36 BRITISH SERPENTS. 
how did they get into the house? But after I had 
got these full and careful reports from my correspond- 
ents there was not much of a problem then left to 
solve. 
No doubt the headquarters of this colony of ring 
snakes is in the old quarry. From there they have 
Fic, 7.—Eacs rouND IN THE OLD WALL. 
nothing to prevent them getting round to the back 
of the houses, and the wet ditch is the place they 
would naturally make for. Given a hole in the 
back wall of house No. 2, and the entrance is sufti- 
ciently obvious. From the fact that these twenty- 
two made their appearance all at once, I think that 
