NOTES AND QUERIES. 159 



Weights of Birds. — Mr. Bradshaw's notes upon the weights of birds 

 (ante, pp. Ill, 1J2) are very interesting. I have from time to time made 

 note of birds more than usually heavy ; some of these are as follows : — 



September, 1880. — Great Snipe, 7 oz., 7^ oz., and 7k oz. (Lubbock, 

 ' Fauna of Norfolk,' mentions one of 10 oz.) Very poor example in Sept. 

 1900, 5 oz. 



November, 1881. — Grey Plover, 10 oz. Lapwing, 10 oz. Common 

 Snipe, 5 oz. (I weighed another, Nov. 1891, 6J oz.). Woodcock, 11 oz. 

 (I weighed another, Jan. 1890, 15 oz.). 



December, 1899.— Curlew, 2 lb. 4 oz. (ante, p. 104). 



December, 1900. — Golden Plover, 9^ oz. 



December, 1899.— Stock-Dove, 15^ oz. (c/. Zool. 1900, p. 534).— 

 A. Pattebson (Ibis House, Great Yarmouth). 



BEPTILIA. 

 Notes on the Leopard Snake in Confinement. — For the last twelve 

 months I have had in my possession a specimen of the Leopard Snake 

 (Coluber leopardinm). Although declared by most people who are interested 

 in Snakes to be a shy feeder, and also a delicate species, my specimen has 

 up to the present proved quite the reverse. I thought during the present 

 winter I would allow it to hibernate; so about the end of October, during a 

 spell of rather severe weather, I packed it away, together with a number of 

 English Ringed Snakes (Tropidonotus natrix) and an ^sculapian Snake 

 (Coluber cBsculapii), and placed them in a rather cool situation. In a 

 month's time I unpacked them to see if hibernation had taken place, and 

 found it had done so in the case of the Ringed Snakes and the ^sculapian, 

 but the Leopard Snake still seemed quite lively. As the weather was now 

 milder, I placed it in a vivarium, and supplied it with water, of which it 

 drank freely. All through the winter it has been in a room, in which there 

 is no fire or any kind of artificial heat of any sort ; but, although we have 

 had spells of very severe weather, it has not hibernated, and most of the 

 time has remained in a lively condition. During the last five months it 

 has not eaten anything, though I have seen it drinking several times. Its 

 food during last summer consisted of tame Mice, of which it has eaten six- 

 teen or eighteen, the largest meal consisting of four half-grown Mice. Its 

 last meal, which consisted of two Mice, it disgorged 'about five days after- 

 wards. In most cases the Mice were held in the coils till dead, but on 

 several occasions they were eaten alive. The first time I saw it feed it con- 

 stricted one Mouse, and held it in its coils whilst it caught and devoured a 

 second one, which was swallowed alive. During the time it has been in my 

 possession it has changed its skin twice at intervals of seven or eight weeks ; 

 in each case the cuticle was cast entire. My specimen is very gentle and 



