410 SUPPLEMENTAET NOTES, BT THE EDITOK. 



and if it thus fell within reach of the toad, he sat still ; if not, he hopped 

 spasmodically towards him until he came within reach of the bee, which 

 was at a distance from it about two inches. Then, after looking at it 

 with much gravity, he opened his great jaws, and protruded a long 

 tongue, with which he caught up the bee, and, drawing it in again, 

 instantly closed them on his victim, which he swallowed at once, but 

 with evident difficulty, for he could only accomplish it after several gulps, 

 like a dog who tries to swallowia dry substance. The toad then resumed 

 his position, and "looked out," like Dampier's booby, " for another prize." 

 I conclude that the end of the tongue of a toad is viscous, or glutinous, 

 and that the prey adheres to it, as in the case of other insectivorous 

 reptiles ; but I do not happen to have ascertained the fact by inspection. 

 — R. C. N. 



The Snake dnder Water, page 73. 



I was walking by the side of a very small brook with one of my sons, 

 when my attention was caught by the motion of a common snake (nati'ix 

 torquata), which I saw distinctly at the bottom of the water, behaving as 

 I have said. After a while I took him out with my hand, catching him 

 easily, indeed so easily that I am led to doubt whether he saw me, and, 

 therefore, whether he could see well under water, I then carried him 

 to a bare place in the part of the field near the brook, and put him on 

 the grass ; here, being ignorant, I suppose, of local bearing, instead of 

 proceeding to effect his escape by gliding away, he immediately proceeded 

 to coil himself into a ball, continually turning and involving the folds of 

 his body so as to protect his head, which he hid as carefully as he could 

 in the midst of the folds. He also emitted freely the characteristic efflu- 

 via of his species when made angry or alarmed. After a while he changed 

 his tactics, elevated his head, looked very fierce, and hissing violently, 

 darted out his forked tongue ; also, when I put my foot near him, he 

 struch at my shoe like a viper, and that several times, not only going 

 through the motion of striking, but hitting my shoe so hard a blow with 

 his head as to be distinctly audible. I have lived among snakes of the 

 same species for many years, but never saw any 0. natrix behave like 

 him.— R. C. N. 



Woodcocks, ^ajre 133. 



In the preserves of Lord Abercorn, on the borders of Hertfordshire, 

 the keepers found a woodcock's nest, on which the old bird sat very close, 

 and allowed a very near approach without moving. In order to save the 

 young ones, they determined to take effectual precautions to hinder them 

 from escaping, and, therefore, before the eggs were hatched, they sur- 

 rounded the spot at a sufficient distance with close hurdles, the inter- 

 stices in which they were careful to fill with heath. The woodcock 

 continued to set, and was visited constantly, several times in a day, until 

 one morning when she was gone, and the nest was found to be quite 

 empty. The ground within the enclosure was then examined rigidly, 

 first by the men alone, and finally with dogs, but no young woodcock 



