practically entire, in an awkward, gulping fashion. 



The American Glass '''Snake," O. ventralis, while 

 a considerably smaller animal than its European ally, is 

 a much prettier species. It more properly deserves the 

 title of glass snake. ISTot only is the tail more brittle; 

 the scales of the body and tail have a highly polished 



