[Pl. 95]][L 149.
Smooth Snake.
Coronella austriaca.

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A very elementary knowledge of our native snakes—such as all country folk might be expected to possess—would dispose of all this fear and sensation, for no one has ever found a Viper or Adder—our only venomous snake—that measured quite as much as three feet, or that had a nest of eggs.

The Grass Snake is our largest British species, full-grown females averaging four feet in length; the males a foot less. Exceptional examples are little short of six feet, and in Italy the same species attains to a length of eight feet. It is of graceful form, the body tapering gently from its middle to the very slender tip of the tail. The long, narrow head, covered with large shields, ends in a blunt snout, with eyes and nostrils at the sides. The rather large eyes have round pupils circled with gold and a dark brown iris. Just behind the head there are two patches of yellow or orange (sometimes white) forming a bright collar which serves to indicate this species at a glance. In large females this collar is sometimes missing. Immediately behind it are two patches of black, often united in the middle line, and behind these the ground colour of grey, olive, or brown is uniform to the tip of the tail. Upon the ground colour of the back are laid two rows of small blackish spots, and a row of short vertical bars along each side. The underside, which is covered with broad plates, is chequered in black and white (or grey); but is sometimes entirely black. The tail accounts for about one-fifth only of the total length.

Apart from the head-shields and the broad plates of the underside, the Grass Snake is covered with nineteen rows of small, overlapping, lance-shaped scales with a central ridge or "keel." These scales are an outgrowth from the skin, and when the Snake moults they do not fall off as the hairs of fur-clad animals do, but the entire skin with its scales is cast intact. It separates first at the edges of the jaws, and the Snake pushes against the ground, stones, or plant stems until the loose skin is behind the head. Then it glides out of the remainder, reversing it in the process. In these discarded sloughs the lens-like covering of the eye will be found unbroken.

In the autumn the Grass Snake retires to some safe shelter under the roots of trees, among the stubs of a coppice, under a brushwood pile or fernstack, in order to pass the winter in sleep. As a rule, several or many associate in hibernation, and when found they are usually twined together in intricate knots. Here they remain until March or April, when the Frogs, Toads, and Newts, emerging from a similar retirement, are available for a good meal. About this time the males seize the females in their jaws, and with their bodies entwined pairing takes place. Some time between June and August the female seeks some convenient mass of fermenting vegetable matter amidst which to burrow and deposit her eggs. If a heap of fresh stable manure is available she will prefer it, the heat hastening incubation. The eggs—which may number a dozen or anything up to four dozen—are equal-ended ovals with a tough, parchment-like shell, and all connected in a string. As soon as laid they begin to absorb moisture from their surroundings, and increase in size until they are about an inch and a quarter in length. They hatch in from six to ten weeks, according to temperature, and the baby Grass Snakes measure from six to eight inches. Before hatching they are provided with a special egg-tooth projecting from the front of the jaws, which enables them to pierce the egg-shell. It soon becomes loose and drops off after its special function has been performed. The young Snake sheds its skin before taking its first meal, and thereafter goes through the same process four or five times in a year.

The Grass Snake appears to have a life comparatively long. The female is about four years old, with a length of two feet, before she begins to breed. Gadow mentions a fine female which he had alive for nine years, and during this period her length increased from thirty-five to forty-two inches.

Although the Grass Snake may be found frequently about ponds and ditches where there are Frogs, Toads, and Newts to be caught, it is by no means restricted to such resorts, but may be met with on chalk hills, sandy heaths, and other places far removed from water. In addition to the amphibians mentioned, it feeds occasionally on fish, mice, and small birds. The young Snake takes worms, tadpoles, and the young of newts, frogs, and toads. It swims well and often enters the water to obtain its prey. Although an agile reptile, it may be caught without difficulty where the ground is not too rich in mouse runs or too well covered with furze. The undulations by which it progresses are always horizontal, not vertical as sometimes represented by imaginative artists. When captured it seldom makes any attempt at biting, though it will hiss freely and snap its jaws. It usually seeks rather to disgust its captor by the voiding of a fetid secretion with a strong odour of garlic among other objectionable scents. It soon becomes gentle and tame.

The Grass Snake is widely distributed over England, Wales, and the south-eastern parts of Scotland. It appears never to have reached Ireland. Various attempts have been made to introduce it in the latter country, but the prejudices of the people and their respect for the legendary miracle of their patron saint have always prevented the Snakes from establishing themselves.