poisonous. There is a small snake of a deep grass green colour sometimes
seen in the fields and open copse-woods. I do not think it is dangerous; I
never heard of its biting any one. The stare-worm is also harmless. I am
not sure whether the black snakes that live in the water are the same as
the puff or black adder. It is a great blessing, my dear, that these deadly
snakes are so rare, and do so little harm to man. Indeed, I believe they
would never harm him, were they let alone; but if trodden upon, they cannot
tell that it was by accident, and so put forth the weapons that God has
armed them with in self-defence. The Indians in the north-west, I have been
told, eat snakes, after cutting off their heads. The cat also eats snakes,
leaving the head; she will also catch and eat frogs, a thing I have
witnessed myself, and know to be true. [Footnote: I saw a half grown kitten
eat a live green frog, which she first caught and brought into the parlour,
playing with it like a mouse.] One day a snake fixed itself on a little
girl's arm and wound itself around it; the mother of the child was too much
terrified to tear the deadly creature off, but filled the air with cries.
Just then a cat came out of the house, and quick as lightning sprang upon
the snake, and fastened on its neck, which caused the reptile to uncoil its
folds, and it fell to the earth in the grasp of the cat; thus the child's
life was saved, and the snake killed. Thus you see, my dear, that God
provided a preserver for this little one when no help was nigh; perhaps the
child cried to Him for aid, and He heard her and saved her by means of the
cat."

Lady Mary was much interested in all that Mrs. Frazer had told her; she
remembered having heard some one say that the snake would swallow her own
young ones, and she asked her nurse if it was true, and if they laid eggs.

"The snake will swallow her young ones," said Mrs. Frazer. "I have seen
the garter-snake open her mouth and let the little ones run into it when