ZOOLOGY. 



131 



April, but did not feed for several weeks afterwards ; their 

 food was winged insects, and worms ; the flies they caught 

 with great adroitness, watching with much patience till any 

 settled on the wire of the cage, or on a tuft of grass that 

 was within, when they were at a proper distance, the Snakes 

 darted out their tongues, and the flies were affixed to them 

 (by a viscid exudation) in an instant ; however long they 

 might have been without food, I never saw one attempt to 

 swallow or even notice dead flies that were often put into 

 the cage for the purpose of experiment. 



One of them died late in the year, and the other became 

 torpid as before, but did not recover from its torpidity at the 

 return of spring. I therefore took it out to examine, but 

 found it to ail appearance dead, yet still quite plump and 

 flexible ; this was towards the end of April ; it was then re- 

 turned to its cage, and it escaped further notice till after the 

 twenty-fourth of May, when on again inspecting it, the skin 

 appeared loose, and the flesh had shrunk considerably, 

 though its flexibility was still preserved ; it was then exposed 

 in a situation where it was in the influence of the sun, during 

 the whole day, but no change taking place, I considered it 

 dead, and placed it in a glass jar, which I filled with a 

 solution of Allum, and Spirit of Wine, this was in the 

 evening, on going into my room the next morning, I was 

 shocked to see the poor animal alive, seemingly in great 

 agony ; its eyes and mouth open, but both covered with a 

 thick film ; I immediately poured ofl'the solution, and in its 

 place, filled the glass with pure rectified spiritj wluch in vt. 

 few minutes killed it. 



