26 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



quickly to get the buzzing out of my ears. Perhaps the stings of the bees 

 were powerless against the mail coats of the uninvited guests. I have heard 

 of a Fieldmouse living in the same hole of a hedgebank, with a colony of 

 wasps, which is more remarkable still. 



The Blindworm occurs commonly in all parts of England, from the Isle of 

 Wight to the Yorkshire Moors. [I have found the Blindworm at Black 

 Hall Rocks, midway between Hartlepool and Castle Eden Dene, in the 

 County of Durham. — J.E.R.] In Wales and Scotland it is also found, 

 but not in Ireland. No snaky-looking reptiles dare trespass on the soil of 

 the Emerald Isle. 



The Blindworm is one of the first reptiles seen abroad by the naturalist 

 and country rambler in his early spring walks, The sunny days of March 

 bring it forth from its retreat, and it may then be seen basking in the sun on 

 dry banks, and similar places. Like the common Lizard it has a very great 

 liking for warmth, and I have found it in sunny and frequented wood-paths, 

 lying fast asleep, totally unsuspicious of danger. It is usually seen gliding 

 about the herbage in coppices and hedgerows, or else curled up in its peculiar 

 knot in some warm spot. On a footstep approaching it, it will glide off 

 quickly enough if it be among grass or herbage, but if on a smooth path it will 

 proceed but slowly. I met one in a woodland path, where it could scarcely 

 move half a dozen inches till put among the flowers and ferns, when it soon 

 made its escape. The provincial name of " Slowworm" given to this reptile, 

 though appropriate in some cases, is as a rule very wrongly applied, as local 

 names often are. As the Blindworm glides about its haunts, it is on the look- 

 out for food, which seems to consist entirely of the little grey and white 

 slugs, with perhaps a few insects occasionally. In confinement it has also 

 been known to eat Earthworms. Eating with the Blindworm is a gradual 

 operation. 



This reptile, like its distant relation, the common Lizard {Vide Tomg 

 Naturalist, Yol. 5, p. 247), is remarkable for the fragility of its tail. When 

 seized or struck suddenly, it oftentimes snaps itself in two, that is, the tail 

 part separates from the body, the latter generally making its escape, and the 

 tail part jumping, twisting, and wriggling about for a long time. When, 

 however, the reptile is handled gently and cautiously no such results happen 

 according to my experience. Another tail grows again in course of time, 

 but it never equals the original in appearance, being short, thick and stumpy. 



Like other reptiles, the Blindworm changes its skin, but it does not devour 

 it afterwards. Searching for Blindworms one day last August under flat stones, 

 I found, instead of the Blindworm, the remains of its " slough/' which it had 

 left behind. This consisted of a few ring-shaped fragments, each series of 



