72 WASTE-LAND WANDERINGS. 



stuffs as were suited for a comfortable bed. I am dis- 

 posed to believe that water-snakes gather these bunches 

 of dead grass and leaves, rather than trust to finding a 

 suitable hap-hazard accumulation. It is true, I never 

 surprised one of them while at work, but base my sug- 

 gestion primarily upon the fact of the uniformity of the 

 materials. Drifted rubbish, I take it, would be of a 

 more mixed character. 



Again, I have had for some weeks an exquisite little 

 green snake in a Wardian case. It has chosen one cor- 

 ner for its resting-place, and has arranged the mosses in 

 such a neat fashion that nest-building in a primitive way 

 seems to be a practice with some serpents. My little 

 green snake had hard work to remove one obstacle, but 

 by dint of pushing and prying finally succeeded, and 

 worked more ingeniously than if it had carried materials 

 in its mouth, as a water-snake would have to do. So 

 much for a snake's bed : does its occupant ever think ? 

 What transpires in its brain, as it stares you so boldly in 

 the face ? I wish the problem could be solved. If not 

 intelligence, what can it be that gives such a meaning 

 expression to its glistening eyes ? 



The snake's raft and my boat came slowly together. 

 Reclining at full length, I leaned over the bow, and in 

 a few seconds was within reach. Very deliberately I 

 moved my hand over the gunwale and reached outward. 

 The snake was watching my hand rather than me. It 

 did not dart its pretty tongue, but stared. I reached to 

 within six inches of its body, and was about to clasp my 

 fingers over one of its coils, when with a lightning-like 

 snap it bit my thumb severely, released its hold, and was 



