THE LIVING WORLD. 
i 47 
SEPS. OR METALLIC back. 
than foot, lives among decayed brush a portion of the time, but more gen¬ 
erally it burrows in the earth like an angle-worm. Other species are common 
to South America. 
The Seps Chalcidica, a word from the Greek, signifying corruption , inhabits 
regions bordering on the eastern Mediterranean, where in early years it was 
looked upon with great dread from the belief that the creature inoculated cat¬ 
tle, during their sleep, with a poison which caused the flesh to slough off until 
death supervened to 
-end the victim’s suf¬ 
ferings. From this 
groundless belief the 
name is derived. It 
is in fact a* perfectly 
harmless little animal, 
somewhat longer than 
the common lizards of 
America, but small in 
body and with such 
diminutive legs that it scarcely ranks above a worm, especially since these 
organs are of little use in the creature’s locomotion. It is of a gray color, with 
four dark stripes running from head to tail, and subsists on slugs, worms and 
insects. It is now most common in Dalmatia. 
The Wallowing Worm (Siphonops annulatus ) is a native of the South 
American tropics, but even in this restricted region it is by no means common, 
and its habits are comparatively little known. Its color is dark, with rings of 
white from neck to tail. The head is 
neither that of snake nor lizard, but 
bearing a close resemblance to that of 
the blind-worm, except for its mouth, 
which is prominent. It grows to the 
length of one foot, and while some¬ 
times burrowing, more commonly lies 
concealed under leaves in damp places. 
The Blind Worm, also called Slow 
Worm, on account of its sluggish move¬ 
ments, is very common in England, 
where it haunts the hedges and heathers 
in quest of slugs, its favorite food. 
Notwithstanding that it is one of the most numerous of English reptiles, its 
true character is so little understood by the farmer folks that many of them 
regard it with intense dread, pronouncing it so venomous that no antidote can 
counteract it. 
The name blind worm is also a misnomer, since it is provided with small, 
though very oright and sharp eyes, by which alone it could catch the insects 
on which it feeds. In length it rarely exceeds fifteen inches, but on account 
of the fierce-appearing habit of thrusting out its forked tongue, at the. same 
time rearing its head in a bold attitude at the first intimation of danger, it cer¬ 
tainly looks formidable. Instead' of verifying its appearance, however, the worm 
will not stand to fight, but to facilitate its escape will frequently throw off its 
WALLOWING WORM. 
