Snakes versus Snails
How peculiarly blessed are some gardeners. There is one with a large garden in South England who had not seen a single slug or snail since the three-quarter acre plot came into being four years ago. Recently his gardener discovered and alas! destroyed several score of snakes' eggs, which were the first evidence that snakes were among the denizens. He is inclined to believe that the absence of slugs is due to the presence of the snakes, and goes so far as to suggest—and his suggestion is quite wise—that gardeners should encourage snakes, for the same reason that -some hotel-keepers encouraged bats to keep down the mosquitoes and some few students build dormitories for lady- birds as enemies of the green fly. The grass snake does not bruise our heel, so should not risk having its head crushed or its eggs cracked.
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