Page:British Reptiles, Amphibians, and Fresh-water Fishes.djvu/33

SLOW WORM keeping perfectly still. It is probably because of this that it has obtained its name of Slow Worm. I have found it most frequently in Kent and Cornwall, but there are few, if any, counties in which it does not occur, though in several it is of local distribution. It haunts commons, downs, heaths, grassy waysides, and woods, and when discovered may be picked up and handled without fear of any harm accruing to the captor. But care must be taken not to interfere with the tail, as many species of Lizards have^a knack of snapping off a portion of that appendage with the idea apparently of making

good their escape. Moreover, it is a capital device for enabling the Slow Worm and its cousins to escape from natural enemies when a hold is secured of the tail end. The reptile, minus a part of its extremity, goes off to all intents and purposes no worse for its adventure, and its pursuer has obtained a meal. Lizards reproduce either by depositing eggs, or bringing forth living young. The present reptile comes under the last-named category. 17