ever happens. The serpent kind eat, I believe, but 

 once in a year ; or, rather, but only just at one sea- 

 son of the year. Country people talk much of a 

 water-snake, but, I am pretty sure, without any 

 reason ; for the common snake {Coluber natrix) de- 

 lights much to sport in the water, perhaps with a 

 view to procure frogs and other food. 



I cannot well guess how you are to make out 

 your twelve species of reptiles, unless it be the va- 

 rious species, or rather varieties, of our Lacerti, of 

 which Ray enumerates five. I have not had oppor- 

 tunity of ascertaining these; but remember well to 

 have seen, formerly, several beautiful green Lacerti 

 on the sunny sandbanks near Farnham, in Surrey ; 

 and Ray admits there are such in Ireland. 



Selborne, y^^;/^ i8, 1768. 



LETTER XVIII. 

 To Thomas Pennant, Esq. 



I RECEIVED your obliging and communicative 



letter of June the 28th, while I was on a visit at a 



gentleman's house, where I had neither books to 



turn to nor leisure to sit down to return 3^ou an 



answer to many queries, which I wanted to resolve 



in the best manner that I am able. 



A person, by my order, has searched our brooks, 



70 



