580 ABERDEEN SLOW-WORM. 



the full grown ones : Slow- Worms can, however^ 

 occasionally exert k considerable de^gree of swift- 

 ness, and can readily penetrate the loose soil, in 

 order to conceal themselves from pursuit: they 

 are often found in considerable numbers, during 

 the winter season, at some depth beneath the sur- 

 face, retiring on the approach of winter, and 

 lying in a state of torpidity, and again emerging 

 from their concealments on the approach of 

 spring, when they cast their skin, and recover 

 their former liveliness. It is observed of this spe- 

 cies, as well as of some others, that if struck with 

 any degree of violence, the body not only breaks 

 abruptly on the struck part, but even sometimes 

 at different places : the skin is remarkably strong, 

 and the animal, when handled or irritated, has a 

 way of stiffening itself by stretching to its utmost 

 length, in which state, if any part of the skin be 

 injured, the separation soon takes place in conse- 

 quence of this rigidity, instead of yielding like 

 the more limber bodies of the snakes. 



Far J 



ABERDEEN SLOW-WORM. 



Anguis Eryx ? Lin» Si/st. Nat. p. 923, Penn. Brit. Zool. 

 p. 33. 



Abdominal scales 126, subcaudal 13^. 



This seems to be no other than a variety of the 

 A. fragilis, differing merely in being something 

 larger, and of rather darker colours : found ia 



