. Animate creation : popular edition of "Our living world" : a natural history. Zoology; Zoology. 126 THE BLACK SNAKE, OR ZWARTE SLANG. reptile, prettily marked, and brisk and lively in its movements, as is required for the purpose of catcliing the agile prey on whicli it feeds. The Schaap-sticker lives mostly on insects and small lizards, and darts upon them with great swiftness of movement. It is generally found crawling among heaps of dead leaves, or trailing its variegated form over grassy banks, where it finds the prey on which it subsists. The color of this Serpent is extremely
. Animate creation : popular edition of "Our living world" : a natural history. Zoology; Zoology. 126 THE BLACK SNAKE, OR ZWARTE SLANG. reptile, prettily marked, and brisk and lively in its movements, as is required for the purpose of catcliing the agile prey on whicli it feeds. The Schaap-sticker lives mostly on insects and small lizards, and darts upon them with great swiftness of movement. It is generally found crawling among heaps of dead leaves, or trailing its variegated form over grassy banks, where it finds the prey on which it subsists. The color of this Serpent is extremely variable, and decidedly different in tlie old and young In the young specimen, the spots that ornament the back are darker than in the adult, and there is generally a little wash of green over the surface. The general color of this Snake is brown, wdth a grayish or golden tint according to the individual. Along the back run several rows, usually three or four in number, of dusky spots, generally of a somewhat oval or rhombic form, and edged with deep black. In one specimen the spots have coalesced so as to form tlu'ee continuous bands running along the body. The length of the Schaap- sticker is about two feet. Another species belonging to this family is the Coronella Aiidnaca. It is rather remarkable, that where the Snake is tolerably common, the sand lizard {Lacerta stirplum) is. /^uya^\'^ ^a««no/;Ayi((.c rhoinbealus. (Ouc-half natural ^ize.) also generally found. In general appearance, this Snake is not unlike the viper, and is about the same size, attaining a leng-th of two feet when adult. It may, however, easily be known from the vij^er, by the absence of the chain of dark lozenge-shaped marks upon the back, for which is substituted a double series of small dark spots, one row at each side of the spine. There is a dark patch upon the shoulder and head, and under the eyes runs a blackish streak. The body is generally brown, but the depth and tone of the
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Keywords: ., bookauthorbr, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectzoology
