THE RINGED SNAKE. 
127 
grasped, will coil itself round tlie arm and squeeze so tightly, that the hand becomes numbed 
and unable to retain its hold. 
Many Snakes are variable in their coloring, but the Black Snake is, perhaps, the most 
remarkable among them for this peculiarity. Usually, as its name imports, it is black, but 
sometimes it is bright chestnut. Many specimens are gray, mottled with black, while others are 
chestnut, marbled with deep rich brown. When full grown, it attains a length of seven feet. 
The common Gbass Snake, or Ringed Snake, is a good example of the Natricidse. 
It is extremely plentiful throughout Europe, being found in almost every wood, copse, or 
hedgerow, where it may be seen during the warm months of the year, sunning itself on the 
banks, or gently gliding along in search of prey, always, however, betraying itself to the 
initiated ear by a peculiar rustling among the herbage. Sometimes it may be witnessed while 
in the act of creeping up a perpendicular trunk or stem, a feat which it accomplishes, not by 
a spiral movement, as is generally represented by artists, but by pressing itself firmly against 
the object, so as to render its body flatter and wider, and crawling up by the movement of the 
large banded scales of the belly, the body being straight and rigid as a stick, and ascending in 
a manner that seems almost inexplicable. 
The Ringed Snake is perfectly harmless, having no venomous fangs, and all its teeth 
being of so small a size that even if the creature were to snap at the hand, the skin w r ould not 
be injured. Harmless though the Serpent be, it will occasionally assume so defiant an air, 
and put on so threatening an aspect, that it would terrify those who were not well acquainted 
with its habits. I have kept numbers of these Snakes, and have often known them, when 
irritated, draw back their heads and strike at the hand in true viperine fashion. Indeed, the 
venomous look of the attitude is so strong, that I never could resist the instinctive movement 
of withdrawing the hand when the Snake made its stroke, although I knew full well that no 
injury could ensue. 
The food of the Ringed Snake consists mostly of insects and reptiles, frogs being the 
favorite prey. I have known Snakes to eat the common newt, and in such cases the victim 
was invariably swallowed head first, whereas the frog is eaten in just the opposite direction. 
Usually, the frog, when pursued by the Serpent, seems to lose all its energy, and instead 
of jumping away, as it would do if chased by a human being, crawls slowly like a toad, 
dragging itself painfully along as if paralyzed. The Snake, on coming up with its prey, 
stretches out its neck and quietly grasps one hind foot of the frog, which thenceforward 
delivers itself up to its destroyer an unresisting victim. 
The whole process of swallowing a frog is very curious, as the creature is greatly wider 
than the mouth of the Snake, and in many cases, when the frog is very large and the 
Snake rather small, the neck of the Serpent is hardly as wide as a single hind leg of the 
frog, while the body is so utterly disproportioned, that its reception seems wholly impossible. 
Moreover, the Snake generally swallows one leg first, the other leg kicking freely in the air. 
However, the Serpent contrives to catch either the knee or the foot in its mouth during 
these convulsive struggles, and by slow degrees swallows both legs. The limbs seem to act 
as a kind of a wedge, making the body follow easily, and in half an hour or so the frog has 
disappeared from sight, but its exact position in the body of the Snake is accurately defined 
by the swollen abdomen. Should the frog be small, it is snapped up by the side and swallowed 
without more ado. 
In captivity, this Snake will eat bread and milk, and insects of various kinds, such as 
the cockroach, meal-worm, or any beetle that may be found running about under stones and 
leaves. It always, however, prefers frogs to any other food, and seems to thrive best on such 
a diet. 
The skin or slough of the Ringed Snake is often found in the hedgerows or on waste 
grounds, entangled among the grass stems and furze through which the creature had crawled 
with the intention of rubbing off the slough against such objects. In some countries the 
rejected slough is thought to be a specific against the headache, and is tied tightly round the 
forehead when employed for alleviating pain. 
