REPTILES AND BATRACHIANS The chief interest of the present article lies in the announcement — it is believed for the first time in print — of the occurrence of the sand lizard and the smooth snake in Sussex. The evidence will be found in the account of these species. The natter-jack has been recorded from all the adjacent counties, and its recognition in this was therefore not unexpected ; although it appears to be a very local species throughout its range. The webbed newt has been much overlooked, and will probably prove to be common enough in most places. Judging from the records in Natural History journals the herpe- tological fauna of the county does not seem to have attracted much attention, and this accounts for the paucity of records for the rarer species. The writer would be glad if the present necessarily brief notice led to a closer study of these ' scandalized ' creatures by Sussex naturalists. A sufficient description has been added to the accounts of the rarer species to lead to their identification. REPTILES LACERTILIA 3. Slow-worm or Blind-worm. Anguis fra- 1. Common Lizard. Lacerta vivipara, Jacq. ■^ "' ^'""• Commonly distributed in suitable localities The slow-worm is locally common through- throughout the county. ""^ the county. 2. Sand Lizard. Lacerta agilis, Linn. OPHIDIA On May 27 1892, Mr. Michael J. Nicoll Rjd or Grass Snake. Tropido.otus of St. Leonards caught a lizard of this ^ / ' Li n species in the disused brickfields near West ' St. Leonards station. Since that date some (.Nalrix torquata, Bell.) others have been caught in the same locality. Generally distributed and common. The This is a larger and more stoutly built grass snake feeds largely upon frogs, and is lizard than the last species, some reach 8 therefore most often found in damp meadows, inches in length. ' A typically coloured male It swims well and is also able to climb low during the breeding season is grass-green on bushes. the sides and suffused with green on the 01 ^7, ■ r under parts ; the sides are dotted with black, 5- Smooth Snake. Corone/Ia austrwca, Laur. with whitish eye-spots. The under parts are On June 12, 1898, Mr. W.J.Lewis Abbott, spotted with black. The adult female is F.G.S., of St. Leonards, found a snake which brown or grey above, with large dark brown, he assigns to this rare and local species, in the white-centred spots, which are arranged in churchyard of St. John's, Hollington. This three rows on each side. The under parts specimen was in Mr. Abbott's possession for are cream-coloured, with or without black some time, and he remarked the large shields specks' {Gadow, Jmphib. and Rept. p. 554). on the head and the round pupil. I feel 271
