MISCELLANEOUS NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 
119 
shire. I made enquiries in this neighbourhood, and I found that 
the tree at Mr. T. Cotterell’s, The Stanboroughs, Watford, and 
that at Mr. S. Hoakes’s, Bushey Heath, had borne cones. Mr. 
Hoakes says, “The tree is about 38 years old, and about 35 feet 
high; it has borne cones, 10 to 20 each year, for the last three 
years, and this year I counted, with a binocular, 150. It is a 
female, and although some of the seeds are well filled, they are 
of course barren.” The tree at Mr. Cotterell’s has never borne 
cones till this year.— A. T. Brett , M.B. } Watford. 
Zoology. 
Reptiles recently observed near Watford. —I have to record the 
capture of a common slow-worm or blind-worm ( Anguis fragilis), 
in Dr. Brett’s meadow, the week before last. Both vernacular 
and classific synonyms are misnomers, since it is not blind, can be 
remarkably agile in its movements when it likes, and, though 
certainly brittle and serpentine in form, it is not a snake, but one 
of the leg-less lizards. The specimen, a male, is somewhat unusual 
in coloration, and has not fed since it was entrusted to me. It 
must have shed its skin very shortly before its discovery. Mr. T. 
Yilliers tells me that, a few days ago, he saw a ringed snake 
(.Propidonotus natrix) about 4 feet long, near Aldenham. This is 
rather a large specimen. I have seen one which measures 5ft. 8in. 
(the longest, I believe, on record) and as thick as a broomstick, 
from the Hew Forest; the female attains the greater size, but this 
was a male. It is rather singular that a snake should have left its 
winter quarters while the weather is so cold in this neighbourhood; 
they usually require a much higher temperature to induce them to 
emerge from hybernation than that which impels them to retire 
in the autumn. There is some reason to believe that a colony of 
young snakes is located in, or in the immediate vicinity of, the 
pond at the top of the town. Two summers ago a gentleman lost 
a number of adult specimens near that spot. Some of these 
appeared from time to time in the surrounding gardens, and were 
humanely protected by the owners, but at length fell victims to 
the genus “boy.” It was evident, from their increased size, that 
they had fattened freely on frogs, slugs, or fish. One must have 
laid some eggs, for about 20 newly-hatched snakelets were col¬ 
lected ; these were again set free. Since they are perfectly harm¬ 
less, for there is no more inoffensive creature on earth than the 
common snake, it is to be hoped that they will be spared the usual 
persecution, if discovered.— Arthur Stradling , C.M.Z.S., Watford. 
Badgers [Metes taxus) in Hertfordshire. —I have been making 
enquiries as to the badgers in the neighbourhood of Watford, and 
I fear that, if not extinct, they are now of very rare occurrence. 
A keeper tells me there was in a park near here a litter of six in 
1881, and a litter of five in 1882, both about March. The female 
badger was caught in 1882 and let loose, and again caught in 
