I just found a snake in my garden, next to the terrace wall. My first in almost four years. It was dead, though, its white belly up. About an elbow in length, its head was all chewed up, almost certainly by a cat. There was another big bite in the middle of the snake’s body, and it could have been decisive, as the spine seemed to be broken at that spot. The carnage must have happened sometime today, for I was at the same place in the garden late yesterday afternoon. The reason why I do not see more snakes around the house is plain enough: the street cats keep their numbers down all around Motovun. To the best of my knowledge, the unfortunate snake is of the harmless variety, and it is sad to see it perish for no good reason. At any rate, I picked it up by the tip of the tail and flung it toward the edge of the garden down the hill. Let the feast continue out of my tender sight.