Snakes: curiosities and wonders of serpent life . ops (p. 187) of the tropics was known,and long before any other naturalist than Topsell and hislike wrote upon * Serpentes and the AinpJiisbcena Eiiropcea. Topsell, by the way, whom we quoted on the subject oftongues, thought he knew all about slow-worms, and gavethem credit for a length and power of tail far exceedingthose of the present day. They have been seen to suck 478 SNAKES. a Cow, for then they twist their Tailes about the CowesLegges. The Slow-worm biteth mortallie, and the Cowdyeth! Consistent this with the Blind-worms sting ofthe po
Snakes: curiosities and wonders of serpent life . ops (p. 187) of the tropics was known,and long before any other naturalist than Topsell and hislike wrote upon * Serpentes and the AinpJiisbcena Eiiropcea. Topsell, by the way, whom we quoted on the subject oftongues, thought he knew all about slow-worms, and gavethem credit for a length and power of tail far exceedingthose of the present day. They have been seen to suck 478 SNAKES. a Cow, for then they twist their Tailes about the CowesLegges. The Slow-worm biteth mortallie, and the Cowdyeth! Consistent this with the Blind-worms sting ofthe poet of that day. Of the six or seven that have beenin my keeping at one time or another, not one has, underany provocation, attempted to bite me. They were handledcontinually, twirled about, and tied into knots (with gentletreatment, of course), but not one of them ever broke itselfin halvesor opened its mouth with malice intent. Lizziesometimes in winding about my fingers got herself intovery pretty knots, and in such tied-up fashion when placed. Li/Tzie in a knot. on the table she would remain motionless for a time, andthen be«in to move away. Curious was the effect at thisjuncture. The knot was not loosened at all; but as the littlereptile began to .move, the knot passed downwards, and shecrawled out of it, while its form remained the same to thevery end of the tail. It was similar to what we saw whenthe little four-rayed snakes constricted their birds ; the formof their coils altering no more than would a slide passedalon- a rope. Neither did such a knot disturb Lizzie. Sheappeared quite unconscious of it, and simply crawled outof it. Perhaps any brittleness discoverable may have beenfrom rough handling, as one can easily suppose a too abruptuntwining of the reptile when clinging round the fingerswould so alarm it that it would cling the tighter. A gentle- lizzie: 479 man assured me that he had seen one break in halves, andthe two portions lying on the table. Not being a sc
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectserpents, bookyear188
