. Reptiles and birds : a popular account of their various orders : with a description of the habits and economy of the most interesting . Birds; Reptiles. 50 OPHIDIAN REPTILES. which they love to plunge ; hence they ai-e sometimes called Water Serpents, Swimming Serpents, Hedge Eels, and other provincial synonyms. They sometimes attain to as much as and more than a yard in length. The summit of their head is covered with nine large scales, disposed in four rings. The upper part of the body is of a more or less darkish grey colour, marked on each side with irregular black spots. Eetween the two
. Reptiles and birds : a popular account of their various orders : with a description of the habits and economy of the most interesting . Birds; Reptiles. 50 OPHIDIAN REPTILES. which they love to plunge ; hence they ai-e sometimes called Water Serpents, Swimming Serpents, Hedge Eels, and other provincial synonyms. They sometimes attain to as much as and more than a yard in length. The summit of their head is covered with nine large scales, disposed in four rings. The upper part of the body is of a more or less darkish grey colour, marked on each side with irregular black spots. Eetween the two rows of spots are two other longitudinal rows, which extend from the head to the tail. The belly varies from black to a bluish white. Upon the neck are two whitish or j)ale yellowish sjDots, which form a kind of half collar or ring, from which its name is derived; these two spots. J/^^lIf' Fig. 11.—Ringed Snake {Tropido)iotus natrix). become much more apparent from being contrasted with two other very dark triangular spots placed near them. They prev upon lizards, frogs, aud mice, and they even surprise "young birds, and devour the eggs in their nests, ibr they climb trees with facility. Towards the end of the autumn they seek the warmest places, approaching near to houses ; or they "retire into subter- ranean holes, often at the bottom of some hedge, which is almost always in an elevated place, secure from^inundations. The Rhiged Snake is found in nearly all European countries, and can be handled without danger. Laccpede gives some mterestmg details, showing the gentleness of its habits. They. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Figuier, Louis, 1819-1894; Gillmore, Parker. New York : D. Appleton
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectbirds, booksubjectrep
