Transcriber's Notes:
This text uses the symbols for male (♂) and female (♀). These symbols may notbe correctly displayed by some e-reader devices. An upside-down Y has beenrepresented as [Y].
Some presumed printer's errors have been corrected. In particular,punctuation has been normalized and entries in the Index were altered to match the main text.
THE LIFE OF CRUSTACEA
BRITISH FRESHWATER FISHES
THE OX AND ITS KINDRED
THE LIFE OF THE MOLLUSCA
There is no work in the English languagedealing with the Reptiles of Europe. I havetherefore endeavoured to supply this desideratum, sofar as the Snakes are concerned, by drawing up in aconcise form an account of what is known of theircharacters, their distribution, and their life-histories.Professor Sordelli, of Milan, having kindly accededto my request to reproduce some of the beautifulfigures drawn by him for the work published incollaboration with the late Professor Jan under thetitle of “Iconographie Générale des Ophidiens,” I havebeen able to supplement my descriptions with illustrationswhich leave nothing to be desired from thepoint of view of accuracy. A few drawings havebeen made specially for this book by Mr. J. Green.I have further to acknowledge the permission givenby the Trustees of the British Museum, the IndiaOffice, and the Zoological Society, to reproduce a fewfigures from previous publications of which I am theauthor.
In order to render this little book more useful, theaccount of the Snakes of Europe has been precededby an Introduction summarizing what is known ofSnakes generally.
I have purposely avoided overburdening a work ofthis kind, which aims at concision, with bibliographicalreferences and synonymic lists. I am sure myreaders will be thankful for being spared this displayof erudition. Whenever I have had to compile, andto trespass on ground that is not my own, I havebeen careful to draw only from the writings of themost trustworthy authorities. The descriptions ofthe species are based on the collection in the BritishMuseum, which has been considerably increasedsince the publication of the Catalogue of Snakes(1893-1896). I have also had access to Monsieur F.Lataste’s rich private collection, now under my care,and Dr. R. Gestro has kindly entrusted to me forstudy the collection of Italian Snakes in the GenoaMuseum. I am indebted to Dr. L. W. Sambon forthe chapter on Parasites, which he has written atmy reque