46 THE NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE. 
prises, just as the female opossum does her brood into the 
pouch under her belly, upon the like emergencies ; and yet the 
London viper-catchers insist on it, to Mr. Barrington, that no 
such thing ever happens. The serpent kind eat, I believe, but 
once in a year ; or rather, but only just at one season of the 
year. Country people talk much of a water-snake, but, I am 
pretty sure, without any reason ; for the common snake delights 
much to sport in the water, perhaps with a view to procure 
frogs and other food. 
I cannot well guess how you are to make out your twelve 
species of reptiles, unless it be by the various species, or rather 
varieties, of our /acerti,’ of which Ray enumerates five. I have 
not had opportunity of ascertaining these, but remember well 
to have seen, formerly, several beautiful green lizards on the 
sunny sand-banks near Farnham, in Surrey;? and Ray admits 
there are such in Ireland. ‘ 
[In his Odservations White has the following notes on a 
snake’s slough: — “ About the middle of this month (September) 
we found in a field near a hedge the slough of a large snake, 
which seemed to have been newly cast. From circumstances 
it appeared as if turned wrong side outward, and as drawn off 
backward, like a stocking or woman’s glove. Not only the 
whole skin, but scales from the very eyes are peeled off, and 
appear in the head of the slough like a pair of spectacles. 
The reptile, at the time of changing his coat, had entangled 
himself intricately in the grass and weeds, so that the friction 
of the stalks and blades might promote this curious shifting of 
his exuvie. 
‘The slippery snake rids itself of its coat with a thorn.’ 
“It would be a most entertaining sight could a person be 
an eye-witness to such a feat, and see the snake in the act of 
changing his garment. As the convexity of the scales of the 
1 Lizards. 2 See Letter XXII. 
