thing, although he frequently put both eggs and frogs, the favourite food of this species, into the box. When he was in the room, he used to let the animal out of its prison. It would first crawl several times round the floor, apparently with a desire to escape; and when it found its attempts fruitless, would climb up the tables and chairs, and not unfrequently even up the chair of its owner, as he sat at table. At length it became so familiar as to lie in a serpentine form on the upper bar of his chair; it would crawl through his fingers, if held at a little distance before its head, or lie at full length upon his table, while he was writing or reading, and this for an hour or more at a time. When first brought into the room, it used to hiss and dart out its forked tongue; but in no instance did it emit any unpleasant vapour. In all its actions it was remarkably cleanly. Sometimes it was indulged with a run upon the grass in the court of the college; and sometimes with a swim in a large basin of water, which it seemed to enjoy very much.”[1]
The following curious facts recorded by Mr. Jesse, remind us of the stories told of the Indian Snake-charmers:—“A respectable land-surveyor informed me, that while he was making a survey of some property, he was attended by a man who had the character among his neighbours of being a shrewd fellow; but what more particularly entitled him to distinction was his extraordinary intimacy with Snakes. On being questioned on the subject, the man said he would soon show the party more than they had ever seen before. It was a sunny spring morning, and they were run-
- ↑ “Bingley’s Animal Biography,” iii. 217.
