GRASS-SNAKES 
69 
be more humane to expeditiously deprive them of life, if it will 
then touch them. Nor should they be larger than twice the size 
of its head, although, owing to the expansive power of its throat, 
it can conveniently swallow prey of that size. As a matter of 
course, its visage becomes frightfully distorted by such large 
mouthfuls. So far, too, is this snake from having a moderate 
appetite, as some aver, that it will swallow six frogs in succes- 
sion. The frogs must, of course, when alive, be supplied with 
water, and so must their devourer be. The serpent’s appetite 
for frogs seems long to have been familiar, and those who have 
read Pilpay will remember how one of his ingenious fables turns 
upon this circumstance, which has likewise been utilised by 
poets. 
Perhaps snakes have little of what may be called character. 
Yet few wild animals can be tamed in so short a time, and age 
makes little difference. Snakes, however, seem to have a rude 
intelligence. I kept a large snake, which more than once 
crawled down from a box of earth placed upon a chair, went 
about the room and afterwards climbed back into its den. 
Snakes also seem social. If more than one are placed in a box, 
they will shortly be found heaped together ; and this appears not 
to arise from other instincts. 
The appearance of the species before us varies considerably 
in different individuals. Of three grass-snakes I have, one is 
decidedly dusky : in another the black parts are unusually 
vivid, as indeed are the rest of the markings ; and the third 
inclines more to yellow, has a plethoric throat, but the black 
markings less conspicuous. The length of grass-snakes also 
varies, but they are not commonly longer than three feet. On 
the other hand, the viper never exceeds two feet. 
Curiously enough, the snake sheds its skin at least twice a 
year. The slough, of a dirty transparency, may frequently be 
found entire, either in a crack of the ground or entangled among 
sticks. The skin splits about the head, and in divestment is 
turned inside out, leaving what crawls forth attired in Sunday- 
best, and undoubtedly glad to have finished the business. A 
snake’s eyes, usually so clear, become soapy blue before a 
change. The coverings of the eyes come off with the skin, 
and then resemble miniature spectacle-glasses, highly concave. 
At such times the snake requires a few sticks, by the help of 
which it divests itself. A snake once performed this task 
merely by aid of a broken saucer. Sometimes a little of the 
■old skin adheres to the tail, and then the snake feels grateful to 
you for peeling the rest off, although, if you do this clumsily, it 
may show its displeasure by a hiss. 
Snakes’ eggs are white, and perhaps larger than a sparrow’s. 
Their flexible shells are frequently found on a manure hill, 
conglomerated, after their contents have been hatched. Baby 
snakes deserve notice. When only eight inches long they twine 
their bodies into a coil which might rest upon a penny piece, 
