














142 DO SNAKES SWALLOW THEIR YOUNG? 
by the fact, that the Rattlesnake and the Vipers are oy 
viviparous ; that is, their young are hatched from the eggs 
while still in the body of the parent, and come into the 
world perfectly formed. The Water-adder and the common 
Striped-snake are probably also ovo-viviparous, but of this 
we are not sure. The common snake of England, the rep 
resentative of our Striped-snake, is supposed to be wholly | 
an oviparous species. And our Striped-snake may be the 
_ same under natural circumstances, though one kept in a box | 
gave birth to a number of living young, about the last of | 
August; but this snake had been in confinement for a long” 
time, and may have retained her eggs in the oviducts much | 
longer than the natural period, owing to the want oft 
proper place in which to deposit them. All possible meas | 
were tried to induce this snake to take the young into her | 
mouth but without success, though this may be accounted ; 
for by the supposition that the snake was so tame that she 
could not be easily frightened, or, if really an oviparous spè i 
cies, that it was not her habit. eo 
We have never known that our Black-snake, Green-snakê, 
Little Brown-snake, and other oviparous species, have ¢ 
been supposed to swallow their young. Neither have | 
seen any account of such an occurrence in the common snake 
of Europe. 
There is little doubt but that many of the suppose 
instances of young snakes having been swallowed by : 
parent are owing solely to the fact that some species 
forth fully developed young; for the statement is 0% 
made by persons that they “know snakes sw 
young, for they have killed an old snake and found | 
young ones in her ;” but, on being asked if they were 
the young snakes had ever been born, it was found that g 
had taken that for granted, supposing that all snakes # 
eggs, and that hence the young found inside the mother m 
have been swallowed. This is mentioned to call attention, 
the care with which the examination of snakes foun 
