340 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



year to year, and I note the year 1888 as one in which it was 

 exceptionally common. It is found in all parts of the country, 

 and is not rare near the town of Karlsruhe (Wild-park, Dur- 

 lacher-wald, Beiertheim, &c.) On March 30th, 1884-an early 

 date— I observed one lying on the ground in the neighbouring 

 Hardwald beside a large Hedgehog ; both animals were torpid 

 with the cold, and the Hedgehog had evidently not the strength 

 to begin its meal. T. natrix seems to be more susceptible than 

 the Smooth Snake to sudden changes of temperature, and when 

 overtaken by violent thunderstorms in summer, during which 

 the thermometer often falls several degrees a minute, it may be 

 found lying drowsy and benumbed by the roadside. I have 

 found this species common in the Ehine Woods (Maxau, Forch- 

 heim, Neureuth, Eggenstein), as well as on the hills round 

 Karlsruhe (Durlach, Steinbach, &c), on the Kaiserstuhl and the 

 Black Forest. In Elsass and the Bavarian Palatinate I have 

 met with it once or twice — at Dahn, and several times near 

 Worth; but it is generally considered to be scarcer here now 

 than formerly, notably in the northern parts. The same 

 decrease has been reported from other parts of Germany, and 

 has been attributed to its oviparous habits, which do not allow 

 it the amount of independence required nowadays. 



2. Tropidonotus tessellatus, Laur. — This species occurs in so 

 many countries around Baden that I still cherish the hope it 

 may turn up somewhere within the Grand Duchy. It was first 

 discovered in Germany, near Ems, in 1819, by v. Heyden, who 

 considered it to have been introduced by the Romans, like the 

 iEsculap Snake.* Since then it has been obtained at several 

 localities in the Middle Bhine district : St. Goar, Boppard, 

 Loreley ; and in 1871 was first mentioned from the neighbour- 

 hood of Kreuznach, where it appears to be sufficiently abundant, 

 frequenting chiefly those parts of the river where hot springs 

 issue from the ground, and living on fish. In the countries to 

 the south and east of Baden it is found nowhere nearer than 

 Southern Switzerland, Tirol, Lower Austria, and Bohemia. 



Like Tropidonotus natrix, there are two varieties, distin- 

 guished by their respectively brown or grey predominating tints 

 on the upper surfaces. They never occur in equal proportions, 



* Fatio similarly thus accounts for the presence of this and the following 

 species in certain portions of Switzerland. 



