‘th A xs sy “| THE ABBEY NATURE BOOKS [- a BRITISH REPTILES, AMPHIBIANS AND PR FRESH-WATER FISHES ix" : THE ABBEY NATURE BOOKS Edited by W. PERCIVAL WESTELL, F.L.S. BRITISH REPTILES, AMPHIBIANS, AND FRESH-WATER FISHES THE ABBEY NATURE BOOKS Coloured Plates and many Black and White Illustrations. BRITISH MAMMALS, BRITISH BIRDS (Double Volume), BRITISH REPTILES, AMPHIBIANS, AND FRESH- WATER FISHES, BRITISH BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS, BRITISH INSECTS (General), CHAPMAN & DODD, Ltd., 66 Great Queen St,, London, W.C.2. Prare. | BriTisH AMPHIBIANS BRITISH REPTILES, — AMPHIBIANS, AND FRESH-WATER FISHES/ BY W. PERCIVAL Ly ees PAns. ‘ ILLUSTRATED BY DORIS MEYER Cahill & Co., Ltd., London, Dublin and Drogheda. INTRODUCTORY NOTE Ir is hoped that this third volume of “ The Abbey Nature Books ”’ will be no less popular than the pre- ceding volumes devoted to British Mammals and British Birds. A feature of this third book in the series is that practically every species included is illustrated, and these illustrations, together with the descriptive matter, will, it is hoped, result in more attention being paid to these classes of animals than heretofore. ‘The Author has to acknowledge his indebtedness to Mr. Frank Gibson’s “‘ Superstitions about Animals,” and to Mr. C. Tate Regan’s admirable book on ‘‘ The Fresh-Water Fishes of the British Isles,’ to which the reader is con- fidently referred for more detailed information con- cerning the third class of animals included in this volume. CONTENTS Page I. Cass REPTILIA, OR SNAKES AND LIZARDS. I Introduction : : ; : : ; I Adder : , a: 9 Small Red Viper : ; ae Grass Snake. : i. ae Smooth Snake . : Ren Slow Worm : a Common Lizard : ; ree Sand Lizard . : 3), ee Green Lizard . : ; ~ ge Wall Lizard : : | oe II. Crass AMPHIBIA, OR Frocs, ToAaps, AND NEWTS. 26 Introduction ; , : : ee Common Frog . o) Edible Frog ; ee Common Toad oe Natterjack Toad . aye > Smooth Newt . ; (ot Palmated Newt 5 . eae Great Water Newt. : year | III. Crass Pisces, OR FISHES—FRESH-WATER FISHES. 52 Introduction ; : ; : 2 bch iam River Lamprey : : ~ 56 Planer’s Lamprey ; <> jag Sea Lamprey . : : ee Salmon . ; ; - : ie vi CONTENTS Page Trout : : : . ‘ sk OF Char ‘ : ‘ ray 2 Grayling . j ; 3 ay Smelt : . a ay Fel 3 ; : : Mee 5 Common Carp . : : et Crucian Carp. eae 2: Goldfish . : : Pe ge >t Barthel... ' : : . sau > 7 Gudgeon . : : : : rer 08 Tench . : ; SP 2. Roach. ; : : mee Dace ; : : VERT LA put OG Chub ; : ; mas 9 3 Minnow . : Z : . : pai s7@2 Rudd ‘ ; : ; ' ; ge? White Bream . : ; eee. Common Bream : +96 Bleak : ; : 5 ioe Stone Loach. : 4 ao Spined Loach . ; 1° 100 Pike : : : : ts HOLE Burbot .. ; ; : : So EOS Three-Spined Stickleback . ; js EO Ten-Spined Stickleback . 2 OO Perch ‘ ' : ; . ; ae 9 Ruffe . : ‘ ; ‘ OG Bass , ; , ’ . 109 River Bullhead . ; } : ie 350 Flounder . : : : > EES LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Coloured Plate I—EDIBLE FROG AND NATTERJACK TOAD. Frontispiece. Coloured Plate II.—Sanpv LizarpD AND Trout. To face page 70 Fig. CONT OM BW DN A . RIVER LAMPREY . PLANER’S LAMPREY . HEAD oF ADDER . HEAD OF GRASS SNAKE . HEAD OF SMOOTH SNAKE . SKULL OF SMOOTH SNAKE SLow WorRM . COMMON LIZARD . GREEN LIZARD . WALL LIZARD Development of Frog | (Figs. 9 to 17) . Eccs oF COMMON FROG . Ecc HATCHING . . TADPOLES JUST HaTcHED . TADPOLE WITHOUT LEGS . TADPOLE WITH HIND LEGs : . TADPOLE WITH FRONT AND HIND LEGS : . TADPOLE WITH TAIL DISAPPEARING . PERFECT YOUNG FROG . . ADULT FrRoG (Female) . SKULL OF COMMON FROG . SKULL OF COMMON TOAD . EDIBLE FRoG . COMMON ToaD . . NATTERJACK 'TOAD , . SMOOTH NEwT (Female) ” ? (Male) . PALMATED NEwT (Male) », (Female) _ Great Water NEwT (Male) », (Female) Page E 13 13 15 15 17 1g 24 25 31 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Page Fig. 31. “SALMON. . é ; eas aes ROUT. A... IRI Development of Trout (Fi igs 33 to 36). 4) 93+ OVA.OF TROUT .’. : »» 34. ALEVIN : ; ; : ; $3 2 Fry . / i) » 36. YEARLING TRouT . ‘ a 47. CHAR : ( ; ; : : nui »» 38. GRAYLING . i ; : é ; Bony se »> 39. SMELT : ‘ : , é Nr Ok, HEL. : ; ‘ . : : hey »» 41. COMMON CarP . ; 4 d : et », 42. Cructan Carr . 3 : ; j a con I Ae. ARBEL : ‘ . : ; sitet: i: »» 44. GUDGEON . : Ga atee : = ated ee. PENCH : : : : oe eos ROACH. : k Paras, in As DACE ; : : ; : aig OE » 48. CHUB : : eee » 49. MINNow . : : : ; oo 8 » 50. Rupp ’ : : ; , : 5) ea »» 51. WHITE BREAM . J : : : 2 9 OS »» 52. COMMON BREAM ; ‘ ; pen, » 53. BLEAK : : Vee » 54. STONE LOACH . f : : ‘ ge »» 55- SPINED LOACH . ; : : : Ly Fee kG PEE ; ‘ d ; ' : 5) EOE Lees? eennor. , <4 EOS », 58. THREE-SPINED STICKLEBACK : . 105 », 59. TEN-SPINED STICKLEBACK . : ’ 286 ,, 90. PERCH : : ; ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘i. OF », 61. RUFFE : ‘ i : : ; . 109 ao ae, ASS : : : ‘ : 6 EEO », 63. RIVER BULLHEAD : : : ; Se) 4 », 64. FLOUNDER . ; : : A Manas yk. BRITISH REPTILES, AMPHIBIANS, AND FRESH-WATER FISHES I. CLASS REPTILIA, OR SNAKES AND LIZARDS Introduetion.— Whilst in certain parts of Great Britain both Snakes and Lizards are of frequent occurrence, there are many districts where neither are found, and although on odd occasions introduced Snakes have been unexpectedly discovered in Ireland, the Emerald Isle does not include even one species of Ophidia in its native fauna. Moreover, our own island-fauna as a whole contains very few species of Snakes, or Lizards, and if at the outset it is stated that only three species in each of the two Orders of Ophidia(Snakes), and Lacertilia (Lizards), are entitled to inclusion, the truth will at once be told. Of a fourth kind of Snake (the Small Red Viper: Vipera rubra) something will be said at a later stage, and as regards Lizards I have myself caught, or had in my possession, specimens from foreign climes 1 BRITISH REPTILES which had without doubt made good their escape from captivity. One very large specimen of a handsome Green Lizard was caught in my own garden, but it does not come within the province of this book to include such events in its survey. Before dealing with the few species of Serpents in- digenous to our own Country, it will be as well to give some general particulars, and instances of folk-lore, old- time beliefs, and superstitions, concerning them. It is probable that Snakes, or Serpents as they are so often designated, are the most unpopular of all living creatures, and the reasons for this, rightly considered, are difficult to ascertain. Included in the Class Reptilia, there are to be found, in addition to the Snakes and Lizards, the Tortoises and Turtles (Order Chelonia), and the Alligators and Crocodiles (Order Crocodilia), but these latter reptiles do not concern us here as they are, of course, not found in a wild condition within the borders of our own land. Other countries, such as North America, where no less than over 350 different species of reptiles occur, are more fortunate, or unfortunate, according to the point of view adopted, but it is probable that few people will lament the fact that our own reptilian fauna is so poorly represented. Whilst, too, there are a great number of Serpents inhabiting the great Continent of Australia, and among them at least seventy venomous kinds, we have in our own island only one species which is harmful. This is the Adder, or Viper (Vipera berus). Of the three species of Snakes we do possess, one, the Smooth Snake 2 INTRODUCTION (Coronella austriaca), is believed to be very rare, and whilst in some districts the two remaining species (Adder and Grass Snake) are plentiful, there are, as has been stated previously, many places that are Snakeless regions, and our own three species are confined to certain parts of England, Scotland, and Wales. Being inhabitants of warm, or, at any rate, temperate countries, our own changeable climate is apparently unsuited for these disdained creatures of the wild, yet Lizards do find a congenial home much further North than Snakes, and at higher elevations. Further points are dealt with under the life history of the three species included hereafter, but it should be pointed out how much original work requires to be done to enable us to piece together the place these despised animals occupy in the economy of life. For countless centuries Snakes have been regarded with awe, fear, or superstition, and the whole of this little volume could quite easily be filled with quotations from poets and philosophers, as well as scientists and sages, who have perpetrated sad errors concerning them. Strange indeed that the Class Reptzha, coming as it does between our feathered bipeds on the one hand and the amphibians on the other, should be so looked down upon when, as a matter of scientific lore, the reptiles are cousins of them both. Our earliest known birds can be popularly referred to as Flying Reptiles, for as such they are revealed by fossil remains which the earth has yielded. These weird creatures were devoid of feathers, had large bulbous eyes, great 3 BRITISH REPTILES jaws with teeth, and bat-like wings. Some forms of these extinct flying reptiles, however, were toothless in the same way as our present-day birds. The largest of the Pterodactyls, as these flying reptiles are called, had a wing-stretch of at least twenty feet, so that its presence in the air in those far-off times may be compared for breadth with a modern aeroplane scudding through space. It should be stated here that these flying reptiles of the bygone (their remains occur in jurassic and cretaceous rocks), were not the ancestors of our birds. They belonged to a group of reptiles now extinct, but nevertheless scientists are agreed that the ancestor of our birds was a reptile, and the first bird of which we have any evidence is known as the Archaeopteryx which means “ancient bird.” It was about the size of a Rook, and the jaws contained sharp teeth. Geology teaches us that at one long period in Earth’s history all the largest animals then dominant were reptiles, and these were divided into those which were “huge dragons of the land, big bird-like reptiles in the air, and fish-like creatures in the sea.’’* At least four hundred fossil reptiles have been found in the British area, including those of some existing forms. But we must not be tempted to pursue this fascinating topic in this volume, its mention here being made so as to prompt the young student to prosecute enquiry on his own account, and to show what an important position these * See “‘ Every Boy’s Book of Geology’ (R.T.S.). By Trueman and Westell. 4 INTRODUCTION bygone reptiles have occupied in the past history of the world. ~ Some kinds of reptiles still existing are equally well at home on land or in water, and there are others which spend part of their time on one and the remainder in the other. Snakes can and do take to water, though this was for long disputed, but, as a rule, the Grass Snake is more fond of this than the Adder, which exhibits a liking for dry situations. Natrix, the specific name of the Grass Snake, means Water Snake, and it should be stated that all Snakes are fond of drinking. Whilst Snakes and Lizards are closely related, there are easy distinguishing features, such as the absence in Snakes of any functional limbs, and also the absence of eyelids. The eye of a Snake has only a thin transparent covering, and when, as happens, a Snake changes its skin, this covering peels off in the form of a lens. On the other hand the Slow, or Blind, Worm is not a Snake, and it is certainly not a Worm. Neither is it blind. It is a legless Lizard, having distinct eyelids. There are other anatomical differences between the two Orders dealt with in this first section, but these need not detain us, and it only remains to be recorded that the greater majority of the creatures contained in the Class Reptilia deposit eggs, which are oblong in shape, and have a soft leathery covering, or shell. In some kinds of Snakes, however, especially those inhabiting fresh and salt water, and also Lizards, the eggs are hatched within the parent’s body. This is so in the case of our own British Adder, 5 BRITISH REPTILES Slow Worm, and Common Lizard. Superstitions con- cerning Snakes are many, and it is only possible to draw attention to a few of these. These interesting animals are both loathed and feared. Any creature of the nature of a Snake is regarded as harmful, or obnoxious, and is killed at sight. ‘The harmless Grass Snake, and the still more harmless Slow Worm, both suffer the penalty of death on this score. Even in Biblical history there is evidence to show the disdain, distaste, and distrust with which these tenants of earth and water were re- garded, for Christ referred in his condemnation of the Pharisees in the words: “‘ Ye Serpents, ye generation of Vipers.” The Serpent entered into the Biblical story of the Garden of Eden as the betrayer of Eve, and although the latter did not regard the reptile with aversion, in the days of Pharaoh this fearlessness had changed to one of terror. A poor London urchin is said to have died of fright on seeing a Snake by his bedside, yet in olden times, arising out of fear and insufficient knowledge, Snakes were objects of much veneration, and extra- ordinary powers were believed in regard to them. Dryden in his translation of Virgil speaks of a serpent which “‘ rolls”’ and “ rides,” and of how ‘“‘ the sacred monster shot along the ground.” Longfellow in his wonderful epic of ‘‘ Hiawatha ”’ makes “‘ great serpents ”’ and “fiery serpents,” “‘ with their blazing crests up- lifted,” breathe, if you please, “‘ fiery fogs and vapours.” Snakes are almost invariably referred to, or regarded, as slimy creatures. This they are not. They are cold- 6 ’ INTRODUCTION blooded, and perhaps clammy to the touch, but they have a dry covering which is certainly neither ‘ slimy,” nor “slippery.” Several poets have fallen into grave error by a repetition in their verses of old beliefs and misconceptions. Thus, Chatterton talks of “ the slimy Serpent’; Byron even goes so far as to refer to the black slime which betrays a Snake as it crawls. The greatest bard of any age, and an Englishman to wit, William Shakespeare, joins the merry throng, for in “Antony and Cleopatra’ he writes of fig leaves having the trail of the Aspic (a Snake) upon them in the form of slime. That Snakes can, and do, “ sting” is another erroneous and unscientific statement. The forked tongue, shot in and out with lightning rapidity, has given rise to this belief, but all Snakes are by no means poisonous, and certainly none of them can “ sting.” ‘Those which are venomous perform the operation of inserting poison by means of poison-fangs contained in the upper part of the jaw, but no Snake is capable of stinging. The Prophet Job, who was a keen and loving interpreter of Nature, made the error of saying: ‘“‘ The Viper’s tongue shall slay him,” and other references in the Holy Word could be given if necessary. Ovid talks of a Snake having a “ barbed sting”; Virgil warns all and sundry to ‘‘ beware the secret Snake that shoots a sting,” and of others that “ wind,” and * grind.” Chaucer refers to Snakes as ‘‘ Neders,’’ and Shakes- peare again makes several references to the Snake’s 7 BRITISH REPTILES stinging capacities, of Snakes that with double tongue “may with a mortal touch throw death upon thy sovereign’s enemies.” Spenser speaks of “the stings of Aspes that kill with smart,” and Dryden again has a liking for saying that “a Serpent shoots his sting.” Snakes also are still believed to have a power of fascinating their prey, and one would hardly credit that, as late as the time of John Wesley, we find that eminent divine stating that a Swallow seeing a Snake beneath, stops his insect-catching, flies over the crafty reptile on the ground, and finally sinks until the bird drops into the mouth of the expectant host ! Shakespeare in ‘‘ King Henry VI” says: ‘‘ What! Art thou like the Adder waxen deaf?” In the Psalms there is a reference to “‘ the deaf Adder that stoppeth her ear,” and although Snakes have no external ears, is there any reason to suppose that any of them are deaf ? The poor despised Slow Worm has been the target for much ridicule and abuse, but three instances must suffice. Shakespeare christens it: “The eyeless venom’d worm,” and actually advises, as one of the ingredients of the witch’s cauldron, “a Blind Worm’s sting.” Herrick philosophises thus :— “No will-o’-th’-wispe mis-light thee : Nor Snake or Slow-worme bite thee.” Lastly, our beloved Scott helps to perpetuate the fable as to this creature’s slimy and slow character thus : 8 % ADDER ‘** There the slow Blind Worm left his slime On the fleet limbs that mocked at time.”’ Whereas, let it be stated here once again that the Slow, or Blind, Worm is not slow, not blind, not veno- mous, not eyeless, and not slimy. It may be repeated that it is not a Snake, that it is not harmful in any way, and that it is a legless Lizard. So much by way of brief introduction concerning the Class Repiilia, British representatives of which we may now proceed to consider. ORDER OPHIDIA, OR SERPENTS Adder.—Vipera berus (Fig. 1) Belongs to the Family Viperide, the whole of the members of which are poisonous. It is believed that all the species included in this Family produce their young alive. The Adder is found in various English Counties, and is commoner in Scotland than the Grass Snake. It is well distributed in certain parts of Wales, but is curiously absent from others. As already indicated, Snakes are not found in Ireland, although the species now under review occurs on one, or more, of the islands off the western seaboard of Scotland. The Adder is particularly plentiful in the New Forest, Hampshire. It haunts dry moors ? 9 BRITISH REPTILES commons, woods, hillsides, grassy and sandy banks, heaths, rides, quarries, etc. A chalky soil appears to be a favourite retreat, yet, curiously enough, we have rarely met with this species on our own Chalky Chilterns in Northern Hertfordshire. The average number of young is given as 13, though less and much larger figures have been stated. I knew of a dam Adder in Sussex which was accompanied by a family party of 16. The young are born in late Summer or early Autumn, this being a viviparous species. ‘The usual dietary consists of ant-pupz (often erroneously referred to as ant-eggs), birds and their eggs, insects, lizards, mice, moles, and slow worms. Newts, young rats, and even water-voles, have also been known to be taken. Adders vary a great deal in colour, and my old friend Professor Gerald R. Leighton has no hesitation in stating that they vary from black to white! He gives as a general description of the body-colours those of deep and pale blue, mottled- grey, orange, and yellow. The black, brown, or warmer colour marking on the head, and along the back, is not subject to such variation as the body-colourings. By these dark markings the Adder may at once be distin- guished from other Snakes on the British list, and especially by the curious V-shape mark on the crown of the head. The average length of an adult is 20 to 25 inches. Female preponderate (it is said in the proportions of as many as three or four to one), but Vipera berus is for the most part a shy, if not nervous creature, and will do all that is possible to glide out of harm’s way if danger 10 ADDER threatens. It will not attack unless escape is impossible. It is an adept at taking cover, and loves nothing better than to sun itself close by a heather or fern patch in which it can hide if occasion demands. Most of the stories one hears, and often from accredited witnesses, of Adders springing and darting through the air when about to strike a person, savour more of imagination than truth. Itis an earth-creature, keeping exclusively to ground, and by its very structure is unable to perform the prodigious feats with which it has been credited. When in repose the Adder assumes a coiled position, but raises its head and neck when preparing to strike. On the vexed question of whether or not this animal swallows its young in the time of danger we cannot hope to enter here. Whilst it is possible that this event can and may happen, at present the matter is not proven, or rather is not accepted as a scientific fact. I have myself made a practise of asking for information on this point from most of the field naturalists I have met in this country during the last forty years, and only on one occasion have I received a reply in the affirmative. Neither is it possible to enter into a detailed description of the ill effects suffered by human beings from poisoning by the Adder, or the most useful remedies to apply. Cases of Snake-poisoning in our own island are very rare, but old Brusher Mills, the Snake-catcher in the New Forest, swore by an ointment, or oil, he made from fat obtained from the Adder’s own body, as a most successful antidote. Another contentious matter has reference to the sup- 11 BRITISH REPTILES posed occurrence in Britain of a second distinct species of Viper, known as the Small Red Viper, which might be called Vipera rubra. It is said to have occurred in my own native Hertfordshire, as well as Berkshire, Devon, Dorset, Lincolnshire, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Sussex, and Scotland. Indeed it has now been recorded from fifteen English counties. In both colour and size it is quite distinctive, and it seems high time that this Snake was promoted to specific rank. It is much less timid than V. berus, hisses more vigorously, and shows fight to a much greater extent. An average length may perhaps be given as 12 inches (almost one half less than the average length of an adult Adder), and the coppery, ferruginous, or red colour, with darker markings of the same, at once distinguish it. The one natural enemy of the Adder in Britain seems to be our wily old friend the Hedgehog who, it appears, maddens the Snake to such an extent that the latter eventually strikes at the Hedge- hog, and breaks its own neck as a result of the force of the impact against the profuse armour of spines. The popular name of Adder comes from the Anglo-Saxon ‘a neddre,” “an eddre, an adder.” Grass Snake.—Trepidonotus natrix (Fig. 2). Belongs to the Family Colubride, and is also known as the Green, Hedge, Ringed, and Water Snake. The specific name natrix indicates that this Snake is fond of inhabiting places near water. It is one of our commonest reptiles, and yet in districts where one would expect to locate it, it is strangely absent. Whether this is due to the 12 >> &¢ ° GRASS SNAKE absence of a suitable food supply, egg-depositing area, character of the soil, or what not, seems undetermined. It inhabits commons, heaths, uncultivated grassy tracts hedges, woods, and waste places. It is rare in the North of England and Scotland, and in districts which seem admirably suited for it. It is the commonest Snake in Europe. The Grass Snake differs from the Adder in depositing eggs, and does not produce living young These eggs are laid in late Spring, or early Summer, and Grass- snake. may number from 15 to 30. Perhaps the average number produced during the season is 20 to 30. These egg-masses, each separate egg being joined to its fellow by a sticky substance exuded for the purpose, are usually found in manure or refuse heaps, old walls, under bundles of faggots, and similar places. After being deposited, it takes several weeks for the young to emerge, and they are provided with what is called a “ temporary horny tooth” on the snout so that the leathery mem- 13 yt “ BRITISH REPTILES brane forming the “ shell”? can be cut through. The food consists of birds and eggs, frogs, insects, mice, newts, slugs, water-voles, and, it is said, fish. I have known one to consume a nest full of young nightingales which I had under observation. This species is much thinner in proportion to its length than the Adder, and tapers much more towards the extremity. This is not an invariable rule, but holds good in most cases. The general colouration is olive-green, with darker above, and greenish-yellow lower down. There is a conspicuous orange, or yellow, ring or collar, with a narrow line of dark colour on the back of the neck. Behind this there is a dark band, which is more pronounced on the neck- sides than on the back. There is a single row of black markings on either side of the body. The young are darker at first, but soon assume the colouring of the parents. It attains a much greater length than the Adder, the average being between 30 and 36 inches. Larger specimens have been recorded, one of 5 feet 8 inches having been obtained in Hampshire, but this may be regarded as phenomenal. In addition to haunt- ing marshy situations, this species is fond of entering water quite voluntarily, and propels itself along with its head just protruding from the liquid element. Its movements are graceful and well worth watching. As with all the reptiles, it casts its skin regularly, turning itself inside out as it were, head and eye-coverings in- cluded, and during Winter passes its time, like its con- geners, in a state of torpor. It makes a most interesting 14 a n nage ers, SMOOTH SNAKE pet, provided that, when not in hibernation, a sufficient food-supply can be secured to keep it going. Smooth Snake.—Coronella austriaca (Fig. 3). Belongs to the same Family as the last-named species, but is much rarer in Britain, although it occurs elsewhere over the greater part of Europe. Although it sometimes haunts damp situations, it appears more fond of dry retreats, where it can secure during the Spring, Summer and Autumn an abundance of sunshine, in which it appears to revel. It produces about a dozen eggs during August, or early in September, and these are advanced Skull of Smoolh Snake Fig 4+ Smooth Snake Fig S) in incubation to such an extent that the young soon after- wards make their exit from their shelly covering. One writer distinctly states that the young are produced alive. The food appears to consist of other reptiles and mice. The body colour may be brown, brownish-yellow, reddish-brown, or rusty, and there is a double array of irregular dark spots on the back. The eyes are small, 16 BRITISH REPTILES and the body scales smooth. The average length is given as 24 inches, the male being the shorter of the two sexes. As in the case of the Grass Snake, an obnoxious secretion is emitted for the purpose of defence. The first authentic record of this rare British species dates from 1853, when a specimen was secured in Dorset. Although of fierce disposition, the Smooth Snake only possesses minute teeth, and is a harmless species. ‘True, it possesses two fang-like processes right at the back of the jaws, but it has been suggested that these may serve the purpose of more securely holding its prey which might otherwise be able to make good its escape. ORDER LACERTILIA, OR LIZARDS Slow Worm.—Anguis fragilis (Fig. 5). This Snake- like Lizard—for such it is in spite of its misleading English name—belongs to the Family Anguide. It is the sole representative of its genus, and has acquired its specific name of fragilis because, when handled, it has the habit of not only becoming quite rigid, but if doubled up or struck, it snaps, or breaks, in two. Indeed when in this rigid state its body can be broken into several small pieces. Although it does not occur in Ireland, it is a familiar object in England, Scotland, and Wales, but it often escapes detection because of its fondness for 16 SLOW WORM keeping perfectly still. It is probably because of this that it has obtained its name of Slow Worm. I have found it most frequently in Kent and Cornwall, but there are few, if any, counties in which it does not occur, though in several it is of local distribution. It haunts commons, downs, heaths, grassy waysides, and woods, and when discovered may be picked up and handled without fear of any harm accruing to the captor. 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