THE SMOOTIL SNAKE. 51 
the shrubbery and was found no more. The other 
example (captured at the beginning of Auenst) also 
throve fairly well, but it did not show signs of 
becoming tame like the other. It was finally sent, 
on my son’s going to school, about the middle of 
September, to the Zoological Gardens, Regent’s Park. 
I have noticed above that a very sheht tap with a 
stick appeared to paralyse it, but that in the two 
cases there noted it soon recovered. This was not 
so, however, with the first example I ever obtained 
(‘ Zool.” 5114). Tn this case the snake never stirred, 
nor recovered in any way, after a blow, apparently 
no stronger than those from which the others soon 
ralhed. Mr Kemp- Welch (‘ Zool.” 3150) also men- 
tions the fatal effect of a slight blow. On the other 
hand, three examples subsequently taken alive, and 
which I wished to preserve as specimens, seemed quite 
unaffected by piercing through the brain with a pen- 
knife. In these cases chloroform had to be freely used 
afterwards before immersion in spirits of wine. 
“Then with regard to its food—that is probably for 
the most part the sand-lizard (Lacerta agilis) : this 
species is frequent in the same localities inhabited by 
the snake, though, as proved by Dr Blackmore (‘ Zool., 
9735), it will freely devour our other lizard, Zootoca 
viwipara, Which is also found in some of the situations 
affected by Coronella levis. In confinement it de- 
voured slow-worms as well as lizards (‘ Zool.’ (2), 1659), 
but would not touch frogs. Those which we kept in 
