290 BRITISH SERPENTS. 
sticklebacks in an aquarium. He lowered his head in 
the water and opened his mouth, when the fish mis- 
took his red jaws for a piece of meat, or perhaps a 
worm, and coming near were captured. This snake 
was a small one, but had no difficulty in disposing of 
a stickleback, whether the spines of the fish (which 
are a quarter of an inch long) were erect or depressed. 
The snake is said to eat toads, and undoubtedly does 
so, but not, I believe, habitually. I have had but 
one which would touch a toad. This snake was very 
hunery and ate a little toad. About four days after- 
wards the snake died; and as there was a bright-green 
mark on his stomach, I cut him open, and there was 
the toad undigested, but a nauscous mess, dark green in 
colour; and all the tissues of the snake at this part, 
from the intestines to the skin, were discoloured. 
“The skin of this snake is generally cast entire, and 
always exceeds the length of the reptile from which it 
has been removed. IT have always found the skins of 
snakes which were captured in the fields to be more 
brightly polished than those of snakes captured among 
stones. 
“The female does not incubate her eges, but still 
she appears to have some sort of feeling of protection 
towards them; for after any of my snakes had laid 
egos they were always singularly fierce and intract- 
able, hissing violently when the litter in the cage was 
disturbed, and one of them struck at my hand when 
the eges were removed. 
