58 The Humming Bird. 



I was walking by a hedgerow in company with a friend, who 

 was not a snake-lover, when I saw what seemed to be a most 

 enormous snake on the bank ; on catching it, it turned out to 

 be not one, but three snakes, two of which were fully four feet 

 long. Not having come out with the intention of snake- 

 hunting, I had no bag, but as I had caught two small snakes 

 just before, I had then improvised a bag with a pocket hand- 

 kerchief. But it was quite another thing to get the last three 

 into it, for it was no easy matter to hold the struggling reptiles 

 in one hand and to untie the handkerchief with the other. 

 My friend had speedily retreated to a safe distance as soon as 

 he saw the wriggling, hissing cluster of snakes in my hand,, 

 and it was with the greatest difficulty that I persuaded him to 

 help me make them secure. But when the handkerchief was 

 untied, the two snakes already in it darted out in different 

 directions and almost escaped ; a most exciting five minutes 

 followed, for as soon as 1 got one into the bag another would 

 get out, but eventually they were all safely tied up. 



When a snake is first captured it is apt to frighten a 

 novice, for it hisses and struggles in a most alarming manner. 

 A favourite trick of theirs is to sham death ; when they find 

 that they cannot escape from their captor, they will lie limp 

 and motionless in his hands, with the tongue hanging out 

 and the mouth open. But if laid upon the ground they will 

 instantly recover, and dart off into the undergrowth. 



The best cage for snakes is undoubtedly a fern-case, the 

 larger the better ; but still, almost any kind of box with a 

 glass top or front, and plenty of ventilation, will answer the 

 purpose. Everything should be made as natural as possible 

 with growing grass, ferns, &c. A receptacle for water should 

 be placed in the cage, for the grass snake dearly loves that 

 element, and will lie in it for hours together. A piece of 

 virgin cork is a good thing to put in for the reptile to hide 

 under, and when it wants to change it skin, will be useful for 

 it to rub against. Their favourite food consists of young 

 frogs, or, in the case of large snakes, even full-grown ones ; 

 they must be given to them alive, for they will not touch 

 them when dead. I have never known them to eat toads in 

 captivity, although I once caught a snake which shortly after- 

 wards disgorged a young toad, which was apparently none 

 the worse for its adventure. But as toads secrete an acrid 

 fluid, which causes most animals to drop them as soon as- 

 taken in the mouth, the above must have been a very unusual 

 occurrence. 



