m

wmmmm^

iiliiiiilHiaSBm

*H1 eH Wm

•*X-- M H Barm- ^B

Swill

■MP

^ You can quite understand, however,

from various localities given in
anoe upon those who furnished me
[ny oases since the book came out

V

^tion sent to me, like yours, Which
by its publication. I have already
spies of melanotic adders in Pembroke,
'onaation of it .

id indeed to look you up any time I
?rith you that snake-hunting is a

regards,
rs sincerely,

h

in

■

B8

■I

a

-
■

- ^"v .'.?m ^H '■-•*' •' '

Up a V
(QC

, 04

■

■

vard University

BRITISH SERPENTS

-< o

o

o

O

x

H

C

s

g

ex

15

THE LIFE-HISTOBY

OF

BRITISH SERPENTS

AND THEIR LOCAL DISTRIBUTION
IN THE BRITISH ISLES

BY

GERALD R. LEIGHTON

M.D. EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY: THESIS, 1901, 'THE REPTILIA

OF THE MONNOW VALLEY '

FELL. SOC. SCIENCE, LETTERS, ASD ART, LONDON

WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS
EDINBURGH AND LONDON

MCMI

All Rights reserved

TO THE

FIELD NATURALISTS OF THE BRITISH ISLES

' IN GRATEFUL RECOGNITION OF
THE HELP SO WILLINGLY GIVEN BY MANY OF THEM
IN THE PREPARATION OF

THIS BOOK.

PREFACE.

I trust no apology will be considered necessary for
this attempt to sketch the life-history and distribution
of British Serpents somewhat more fully than has yet
been done in any one volume. I should certainly not
have ventured to publish a book on so limited a sub-
ject were it not that for the last few years I have
been honoured with the correspondence of a very
large number of field-naturalists in all parts of the
country, who sought information on one or other
point of this much-neglected branch of British fauna.
That correspondence has been a source of very great
pleasure to me, and I trust it will not cease on ac-
count of my effort in these pages to answer most of
the queries raised. Rather I hope that those already
interested may be induced to inquire more carefully
into the habits of this most fascinating group.

Vlll PREFACE.

I have divided the book into two parts. Part I.
deals with the three species in turn, with some ad-
ditional chapters on special points connected with
them. Part II. consists of the result of my en-
deavour to ascertain the average length and relative
frequency of the various species in all the counties.
This inquiry has involved an immense correspond-
ence, and I cannot sufficiently express my gratitude to
those who have assisted in it. Every effort has been
made to verify the reports, and I have no reason
to doubt their accuracy : at the same time, of course,
each observer is responsible for his own statements.

The source of these local observations is acknow-
ledged at the end of each report, and I have given
the addresses of the various writers in the hope that
they may thus be encouraged to communicate with
each other, having found from experience that the
great difficulty in getting local information is know-
ing where to apply for it. I am very grateful to all
these correspondents for the trouble they have taken
in sending me their own notes, or in getting the in-
formation from others for me. Without their cordial
help my effort to compare our Ophidia in various
localities must necessarily have been barren of re-
sults. Many of these observers have written books,
or contributed papers on their county fauna, and

PREFACE. IX

from these I have quoted, with the permission of the
respective authors. There is a very large amount of
valuable material locked up in the Transactions of
Field Clubs and local Naturalist Societies which
observers in other parts never have the opportunity
of seeing. For example, I have quoted largely from
Mr C. A. Witchell's ' Reptilia and Batrachia of
Gloucestershire ' ; Mr Bryan Hook's papers in ' The
Surrey Magazine ' on " Surrey Reptiles " ; Rev. 0.
Pickard Cambridge's most valuable paper on the
" Reptiles of Dorset," — all of whom kindly sent me
their observations. Of larger works on local fauna I
am especially indebted to Rev. H. A. Macpherson,
author of ' Fauna of Lakeland,' and his publisher, Mr
David Douglas, for placing at my disposal the illus-
tration of the curious variety of adder, first published
in that work ; and to Mr H. E. Forrest, author of
' Fauna of Shropshire,' for much information.

In addition to the above I have to thank the
editors of the following publications for permission
to make use of their columns for purposes of refer-
ence and quotation : The ' Zoologist,' ' Science Gossip/
' Annals of Scottish Natural Historv,' the ' Field,'
'Country Life,' the 'Outlook,' 'Morning Leader,'
'Western Mail,' 'Newcastle Weekly Chronicle,' 'Car-
diff Express,' and ' Scotsman.'

X PREFACE.

My cordial thanks are offered, too, to Sir Robert
Hodson and Dr Thompson for supplying me with
the actual facts in connection with the occurrence of
ring snakes in Ireland; and to Mr Thomas and Mr
Lewis for so kindly sending me information and
specimens regarding the Plague of Snakes at Llanelly.
I am also indebted to G. A. Boulenger, F.R.S., F.Z.S.,
for the measurements of adders in the British Museum,
and other kind assistance. The fatal case of adder-
bite I have quoted from the ' British Medical Journal,'
by permission of the editor ; and the observer, Dr P.
P. Jennings.

With regard to the illustrations in this book, all are
from my own photographs with the exception of the
portrait of " Brusher Mills," which is supplied by Mr
Short of Lyndhurst ; the photo of the blunt-tailed
ring-snake, which is by Mr Forrest, and that of the
adder from Piev. H. A. Macpherson's book, previously
acknowledged. I owe a special debt of gratitude,
however, to Piev. 0. Pickard Cambridge for lending
me specimens of the smooth snake to photograph.
Snakes are not the easiest of objects to photograph,
and I trust my illustrations will be judged, not from
the point of view of artistic pictures, but as indicating
the special point aimed at in each.

Most of these photos are now published for the

PREFACE. XI

first time. One of the adder's gullet illustrated a
paper in the 'Zoologist' (September 1900) by myself;
and seven were published in ' Good Words ' (January
1901) to illustrate an article by F. G. Aflalo ; while
two (those of a young ring snake and a bundle of
eggs) appeared in ' Country Life.' The editors of
these three publications have kindly permitted their
reproduction here.

I have to thank my brother-in-law, Mr George
Gordon, for the trouble he has taken in verifying
some records and for other help ; and my friend, Eev.
M. G. Watkins, for valuable aid.

Lastly, I cannot say how much I have been en-
couraged in my work by the interest taken in it by
my former teacher, Professor Cossar Ewart, of Edin-
burgh University ; and by the aid and advice of my
friend, F. G. Aflalo, F.B.G.S., F.Z.S., the latter of
whose various books on animals have furnished me
with many quotations, and whose valued friendship
I owe to a common interest in the animals of this
country.

GERALD LEIGHTON.

Grosmont, Pontrilas,
Herefordshire, July 1901.

CONTENTS.

PART I.

CHAP. PAGE

I. THE CLASS REPTILIA ..... 3

II. TROPIDONOTUS NATRIX, OR THE RING SNAKE . 11

III. THE RING SNAKE — continued. THE PLAGUE OF

SNAKES AT LLANELLY . . . .29

IV. SNAKES IN IRELAND IN 1900 . . .38
V. CORONELLA AUSTRIACA, OR THE SMOOTH SNAKE . 43

VI. HIBERNATION AND SLOUGHING . . .60

VII. VIPER A BERUS, OR ADDER . . . .75

viii. the adder — continued. ANATOMY . . .96

ix. the adder — continued, colour variation in

BRITISH ADDERS . . . .109

X. THE ADDER — continued. THE EFFECT OF ADDER

VENOM ...... 126

XI. THE ADDER — continued. THE REPRODUCTION OF

THE ADDER ..... 143

XII. THE ADDER — continued. SWALLOWING THE YOUNG

FOR PROTECTION .... 164

xiii. the adder — continued, statements by corre-
spondents ON THE SWALLOWING OF THE
YOUNG BY THE MOTHER . . .176

XIV

CONTEXTS.

XIV. THE OPHIDIA IN THE MONNOW VALLEY . . 194

XV. THE SMALL RED VIPER .... 206

XVI. CANKER IN SNAKES KEPT IN CAPTIVITY . . 214

XVII. EXAMINATION AND RECORDING OF SPECIMENS . 217

XVIII. VARIOUS INCIDENTS RECORDED OF BRITISH

SERPENTS ..... 220

PART II.

COUNTY AND VICE-COUNTY DIVISIONS OF THE BEITISH
ISLES (FOR BIOLOGICAL PURPOSES) . 235

XIX. COUNTY AND DISTRICT DISTRIBUTION

XX. PENINSULA PROVINCE

XXI. CHANNEL PROVINCE

XXII. THAMES PROVINCE

XXIII. OUSE PROVINCE

XXIV. SEVERN PROVINCE
XXV. SOUTH WALES PROVINCE

XXVI. NORTH WALES PROVINCE

XXVII. TRENT PROVINCE .

XXVIII. MERSEY PROVINCE

XXIX. HUMBER PROVINCE

XXX. TYNE PROVINCE

XXXI. LAKES PROVINCE .

XXXII. SCOTLAND .

XXXIII. TABLE OF AVERAGE LENGTHS OF ADDERS AND
RING SNAKES IN COUNTIES AND DISTRICTS
APPENDIX .....
INDEX .....

237

253
258
273
283
288
303
313
318
325
328
332
337
343

364
371
377

ILLUSTRATIONS.

B'IGi PAGE

THE THREE BRITISH SPECIES . . . Frontispiece

1. HEADS OF THE THREE BRITISH SERPENTS . . 4

2. TROPIDONOTUS NATRIX, OR RING SNAKE (24£ INCHES)

3. RING SNAKE (3£ FEET, CORNWALL)

4. RING SNAKE WITH BLUNT TAIL .

5. HEAD PLATES OF RING SNAKE
PLAN OF LOCALITY, PLAGUE OF SNAKES .

6. YOUNG RING SNAKE FOUND IN DEBRIS OF WALL

7. EGGS FOUND IN OLD WALL

8. CORONELLA AUSTRIACA, OR SMOOTH SNAKE

9. HEAD PLATES OF SMOOTH SNAKE

10. SMOOTH SNAKE .....

11. EYE-COVERING OF ADDER.

12. SLOUGH OF AN ADDER ....

13. V-MARKS OF ADDERS ....

14. SIDE-MARKINGS OF ADDER

15. BANDED MARKING ON ADDER

16. SLOW- WORMS .....

17. MALE ADDER (24 INCHES) CAUGHT AT SKENFRITH,

JUNE 1898 ......

18. MALE ADDER (25$ INCHES) SWALLOWING A SLOW-WORM

19. THE PROCESS OF SWALLOWING LARGE ARTICLES OF DIET

IN ADDERS ......

12
15

17
24
32
35
36
45
47
58
68
71
79
80
81
84

85

89

91

XVI

ILLUSTRATIONS.

20. SMOOTH NEWTS .....

21. TAIL OF MALE ADDER (3 INCHES)

22. TAIL OF FEMALE ADDER (2J INCHES)

23. HEAD PLATES OF ADDER ....

24. ADDER (26J INCHES) ....

25. GULLET OF ADDER, DISTENDED TO SHOW CAPACITY

26. INTERNAL ORGANS OF ADDER

27. HEART AND LIVER OF ADDER

28. DISSECTION OF THE HEART, LUNG, AND LIVER .

29. YOUNG MALE ADDER AFTER SLOUGHING IN SPRING (19|

INCHES) .....

30. OLD FEMALE ADDER (26J INCHES)

31. ADDER IN MOTION ....

32. FEMALE ADDER IN YOUNG (OVIDUCTS FULL OF EMBRYOS

33. DISSECTION OF OVIDUCTS OF ADDER

34. EGGS OF ADDER .....

35. EGGS OF ADDER (LATER STAGE) .

36. EMBRYO IN EGG .....

37. EMBRYO ADDERS ....

38. FEMALE ADDER (25£ INCHES)

39. EMBRYO ADDERS (MALE) ....

40. TEN EMBRYO ADDERS AT FULL TIME

41. FOUR MONNOW VALLEY ADDERS .

42. SMALL RED VIPER .....

43. "BRUuSHER MILLS," THE FAMOUS SNAKE-CATCHER

44. RING SNAKE IN A STONE ....

45. FEMALE (26£ INCHES) AND MALE (24£ INCHES) ADDERS

MONMOUTHSHIRE ....

46. RING SNAKE .....

47. MALE ADDER (24 INCHES), EWYAS HAROLD, HEREFORD

SrIIxtK* • • • • •

48. FEMALE ADDER (26} INCHES), HEREFORDSHIRE .

49. MALE AND FEMALE ADDERS, CENARTH, SOUTH WALES

93

94

94

97

99

101

103

105

107

121
123
138
147
151
153
154
155
156
157
159
161
199
211
223
229

245
261

294
295
310

PAET I.

CHAPTEE I.
THE CLASS REPTILIA.

RELATIVE DISTRIBUTION OF REPTILES — IRELAND — NEW ZEA-
LAND— RELATION TO AMPHIBIANS AND BIRDS — EXISTING
ORDERS OF REPTILES-- BRITISH SPECIES — DIFFICULTY OF
OBSERVATION — CLASSIFICATION AND TERMINOLOGY USED IN
BOOK.

In very few countries of the world are the members
of the class IIeptilia so sparsely represented as in
the British Isles, and in all probability there are
few persons who regret that fact. The charm of a
ramble through solitary English woods, or over the
more rugged mountains of Scotland and Wales, is
not materially lessened by the dread of encountering
venomous serpents, as is the case in so many
countries which are otherwise delightful. What a
striking contrast, for example, to the continent of
America, where " out of some three thousand species
of living reptiles known, three hundred and forty-
eight are North American " ; while " there are one
hundred and thirty species of snakes in America

BRITISH SERPENTS.

north of Mexico ! " l In Australia, too, there are
large numbers of serpents : " first, the harmless, of
which there are some five-and- thirty ; secondly, the

2. 3.

Fig. 1. — Heads of the three British Serpents.
1. The Adder. 2. The King Snake. 3. The Smooth Snake.

venomous, over seventy, including the sea-snakes." -
Compared with such countries as these, our British
serpents do not form a very imposing list, three
species only being found, only one of them at all

1 Packard.

2 Aflalo, Natural History (Vertebrates) of the British Islands.

THE CLASS REPTILIA. 5

venomous. Even these three are confined to England,
Scotland, and Wales, there being no representative
of the serpent tribe indigenous to Ireland — another
grievance from the naturalist's point of view, per-
haps ! St Patrick's decree of banishment has long been
popularly associated with this curious local immunity,
while others have suggested that the fact points to
Ireland having been cut off from the continent of
Europe before the serpent species had reached so far
west. Whatever the real explanation may be, the
fact remains that (with the exception of some isolated
occurrences referred to later) Ireland has no serpents.
Lizards are the only reptiles found there.

New Zealand, too, has no serpents except venomous
sea-snakes, though here a^ain the order of lizards is
represented ; and there are other oceanic islands which
exhibit a similar peculiarity.

Climate has, of course, a great deal to do with the
distribution of reptiles, as they are essentially in-
habitants of warm and temperate lands, becoming
rarer the farther north one goes. Thus, " In Europe
snakes cease at 60° north latitude, and at G000 feet
elevation in the Alps " ; * the lizards, however, ex-
tend both to the more northern latitudes and to
higher elevations, except in North America, where
the serpents are found more northerly than the
lizards.

To the naturalist who studies the development of

1 Packard.

6 BRITISH SERPENTS.

animal types,, the class Eeptilia is one of absorbing
interest. Standing, as it does, next to the amphibians
on the one side and to the birds on the other, the
reptiles show a distinct relationship to both ; so that
there is found in them a further development of a
type of structure first seen in the amphibians, and
at the same time indications of features which appear
in greater perfection in the birds. So much so, indeed,
is this the case that reptiles and birds have been
classed together as a single series of animals under
the one name Sauropsida. Thus we see that "no one
class of vertebrates stands alone by itself. Every
year fresh researches by palaeontologists and the re-
examination of living vertebrates, especially in their
embryonic history, prove that no single class, not even
a type so well circumscribed as the modern birds, is
without links, forming genetic bonds, allying them
all together. The different classes of vertebrates, as
well as of other branches of the animal kingdom,
form an ascending series." *

In the class Eeptilia we find some members which
are equally at home in water or on land, or which
spend part of their time in one element and another
part on the other. Our own common ring snake,
though a capital swimmer and fond of water, is
mainly a land serpent ; while our adder, as a rule,
is averse to water, and is but rarely found at all in
damp places.

1 Packard.

THE CLASS EEPTILIA. 7

The only existing forms of the class Eeptilia — there
are six extinct orders — are the following : —

Order 1. Chelonia (tortoises and turtles),

n 2. Lacertilia (lizards).

.. 3. Ophidia (serpents).

.1 4. Crocodilia (alligators and crocodiles).

The curious New Zealand lizard is by some authori-
ties given an order to itself, but we need not concern
ourselves with that point. As we have already said,
our British reptiles are confined to the orders of ser-
pents and lizards, and there are three representatives
of each of these orders.

These are as follows : —

Order Lacertilia or Lizards:

1. Lacerta vivipara, common lizard.

2. Lacerta agilis, sand-lizard.

3. An guis fr agilis, slow-worm.

( >rder Ophidia or Serpents :

1. Vipera hern*, the adder.

2. Tropidonotus natrix, ring snake.

3. Goronrlla austriaca, smooth snake.

The lizards do not come into the scope of this
work, except in so far as their presence or absence
affects the snakes, a point to be dealt with later on.
They have been studied with great accuracy and
detail by various observers, and have a literature of
their own.

8 BRITISH SERPENTS.

Our harmless ring snake, too, has had a good deal
of attention paid to it ; but our only venomous serpent,
the adder, seems to have been much neglected, at any
rate as far as the study of its habits in a state of nature
is concerned. It is not difficult to see why this should
have been the case. In the first place, many people
have a great horror of venomous serpents, even people
who are keenly interested in most other animals.
Secondly, the observation of adders in their natural
haunts is beset with difficulties greater than any which
apply to the study of many other branches of our
fauna. Adders are not to be found in every field, nor
just when one has the time to give to their obser-
vation. They are unobtrusive creatures, and always
keep out of sight if possible, and they are, of course,
most undesirable pets. For all these reasons it is
most difficult to gain anything like an adequate idea
of the natural life of our adders. Indeed there are
few subjects requiring so much patience and per-
severance as an investigation such as this. But since
the adder is the member of the group whose life-
history has been least worked out, I have given most
of my attention to it, and hence this species will be
found to occupy what might otherwise appear to be an
unduly prominent position in these pages. There are
many curious ideas about adders prevalent in some
districts, and still more queries concerning them await-
ing solution. They have been credited with some
very startling performances, the evidence for and

THE CLASS REPTILIA. 9

against which we shall have to carefully consider
and examine ; and without giving them credit for
possessing any supernatural powers, we shall find,
I hope, that they present a most interesting study.

Before beginning to describe various species of our
serpents, it will be well to have a very clear under-
standing as to the terminology employed. We have
already classified the species above, and also enum-
erated them. Let us consider now for a moment their
ordinary everyday names.

Our venomous serpent is sometimes spoken of and
written about as " the adder," and as often, perhaps,
as the " viper." These are synonymous terms, both
correct, and both referring to Vipera herns. But in
some books, especially the older writings, the Latin
name of Vipera communis is used, or again Vipera
vents may be found. These also, then, are synonyms.
In order to avoid any confusion we shall always use
the term Vipera hems for the adder. It is convenient
to restrict the use of the term " viper M to the small
red variety of the species. This reptile is not at
present regarded as a distinct species, though, I con-
fess, it seems to me that it might well be so. The
scientific name of our harmless common British snake
is Tropidonotus natrix (the Latin matrix meaning a
water snake). In English we hear and see this species
spoken and written of as the ring snake or as the
grass snake, the former term having reference to the
peculiar marking, the latter to the habit, of the reptile.

10 BRITISH SERPENTS.

This snake has many other names given to it, of more
or less local application. These terms are again syn-
onymous, and equally correct; but for the sake of uni-
formity, and also because it is more descriptive, we
shall always refer to Tropidonotus natrix as the " ring
snake " when using the English name.

With regard to our third British species, the
rare " smooth snake," the name Coronclla lecvis is per-
haps most usually adopted. But it is more correct to
describe this serpent as Coronella austriaca, and hence
this term will be used.

To sum up, then, our terminology —

Vipera bcrus means the adder.
Tropidonotus natrix, means the ring snake.
Coronclla austriaca means the smooth snake.

The small variety of our venomous serpent we
shall refer to as the " small red viper."

We shall often have occasion to refer to Anguis
fragilis, and this lizard we shall call the " slow-worm,"
not the " blind-worm," because it is not blind, though
it is somewhat slow to get out of one's way ; but its
movements cannot by any means always be described
as " slow."

Lastly in this connection, let us be careful not to
use the term " snake " as opposed to " adder," as some
do. This is most unscientific and wrong. All the
Ophidia are " snakes," which is only another name for
" serpents."

11

CHAPTER IT.

TROPIDONOTUS NATRIX, OR THE RING SNAKE.

DISTRIBUTION - - DESCRIPTION - - SIZE — MARKINGS - - HAUNTS -
FOOD — REPRODUCTION — ANATOMY — FREQUENCY — SYNONYMS
AND CLASSIFICATION.

Distribution. — The ring snake is by far the most
numerous of the British serpents ; but while this is so
it by no means follows that its distribution is uniform
throughout the country, and indeed this is far from
being actually the case. Its detailed distribution is
considered under the head of " County Distribution '!
later, but it may be noted here that this species is
practically absent from Scotland, occurring only in
one or two of the south-eastern counties, and there
but rarely. In the north of England, too, it is scarce,
the Cumbrian mountains apparently offering an ob-
struction to its progress on the north-west.

The ring snake is seen in greatest abundance in
Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, and in some of the Welsh
counties ; but it has a universal distribution through-
out the south of England, except in some restricted

12

BRITISH SERPENTS.

districts where the local conditions are altogether in
favour of the adder. Such a locality is the valley of
the Monnow, on the South Herefordshire border.
For a distance of eight miles in this valley I have seen
only one ring snake in five years, during all of which
time I have been snake-hunting there in the summer

Fig. 2. — Tropidonotus Natrix, or Ring Snake (24| inches).

Note

Plates on head.

Yellow collar.

Dark rim behind collar.

Markings on sides of body.
Tail tapering to line point.
Scales (ventral and dorsal).

months. This single specimen has supplied my illus-
tration of this species, and was caught by one of the
keepers at Kentchurch Court on September 26, 1898.
I happened to drive up just as he caught it, and the
keeper told me that he saw the snake crossing the
drive, coming from the yard to a stream which runs

THE RING SNAKE. 13

just by the drive on the opposite side. It was a most
beautifully marked specimen, and I have it now in my
collection, sole representative of its species as far as
this valley is concerned. No doubt it had been
brought to the Court in a load of something, as I am
quite satisfied that these ring snakes do not breed
in this locality. If they did they would be far more
common. A more extreme instance of the same kind
of thing is reported from Ireland in ' Country Life '
(November 3, 1900), to which reference will be made
later on.

This reptile is by far the most common snake in
Europe, being found in almost every country — -in vary-
ing numbers, of course, according to the climate.
Thus it does not occur in the most northerly portions
of Russia ; while it is present in the island of Sicily.

Description. — Nothing to my mind is more diffi-
cult than to describe colours and shades, especially
those of animals. The personal conceptions of in-
dividuals are so different in the matter of colours.
Still the attempt must be made; but a careful inspec-
tion of a specimen will convey more than any amount
of printed description. What strikes the observer at
once on looking at a ring snake is the brilliant yellow
or orange collar, divided in the middle line on the
back of the neck by a narrow dark line. Immediately
behind this collar is an incomplete dark - brown or
black patch, the incomplete part being on the ventral
surface. This dark band is much wider on the sides

14 BRITISH SERPENTS.

of the neck than on the back of the snake. Behind
this again the general body colour is olive -green,
darker above than below, shading off into a light
greenish-yellow on the sides of the body, the ventral
surface (that which is in contact with the ground
when the snake is in motion) being dark bluish-
black. Along the sides of the long attenuated body
are two rows of irregularly shaped black patches,
one row on either side of the body. Above these
on the back are two parallel rows of smaller black
spots. The young are darker all over when first
born, but they soon show all the brilliant hues
of their elders, the yellow collar becoming very
bright in a few weeks. In a specimen about two
months old it is noticeable that the two largest
head-plates (the posterior ones, that is) are of a
distinctly darker colour than the anterior ones.

Size. — The ring snake grows to a far greater length
than does either the adder or the smooth snake, vary-
ing in different localities. The average length of the
adult may be said to be from 30 to 36 inches (though
when a snake becomes an adult precisely is very
difficult to say). Much larger ones, however, have
been recorded. F. G. Aflalo mentions that Lord
Londesborough had one measuring 5 feet 8 inches,
from the New Forest. Such a length is of course
most exceptional, and it is very rarely that specimens
of 5 feet are taken. I once got one of 40 inches
in North Monmouthshire, near Abergavenny, the

Fig. 3. — Ring Snake (3J feet, Cornwall).

THE RING SNAKE.

17

largest I have seen in that district, where they are
not uncommon. (See later' for county records.)

Shape. — In proportion to its length the ring snake
is much thinner or more attenuated than the adder,
especially towards the tail. This, indeed, is often
quoted as a mark of distinction between the two.

Fig. 4. — Ring Snake with bunt tail.
(Photo by II. E. Forrest ; specimen in Sln-ewsbury Museum.)

The tail of the former tapers off to a very fine point,
while that of the adder is somewhat blunt. Though
the ordinary rule, this is not invariably the case, as
may be seen by a specimen in the museum at Shrews-
bury, which Mr Forrest was good enough to draw my
attention to, in which the tail of the ring snake is
almost as blunt as the tail of an adder.

B

18 BRITISH SERPENTS.

If, however, the sub-caudal scales be counted in
these blunt-tailed ring snakes, it will be found that
the snakes have been at some previous time deprived
of part of the tail by some accident. Thus, in the
specimen figured and just mentioned, the scales under
the tail numbered thirty-six pairs instead of the sixty-
five or more in the normal tail. The end of the tail
assumes the spine-like character it had originally, but
the tail does not ^row aoain to the former length.

Haunts. — It may be taken for granted that ring
snakes never make their headquarters far from water.
Damp marshy districts they delight in, hot arid slopes
they avoid — exactly contrary to the taste of the adder.
This explains in great part their distribution in these
isles. Perhaps the most favourite haunt of the ring
snake (if available) is a quarry or other pit in the
neighbourhood of a pond or river. In such a place
he (or she) can indulge in the luxury of the morning
swim in the sunshine, and retire from observation or
for the winter's sleep. The long rank grass, too, of
the marshy land offers great temptations in the shape
of food-supply : where the lizards and amphibians
congregate, there also will the ring snake be found.
On grassy banks, in undulating fields, it may be
encountered, but always more abundantly in well-
watered districts.

Food. — A good deal has yet to be learnt regarding
the food - supply of our reptiles, especially in the
period of their early youth. In fact, I do not know

THE KING SNAKE. 19

whether any one conlcl say what our snakes first feed
on in their infancy ; at any rate, I would not presume
to dogmatise about it. Probably some insects and
small slugs are the first diet, but as the snake grows
to maturity much bigger game is substituted. An
adult ring snake undoubtedly prefers a young frog
to anything else, and the process of swallowing it
is a task requiring some time and careful manipula-
tion. The frog is, as a rule, seized by one hind-leg,
simply because it is usually making an effort to keep
well ahead of the pursuing snake. It is a hopeless
effort, however, and the reptile, darting forward its
head with an extremely rapid movement, secures its
prey, then proceeds more leisurely to devour it. Once
caught, the frog makes no further struggle, exhibiting
that remarkable state of semi-unconsciousness often
seen in other animals in the presence of serpents.
One hind-leg swallowed, the body of the frog begins
to disappear, the mechanism of the ophidian jaw
being adapted -for the passage of very large articles
of diet. The picture presented at this stage of the
performance is sufficiently ludicrous, — " the three legs
and the head of the frog are seen standing forward,
in a very singular manner." l If in the first place the
frog happens to have been seized by the body, the
snake turns its victim until the head is towards the
mouth and then swallows the frog head first, the
unfortunate amphibian being alive all the while.

1 Knapp.

20 BRITISH SERPENTS.

Indeed it often survives the journey into the stomach
of the snake, and some have even been rescued from
their perilous position here apparently little the worse
for the unpleasant experience. But frogs are by no
means the sole food of the ring snake. Toads, too
(most deleterious of foods, and rejected, as Aflalo says,
by almost every living creature), are devoured. Newts
also (again deleterious food) are welcomed, being
" often captured in the water, but invariably con-
sumed on the bank." 1 Being an expert swimmer
and very fond of passing part of its time in the
water, it is not surprising to find that this snake
obtains a considerable portion of its food in that
element; hence it is said that the ring snake will
dive after water-newts, and even catch fish. But
the ring snake does not by any means restrict itself
to a water-diet. One of its most favourite meals
consists of mice (like the adder in this respect).
Birds, too, and their eggs are another variety of
food largely partaken of, especially the newly hatched
young of birds which build their nests on the ground.
It should be mentioned also that amongst the foods
supplied by the rivers and streams water-voles are
conspicuous, several of which have been found in the
stomach of this snake at the same time (see adder-
food later).2

1 Aflalo, Natural History (Vertebrates) of the British Islands.

2 It should be stated that some authorities deny that the ring
snake feeds upon any animal higher in the vertebrate scale than
amphibians — not birds or mammals.

THE KING SNAKE. 21

It thus seems that the food of the ring snake is
exactly what would be expected from an animal
of its habits and anatomy.

Reproduction. — In its reproduction the ring snake
is an oviparous animal — that is, an egg - producing
animal. The female does not bring forth young ring
snakes, but lays a number of eggs. What that precise
number is on the average I do not care to say too
definitely, considering the very various estimates given
by different writers. Thus the following figures are
given : —

M. C. Cooke gives the number as 16 to 20 eggs.
H. E. Forrest n n 20 or more esgs.

F. G. Atlalo „ i. 20 to 30

Miss C. Hopley n n 15 to 25 n

In his book of ' British Vertebrates ' Aflalo, however,
states that there may be as many as four dozen eggs
deposited at a time, and this is undoubtedly true.
A correspondent of mine who was investigating the
plague of snakes at Llanelly for me (see chap, iii.),
found forty bundles of eggs, the average number
in each bundle being thirty eggs. These were all
found at the same time and place, so give a good
opportunity of forming an estimate on the point.
It will probably be very near the correct figure to
estimate the average number of eggs deposited by
the ring snake in a season, though not necessarily
at one time, at from twenty to thirty. Their size

22 BRITISH SERPENTS.

varies according to the amount of moisture absorbed
and to the time of development, but they are gen-
erally about an inch long when found, and the bulk
of a pigeon's egg.

The eggs are laid in the late spring or early summer,
and having selected the spot for their deposition, the
female apparently cares no more about the future of
her offspring. The spot selected more often than not
takes the form of a heap of manure (which offers both
warmth and moisture), or any convenient collection of
rubbish. But bundles of the eggs may be found in all
sorts of places — in fagots, in old walls, or any warm
moist vegetable material. The separate eggs adhere
together by means of a glutinous secretion deposited
with them, and which causes them to adhere in strings
even when the young have left the eggs, and the latter
are quite dry and brittle. The covering of the embryo
is not shell but a tough leathery membrane, through
which moisture can penetrate. The period of develop-
ment varies somewhat with the heat and moisture to
which the eggs are exposed, but is generally about
eight weeks after the eggs are extruded. This is not
the whole length of the period of development, which
has already reached a certain stage when the eggs are
deposited. " The embryo at the time of hatching is
provided with a temporary horny tooth on the snout,
to cut through the eggshell." 1

Anatomy. — Without going into any great detail

1 Packard.

THE RING SNAKE. 23

which would be beyond the scope of this work, and
which can be studied in the larger text - books on
Zoology, a few of the more general anatomical points
of the ring snake may be noted. There are certain
negative points which are characteristic of the order
Ophidia. Thus there are no limbs, no external eye-
lids, no tear-ducts, no lips (only scales), no urinary
bladder, no epiglottis at the back of the tongue, no
sternum (the bone which the ribs join on to in some
animals). In addition to these general negative quali-
ties of the order the ring snake is also non-poisonous
and non-Irish; so that a good deal may be learnt about
this species by simply knowing what it is not.

There is a complete covering of scales. Those on
the top of the head are characteristic of the species, so
must be noticed particularly. They are in the form
of large plates, and have a definite arrangement. This
arrangement may be expressed diagrammatically thus
(using the capital letter 0 to represent a single

plate) : —

Nose.

0

0 0

00

Eye. 0 0 0 Eye.

00

0

Collar.

This is the disposition of the largest plates, the relative
positions of the nose, eyes, and the yellow collar being
shown by the same words. There are other smaller

24

BRITISH SERPENTS.

plates on either side of these large ones. Notice that
the eyes are opposite the row of three plates, and that
the largest of all are the two immediately behind

these. This is different from
the arrangement in the adder,
but cannot be said to be a very
ready means of distinguishing
the species until it has been
captured. The scales on the
back are keeled or carinated —
that is, they are possessed of a
mid-rib like a leaf. Hence the
generic term of " Tropidonotus,"
which means literally " keel-
backed." This keel is still more
prominent in the adder. The
scales along the ventral surface
are in a single row as far as
the anal orifice, when the row
becomes a double one. The tail
is about one-fourth the length of
the whole reptile.
The teeth are in two rows on both the upper and
lower jaws, and are recurved, pointing to the throat, so
that it is difficult to extract anything from the mouth
when the jaws have closed upon it. " They are not in
sockets, and consequently are not used to tear or
crush food." 1

Fig. 5. — Head Plates
ok Ring Snake.

(N, nasal ; F, frontal ; S,
supra-ocular ; P, parietal.)

Packard.

THE RING SNAKE. 25

The tongue is very long and forked, and is provided
with a muscular sheath, by means of which it can be
quickly protruded and withdrawn. The jawbones
are very freely movable, allowing of the distension of
the throat to the immense extent required to swallow
the large articles of diet. On dissection the right
lung only is found fully developed, the left being
rudimentary. It is obviously more convenient for a
long cylindrical animal such as a serpent to have one
long tubular lung than two shorter and more bulky
ones. This want of symmetry is to be seen in other
internal organs, no doubt for a like reason. Thus the
right ovary is larger than the left, and is not opposite
but anterior to the left one. The windpipe is much
elongated. The lack of true eyelids is supplied by the
presence of a transparent scale, like a watch-glass,
which is shed with the rest of the slough.

One prominent feature of the ring snake is its
habit of emitting a powerful and unpleasant odour
when disturbed. A correspondent of mine, who has
killed some hundreds of ring snakes, assures me that
he can always smell them directly he gets within
a few yards of them. The odour is the product of
two glands placed just within the anal orifice. So
much for the structure of the most common of British
serpents.

The only instance I have ever come across of a
ring snake attacking an adder is furnished me by Mr
Kees, who says : " One summer's morning at Newpark

26 BRITISH SERPENTS.

(Glamorgan), when walking along a hedgerow, my
attention was attracted by a hissing noise, and on
looking into the ditch I saw an adder about 10 inches
long, which had been half - swallowed from the tail
forwards by a ring snake. The latter was about 3|
feet long. The ring snake itself was dead, whether
suffocated or poisoned I am unable to say. I killed
the adder, and on examining the ring snake could
see no marks of its having been bitten by its
adversary."

A good deal more will be said about this snake
in discussing the points of contrast and comparisons
with the adder. But there is one matter which must
strike the thoughtful student or reader in connection
with this species, and it is this. Seeing that the
average number of eggs deposited by each female
is about thirty, how is it that these snakes are not
found more frequently? For, after all, it comes as
a surprise to meet one of them in a walking tour, not
to say in an afternoon stroll. Squirrels and stoats,
and many other varieties of animals not nearly so
prolific as ring snakes, are encountered, but every
one is astonished on meeting a serpent in most parts
of England. ISTo doubt the retiring and unobtrusive
disposition of the reptile has a good deal to do with
its being seen so infrequently, for it will always glide
quickly and noiselessly away, if it can, when dis-
turbed. Then, too, its protective colouring makes it
difficult to see in the grass unless the observer is

THE RING SNAKE. 27

quite close. But, granting all these considerations,
one would still expect to disturb ring snakes more
often than one does. There must be something more
than these reasons to account for it ; most likely the
secret is in the accidental destruction of eggs, —
accidental, that is, from the snake point of view.
Manure-heaps are apt to be scattered over the ground
and ploughed or dug in, and rubbish-heaps are apt to
be the chosen spot for burning the garden refuse;
neither of which processes would be conducive to
the successful development of the embryo ring snakes.
Other eggs are no doubt destroyed by different
animals, possibly as food (why should not rats eat
the eggs ?), and others again may be trodden upon
or destroyed by pressure in different ways. Some
such accidents as these must be partly responsible ;
and lastly, conditions of climate have to be taken
into account. It frequently happens that the young
are not hatched out in the autumn, but lie unde-
veloped till the following spring. During a very
severe winter many eggs may quite conceivably be
frozen beyond recovery, and so, in spite of the large
number of eggs deposited, ring snakes are somewhat
infrequently met with.

Eing snakes are interesting pets to keep in cap-
tivity, not savage, and even if they did bite, no harm
would follow.

The following complete classification may assist in
referring to scientific works, and the list of synonyms

28

BRITISH SERPENTS.

may be useful in identifying museum specimens, and
for other reference : —

Class

Reptilia.

Order

Ophidia.

Sub-order

COLUBRINES.

Family

Species

colubrid.k.
Tropidonotus natrix.

Also named —

Natrix torquata.
Torquata natrix.
Coluber natrix.

Coluber torquatus.
Tropidonotus persa
Coluber murorum.

Natrix vulgaris.

%

English names —

Ring snake, or ringed snake.
Green snake.
Hedge snake.

Grass snake.
Common snake.
Water snake.

All these terms will be found used to refer to the
ring snake either by authors or as local names.

29

CHAPTER III.

THE RING SNAKE— Continued.

THE PLAGUE OF SNAKES AT LLANELLY.

NEWSPAPER REPORTS — FACTS OF CASE — DESCRIPTION OF
LOCALITY — EXPLANATION OF OCCURRENCE.

That a dwelling;- house in this country should be
visited with a plague of serpents seems like a wild
romance, and no doubt many people who read the
following paragraph (or a similar one) in the daily
papers of September 1900 mentally gave the reporters
credit for somewhat lively imaginations : —

" The residents of a house at Cefncaeau, near
Llanelly, are suffering from a plague of snakes. The
reptiles are of all sizes and colours, and they crawl
over the floors, infest the cupboards, and curl them-
selves up on the furniture, and even luxuriate in the
bedrooms. No fewer than twenty -two snakes were
slaughtered in one day." — ' Morning Leader,' September
1900.

30 BRITISH SERPENTS.

The Cardiff' Western Mail' gave still more details,
and reported the occurrence thus : —

"The residents of a house at Cefncaeau, near
Llanelly, have undergone a very unpleasant experi-
ence of late. It was reported by the sanitary
inspector of the borough council on Friday that the
place had become the domicile for innumerable snakes
of all sizes and colours. They crawled over the floors,
infested the cupboards, curled themselves together on
the furniture, while some more aspiring members of
the species climbed the stairs and luxuriated in the
comforts of the bedrooms. The human occupants of
the house had done their best to rid themselves of
these unwelcome visitors, and had waged a war of
extermination against them. The snakes continued to
come, however, no fewer than twenty- two being
slaughtered in one day, as the inspector explained.
The sanitary committee listened to the recital of these
facts with horror written on their faces, but took no
action in the matter, being uncertain, probably,
whether their jurisdiction extended to snakes. How-
ever, the inspector will probably serve notice to quit
upon them, failing compliance with which, more
summary measures will be taken."

Most of the daily papers made some reference to the
occurrence, the ' Standard ' had a leading article on it,
and the whole thing seemed so unique in the history
of British snake-lore that I determined to investigate
it. Accordingly I wrote to the sanitary inspector

THE RING SNAKE. 31

asking him for the facts of the matter as they had
come under his notice, and asking him if possible to
send me one of the snakes for identification. He very
kindly wrote me an account of what he knew, and at
the same time put me into communication with one
of the residents of the houses concerned, and to these
two gentlemen I am indebted for the following details
of the locality. It seems, then, that the house in
question is situated in a row of eighteen, called
Cefncaeau Eow, some two miles from Llanelly. The
row faces north, the road runs at the front doors, the
gardens of the houses being across the road. Beyond
the gardens is a field in which is an old quarry, called
Cae Cefn quarry. The distance from the quarry to the
front of the row is 300 yards. At the back of the
row is a stubble-field, the level of which is above that
of the ground-floor of the houses. There are no back-
doors to the houses, the back walls of which are only
separated from the field by an open drain, which
carries off the water. Each house has a small back-
window looking on to this field, some of these windows
being made to open, others not. Each house consists
of two rooms below and one long room above. In the
second field at the back is an old disused coal-pit, now
filled, and which has not been worked for a hundred
years or so. This is '200 yards from the back wall.
Fields bound the row at one end, the other end open-
ing into the turnpike road which leads from Llanelly
to Swansea. A glance at the plan appended will

32

BRITISH SERPENTS.

Old quarry

300

Gardens in

yards

front of houses

iCefncaeau Row

Field

Field

18 17 16 15

14 13

12 | 11 10 I 9 I 8

Drain by the back wall

Field

200 : yards

Hedge

Old : pit

FIELDS

Plan of locality.

From quarry to houses is 300 yards.
From the old pit to houses is 200 yards.
The ditch and drain run by the back wall.
The large snakes were killed in the field*.

THE RING SXAKE. 33

make all these details clear, and show that the
approach to the row is open on three sides. The
houses were built some sixty-eight years ago, and were
in bad repair at the time. No. 2 was the house where
the snakes appeared in such numbers. The woman
who occupied it one day saw a small snake on the
hearthstone right in front of the lire. The next day
she saw several dropping down from a small hole in the
ivall, about 2 feet from the ground- floor. They then
made a search and found a dozen more, and again in
another place found several small ones. The tenant
then complained that the place was unhealthy, and
left, having first reported this extraordinary state of
affairs. Some weeks later the sanitary inspector was
looking over some repairs to this particular house.
The back wall was taken down and also the oven, but
nothing reptilian was seen, until on removing the
debris the inspector saw a small snake and promptly
secured it. This specimen was forwarded to me for
identification.

Such are the facts as I first got them, and as there
were several points which struck me as requiring a
little further elucidation, I wrote to Mr Lewis, of
No. 10 Cefncaeau Row, for further information. In
reply to my questions Mr Lewis kindly gave me the
following additional details concerning the snakes in
the immediate neighbourhood.

In the next house to the one above referred to, a
large specimen, 2 feet 3 inches long, had been killed

c

34 BRITISH SERPENTS.

a short time before. The twenty-two killed in No. 2
were all young ones recently hatched, and did not
measure more than eight inches in length. The hole
from which they were observed to issue was in the
back wall some 18 inches from the foundations, and
led to the outside, there being no obstacle to the
passage of the reptiles. When this old wall was
being repaired shortly afterwards an astonishing
condition of affairs was seen. No less than forty
bundles of eggs were found, each bundle consisting
of about thirty eggs, and out of every egg a young
rins snake was on the point of issuing. These meas-
ured 6 inches long. Thus there were within the
space of a few feet some 1200 young ring snakes.

Mr Lewis further informs me that for some vears
the snakes have been getting more numerous near the
houses, and that scores have been killed every year
for the last few years in the open drain at the back
of the row. In the fields around, about fifty yards
away, several have been killed as long as 4 feet, and
many 3 feet.

The old coal-pit seems to have nothing to do with
the snakes, as it has long been filled up and is not
overgrown with brambles or other cover.

Last year (1899) some workmen were quarrying
some stone for building purposes in the old quarry,
and one day came across an immense number of
snakes hibernating. They were of all sizes, from 7
inches to 4 feet. Mr Lewis says that he himself

THE RING SNAKE. 35

killed hundreds of them. " They were of a light-
brown colour, and had a bright yellow band round
the neck." With this detailed information of the
state of affairs it was not a matter of great difficulty
to understand how the plague of snakes had pome
about.

There was no doubt that the obtruding reptiles
must be ring snakes, their numbers proved that pretty
conclusively, and the specimen sent me by Mr D. P.

Fig. 6. — Young Ring Snake found in the debris of the wall.

Thomas, sanitary inspector, settled the point. It was
a young ring snake 7\ inches long, with all the char-
acteristic markings. It is shown in the illustration
above. Mr Thomas also sent me a bunch of the
eggs, or rather the egg-membranes, as the young had
been hatched out of them, except in one or two,
which contained the skeleton of the embryo.

The interesting problem which presented itself at
first was, Where did all these snakes come from, and

30

BRITISH SERPENTS.

how did they get into the house ? But after I had
got these full and careful reports from my correspond-
ents there was not much of a problem then left to
solve.

No doubt the headquarters of this colony of ring
snakes is in the old quarry. From there they have

p*

,-.;jp.'4( jdBSB^R

wm

W/ jH

.j^tef.

Fia. 7. — Eggs found in the old wall.

nothing to prevent them getting round to the back
of the houses, and the wet ditch is the place they
would naturally make for. Given a hole in the
back wall "of house No. 2, and the entrance is suffi-
ciently obvious. From the fact that these twenty-
two made their appearance all at once, I think that

THE RING SNAKE. 37

the eggs had probably been deposited in the hollow
wall, and the young developed there. The twenty-
two that were killed at the same time were, moreover,
all the same size, which also bears out this sup-
position.

According to the calculation of Mr Lewis, 1200
young ring snakes were despatched on the occasion of
the pulling down of the back wall on October 27, 1900.
It is almost a pity that the repairs were not deferred
for another week or two, when the condition of things
would have been a sight worth seeing. But I should
expect that the dwellers in Cefncaeau How have not
seen the last of their unwelcome visitors, as no doubt
there are more old ones in the quarry, who will turn
up in the spring again.

I have gone into this plague of snakes in some
detail because it illustrates very well the habits and
haunts of our most common serpent, and also because,
as far as I know, it is the most remarkable incident
of its kind on record in this country.

38

CHAPTER IV.

SNAKES IN IRELAND IN 1900.

On November 3, 1900, the following paragraph ap-
peared in ' Country Life ' : —

" The services of another St Patrick will soon be
required in Ireland if reptiles continue to turn up
as they have been doing of late. Erin's total im-
munity from anything in the shape of a snake has
been so remarkable that the appearance of two lately
in County Wicklow has created quite a stir amongst
naturalists. A few days since a snake measuring
20 inches was killed on the estate of Sir Robert
Hodson at Holly brooke, Bray, and just before another
was killed on the property of Dr Thompson, near
Delgany. These were at first thought to be venomous
vipers, but when experts saw them they were pro-
nounced to be the common harmless snake. The
only solution of their presence in the snakeless island
is that they were brought across Channel in a con-
signment of shrubs which lately arrived at Holly-
brooke. The absence of reptiles from Ireland is a

SNAKES IN IRELAND IN 1900. 39

circumstance which it is hard to account for — if we
are not believers in the snake-destroying reputation
of Ireland's patron saint. That some nations have
an exalted opinion of Irish soil as a warner-ofT of
snakes is well known, and one Irishman in Australia
went so far as to import a cargo of earth, which he
had strewed over his garden to prevent reptiles
visiting it."

Commenting on the above paragraph, the ' Out-
look ' on November 10, 1900, said : —

" Until the last week or so we had always supposed
that Ireland was free from snakes. But according
to a paragraph in ' Country Life ' this week, two
specimens of the common British ring snake have
found their way there, and perished as the result of
their effort to upset St Patrick's decree of banish-
ment. One was killed on the estate of Sir Eobert
Hodson at Hollybrooke, Bray. The other had been
previously killed on the property of Dr Thompson,
near Delgany. The theory advanced to account for
their presence is that they crossed over from England
in a bundle of shrubs. This is possible enough,
though it is more usual for the eggs to be carried
about from place to place than the reptiles them-
selves."

Curiously enough, I saw the quotation from
' Country Life ' the day after I had written on my
solitary Monnow Valley ring snake for this work
(see p. 12). Naturally I was very anxious to get

40 BRITISH SERPENTS.

full and authentic details of the matter, so I com-
municated with Sir Robert Hodson, who kindly wrote
to me as follows : —

" I regret I am unable to give you any facts from
my own knowledge, as I was away from home at the
time, and the snake having been sent to be preserved,
I have not seen it yet. My steward has supplied
me with the following facts. The snake was killed
by him on October 8, 1900, in a laurel-bush. It was
identified by Dr Scharff, of the Museum of Science
and Art of Dublin, as belonging to the species known
as T ropiclonotiis natrix or ring snake. It measured
26 inches in length.

" The only view I can form as to how this snake
came to Ireland, is that possibly the eggs might have
come over amongst some fruit-trees which I pur-
chased in England three or four years ago, and being
planted in a warm sheltered position, the eggs might
possibly have matured. The snake was killed in the
neighbourhood of these trees. It is remarkable that
another snake, reported to be of the same species,
was also killed in Co. Wicklow this autumn." —
Holly brooke, Bray, Co. Wicklow, 13th November
1900.

One or two points at once struck me in Sir Robert
Hodson's letter as slightly different from the report
first quoted. In the first place, the snake was 26
inches long, not 20 inches as reported — that is, it
was an older snake than one would have gathered

SNAKES IN IRELAND IN 1900. 41

from the report. Secondly, the trees which came
from England were fruit - trees, not shrubs. Thirdly,
and most important of all, the trees had not arrived
lately, but some three or four years ago. It is
obvious that these snakes are to be accounted for in
one of three ways : —

1. The eggs may have been taken to Ireland in
the earth of the fruit-trees, or in the packings, as
Sir E, Hodson is inclined to think.

2. The snakes may have been taken over as snakes
(probably very young, if this were so), either in the
trees mentioned or in something else taken to that
locality.

3. It is just possible that some person introduced
them intentionally, and has been enjoying the joke
ever since October 8. However unlikely one may
deem this explanation, it must be reckoned with :
such things have happened before. Hoping to get
some more light on the matter, I then wrote to
Dr Thompson of Delgany, where the other snake
was reported from. He wrote to me as follows : —

" The specimen of the yellow ringed snake found
here on . August 12, 1900, was 29 inches long. It
was discovered by a farm labourer under a cock of
hay in the field when pitching the hay on to a cart.
No one could account for its presence in these parts;
but I have a shrewd suspicion that as there was a
university camp (comprised of boys from English
schools) within half a mile from here in 1899, and

42 BRITISH SERPENTS.

as there was a rumour that some of the boys had
snakes in boxes in their tents, that probably the
specimen taken here escaped from some of the boys
the previous summer. It may even have been this
year, as the camp was here again, but I did not
hear of any of the boys having snakes there this
year."

The two snakes were thus evidently about the
same age, and might have come from the same lot
of eggs. Sir Eobert Hodson inclines to the first
explanation given above, while Dr Thompson rather
suspects the schoolboys of being guilty of this ophid-
ian conundrum. Both views are quite feasible, and
one could not decide the question without further
evidence.

43

CHAPTER V.
GORONELLA AUSTEIAGA, OR THE SMOOTH SNAKE.

DISTRIBUTION - - IN BRITISH ISLES - - DESCRIPTION — HABITS-
EXTRACTS FROM REV. O. P. CAMBRIDGE'S PAPER — OCCUR-
RENCE IN BERKSHIRE — LITERATURE.

Distribution, — This species is very rarely encoun-
tered in this country, and we are indebted to
Continental observers for most of the writings on
it. Nevertheless, the smooth snake is now admitted
as a true Eritish serpent, and must therefore be in-
cluded here. I have never come across one out of
museums and collections myself, so freely acknow-
ledge my indebtedness to others for the description
of its habits and food. A list of references at the
end of this chapter will enable those readers who.
desire to look further into the literature of this
snake to know where to find it.

Although so rare in this country, the smooth snake
is common enough on the European Continent, more
especially in the central and southern countries.

44 BRITISH SERPENTS.

Lord Clermont says that it occurs in Italy, Sicily,
Switzerland, Belgium (rarely here), on the right
bank of the Moselle river, and in some parts of
France. It has been observed in Sweden, especially
in the neighbourhood of Gothenburg. Dr Opel ob-
tained a specimen in Silesia, so that its distribution
in Europe is a wide one. In England its favourite
counties are Dorset, Hants, Surrey, and formerly, at
all events, Berks. Mr J. Bevir says in a letter to
me that he remembers the smooth snake being found
in Berks on several occasions some years ago. He
adds, " I have seen three specimens from one locality,
but believe that now the species is extinct here ':
(Berks). I do not know whether these specimens
are recorded or not.

Description. — The smooth snake is one of the
smaller ophidians, the females averaging about 24
inches when full grown, the males somewhat less in
the specimens I have seen. Its colour is variously
described as brown, reddish-brown, rusty, or brownish-
yellow. No doubt it exhibits a certain amount of
colour-variation, as do other serpents. It is marked
with two series of irregular dark spots on the back,
these spots being more distinct on the anterior portion
of the snake. A writer in the ' Zoologist ' says : —

" The head is but slightly distinct from the body ;
the tail short and strong at the base ; the eyes small ;
the rostral plate presses much upon the muzzle, and
is of triangular form, with its top pointed; there are

Fig. S.—Coronella Austriaca, or Smooth Snake.

THE SMOOTH SNAKE.

47

seven labial plates on the upper lip on each side, the
third and fourth of which touch upon the eye ; the
scales of the body are smooth, rhomboid, in nineteen
longitudinal rows. The plates on the
belly number from 160 to 164, those
on the under surface of the tail from
60 to 64 pairs."

Habits. — The favourite food of
this snake seems to consist of various
lizards, especially slow -worms, and
mice. It casts its slough, like other
snakes, and hibernates ; but the latter
process is not so long as in the case
of the other British species. Instead
of burying itself, it is said to stretch
on the surface of the ground. In its
disposition the smooth snake is said to be rather
fierce, but its bite is quite harmless. Like the
ring snake, this species emits a strong secretion
when excited.1

Reproduction. — The smooth snake is viviparous,
bringing forth about twelve young ones at a time,
near the end of August.

Historical. — In the year 1886 the Rev. 0. P.
Cambridge contributed a very valuable paper on
this species to the ' Proceedings of the Dorset
Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club,' a copy
of which he has been good enough to send me with

1 Aflalo,*Natural History (Vertebrates) of the British Islands.

FiCx. 9.—

Head Plates of

Smooth Snake.

(P, frontal ; S, supra-
ocular ; P, parietal.)

48 BRITISH SERPENTS.

his kind permission to quote it. The following
copious extracts are from the paper in question : —

" Most people, I imagine, have been hitherto aware
of only one other British serpent besides the adder,
and that is the common or ringed snake. A figure
and general description, therefore, with a few addi-
tional remarks on a now well-established third species
of British serpent, may not, perhaps, be uninteresting
to our members ; more especially as its British habitat
at present appears to be confined to the sandy heath
districts of Dorsetshire and the adjoining county of
Hampshire.

"The first undoubted capture of this snake, Coro-
nella Juris or smooth snake, in Britain, was in June
1853, by Mr Frederick Bond, between Wimborne
and Bingwood, on the borders of Parley Heath. I
was present on that occasion ehtomologising with
Mr Bond. We agreed that it was new to us, and,
with little doubt, new also to Britain. Mr Bond
took the specimen with him to London, fully intend-
ing to get it examined by the British Museum ex-
perts; but amid the many distractions of the height
of the entomological season it was merely put into
spirit and subsequently forgotten, until the record
of a specimen received at the British Museum from
Bournemouth (where it was found by the Hon. Arthur
Russell in 1859) appeared in the 'Zoologist,' 1859
(p. 6731). On reading this notice Mr Bond im-
mediately recognised the species we had met with

THE SMOOTH SNAKE. 49

six years before, and on sending his example to the
Museum, its identity was at once established (' Zool.,'
1859, p. 5787). During numberless rambles on Blox-
worth Heath from 1853 to 1872 I was on the look-
out for this snake, but only once saw an example,
which I failed to capture. It was not until June
1872 that I succeeded in authenticating it in that
locality by actual capture ('Zool.,' 1872, p. 3113).
Kecords, however, of its occurrence in the New Forest
have been published, in 1862, by Mr F. Buckland in
the ' Field ' newspaper, where other notices also, I
believe, subsequently appeared by the same writer,
but without details of time and locality (see 'Zool.,'
1869 (2), p. 1658). Since 1872 I have seen it much
more frequently and captured it occasionally, in order
to have always by me one or two preserved specimens
for friends who have wanted it either for their own or
for public collections. In the year 1879 it was un-
usually frequent on Bloxworth Heath. Several were
killed one day in September or early in October of
that year by a shooting - party, under the impression
they were adders. Having been informed of this on
the same evening bv one of the shooters at a dinner-
party, I took a moonlight tramp that same night over
the Heath to redeem two of their victims, feeling
quite sure (as it turned out) that they were Coronella
Icevis and not adders ; the next day being Sunday, I
feared, too, that before the Monday they would be
made prize of by some old carrion-crow or other

P

50 BRITISH SERPENTS.

vermin. One only, however, proved to be worth pre-
serving, the other having been too much damaged in
the anxiety of the slayer to ensure its destruction.

" By the additional records of its occurrence in the
pages of the ' Zoologist,' not only is its authenticity
as a British species more than fully established, but
its recent comparative frequency (in my own district
at least) is undoubted. During the past summer
(1885) I have seen it several times, capturing it twice.
On each of these occasions a slight tap near, but not
on, the head appeared to paralyse it, as it seemed for
some time quite dead, though on reaching home some
hours afterwards it had quite recovered and was as
lively as ever. The first of these two was put into
a roomy cage with glazed sides and perforated zinc
cover, and a clod of heather to bask upon in the
sun, or to conceal itself under. Thus, attended to by
one of my sons, and furnished with a small vessel
of water and a few bluebottle flies per diem, it lived
from June till the beginning of September, always
active, retaining its plump well-to-do appearance, and
changing its skin once. It became also verv tame
and docile : if lying under its piece of turf, it would,
on hearing my son whistle or call it, come out at
once and rear itself on its tail' as if to enjoy a little
conversation. One day, however, it managed for the
second time to push aside with its nose a small ven-
tilating-slide at the side of the cage, and the door
of the room being also open, it made its escape into

THE SMOOTH SNAKE. 51

the shrubbery and was found no more. The other
example (captured at the beginning of August) also
throve fairly well, but it did not show signs of
becoming tame like the other. It was finally sent,
on my son's going to school, about the middle of
September, to the Zoological Gardens, Begent's Park.
I have noticed above that a very slight tap with a
stick appeared to paralyse it, but that in the two
cases there noted it soon recovered. This was not
so, however, with the first example I ever obtained
('Zool.,' 3114). In this case the snake never stirred,
nor recovered in any way, after a blow, apparently
no stronger than those from which the others soon
rallied. Mr Kemp -Welch ('Zool.,' 3150) also men-
tions the fatal effect of a slight blow. On the other
hand, three examples subsequently taken alive, and
which I wished to preserve as specimens, seemed quite
unaffected by piercing through the brain with a pen-
knife. In these cases chloroform had to be freely used
afterwards before immersion in spirits of wine.

" Then with regard to its food — that is probably for
the most part the sand- lizard {Lacerta agilis) : this
species is frequent in the same localities inhabited by
the snake, though, as proved by Dr Blackmore (' Zool.,'
9735), it will freely devour our other lizard, Zootoca
vivipara, which is also found in some of the situations
affected by Coronella Icevis. In confinement it de-
voured slow-worms as well as lizards (' Zool.' (2), 1659),
but would not touch frogs. Those which we kept in

52 BRITISH SERPENTS.

confinement occasionally devoured spiders, but blue-
bottle flies whenever given ; so finding that the snakes
throve on this diet, we did not try them with other
kinds of food. Mice, slow-worms, and the viviparous
lizard are comparatively scarce on our heaths ; its food,
therefore, with us probably is for the most part the
sand-lizard.

"A correspondent ('Zool.,' 9559) states that Cor-
onella Icevis emits a strong odour for defence ; but
Dr Blackmore (' Zool.,' 9735) says it emits no smell
at all, even when irritated. I myself have never
noticed any odour in either of the examples I have
obtained, so I conclude that if it does emit an odour
it is of rare occurrence. Opel states ('Zool.,' 9511)
that its colour after sloughing is a beautiful steel
blue for six or seven days. Each of the two we had
in confinement changed its skin, but the only differ-
ence I noticed was that they were of somewhat
brighter and clearer hue than before. In one of
the examples the spots and markings were scarcely
visible until after the change of skin. This snake
is of a bold and fearless nature ; one of those I
captured (having come upon it suddenly) reared itself
erect on its tail to its full height, hissing and darting
out its forked tongue in a very pugnacious way. It
certainly seems to me to be much more frequent on
our heaths than it was when I first discovered it
there ; and I often hear of its being seen by others.
Its usual habitat is, no doubt, dry sandy spots, but I

THE SMOOTH SNAKE. 53

have on several occasions met with it in marshy
ground and swamp herbage. With regard to its
mention in general works on British Eeptiles, it is
thought by some authorities to be identical with a
very young obscure example described and figured
many years ago by Sowerby as a new species —
Coluber dumfrisiensis — found near Dumfries, and
noticed by Dr Bell (' British Eeptiles/ 1849, p. 60).
Dr Bell did not, however, consider it to be a good
species ; and, on the whole, its claim to be identical
with Coronclla Icevis appears very uncertain."

The paper from which the foregoing extracts are
taken, and which leave little to be desired from the
British field naturalist's point of view, was read on
January 20, 1886, at a meeting in Dorchester, and at
the same meeting Mr William Penney, of Poole, and
others referred to various instances of this rare species
being found in Dorsetshire and Hampshire.

In a letter to the 'Outlook' (November 10, 1900)
Mr J. Bevir, Wellington College, Berks, whose letter
to myself is quoted above, makes a further reference
to the habits and distribution of the smooth snake in
Berkshire. After stating his view of " the myth " of
the adder swallowing her young, the writer goes on to
say :—

" In the course of two years I had five specimens of
the harmless smooth-crowned snake {Coronclla Icevis),
but that is nearly twenty years ago. I think it is
extinct in these parts nowadays. It always interested

54 BRITISH SERPENTS.

me from the way in which it hitched on to anything,
and remained clinging until shaken off'. When one
considers also the fact that it is a common snake
in Malta, one may possibly have an explanation of
the ' viper ' (Acts xxviii. 3) which came out of the
firewood and fastened itself on to the hand of Paul
after the shipwreck. It is wonderful the way in
which the most innocuous reptiles are described with
the Homeric epithet of a venomous snake."

In the ' Surrey Magazine ' of May, June, and July
1899, Mr Bryan Hook contributed three articles on
the reptiles of that county. He is the first to record
the smooth snake there, and the following quotation is
from the paper in the June number of the county
magazine : —

"The smooth snake (Coronella austriaca) — perhaps
the most interesting of the Surrey reptiles — is one
which, I am told upon the best authority, I am the
first to record as occurring in this county.

" In general colour and appearance it so nearly
resembles the unpopular viper that doubtless it is
usually greeted with the same treatment ; at any rate,
such was the lot of the first one that came under my
notice, the stock of my gun ending its career in a tuft
of heather in which it had taken refuge. Had it been
in the open I should perhaps have recognised it, and
then I should not have had the mortification of
knowing that I had destroyed a rare and harmless
reptile.

THE SMOOTH SNAKE. 55

"This occurred in 1891, and not until 189<S did I
improve my acquaintance with this species. Early in
June of that year I took a specimen alive upon my
own land here at Churt. and sent it to the Zoological
Gardens in London, where it was still thriving in
August last (1898). Another specimen was killed
here by mistake in July, and in August my children
found a cast-off skin of a fourth specimen. From the
fact of three specimens having been noted in one
summer, it seems reasonable to conjecture that the
creature is by no means rare upon our Surrey heaths,
and that more careful observation may lead to its
discovery elsewhere."

Apparently Berkshire is not the only locality which
the smooth snake has at one time inhabited, only to
disappear subsequently, for in ' Science Gossip ' of
August 2, 1880, there is an article on this species by
A. L. Baldry, in which the writer records its former
frequency in the neighbourhood of Bournemouth, and
its disappearance thence. Mr Baldry says : —

"As I lived for some years at Bournemouth, in
Hampshire, formerly its chief habitat, I have had
many opportunities of observing the coronella.
Twelve years ago — i.e., in the year 1868 — Bourne-
mouth was but a very small village, surrounded by
large expanses of moorland, intersected with marshy
valleys, and was a famous hunting-ground for either
naturalists or entomologists. At this time coronella
was extraordinarily abundant. During the very hot

56 BRITISH SERPENTS.

summer of 1868 the snakes were to be seen literally in
scores, and great numbers were killed. Since then,
however, their numbers have gradually decreased, and
most of the wild moor having disappeared before the
advance of civilisation, they are not now met with
in places where they formerly abounded. The
favourite haunt of coronella is a dry sandy hillside,
overgrown with short heath, and gorse, and coarse
grass, and sloping down to a marshy valley, where
water is at all times obtainable. There, on some bare
patch of sand, the snake lies, loosely coiled, and basks
in the sun, and there it can, when thirsty, get water
without any great expenditure of energy. During the
heat of the day it frequently comes down to some
pool in the marsh to drink. Among the undergrowth
it can also at any time find its prey, the common
lizard, which abounds in such localities. Its mode of
obtaining its food is one of the most interesting
characteristics of coronella. As soon as it sees its
victim within easy reach, it slowly approaches, keep-
ing its body concealed, but slightly raising its head
above the heather and coarse grass. When it gets
within striking distance, after remaining motionless
for a few seconds it darts suddenly, and with the
quickness of thought, at the throat of the hapless
lizard. If its aim is successful the snake instantly
grasps with its tail a stem of heather or tuft of grass,
and proceeds at once to the enjoyment of its meal.
Its first step is to gradually shift its hold from the

THE SMOOTH SNAKE. 57

throat to the snout of the lizard, by slow and almost
imperceptible degrees. When once it has the lizard's
head fairly in its jaws the process of swallowing is
rapid, and the strong protests of the victim are wholly
unavailing, as the snake with its tail knotted round
the grass is able to overcome all resistance. In this
way it will in five or ten minutes entirely dispose of a
lizard as large round as itself and two-thirds of its
length. After its meal the snake is somewhat sluggish,
and disinclined to exert itself; but in about a fort-
night it begins to recover its appetite, and by the end
of another week it is again actively engaged in its
search for food.

" While in the viper the markings are all remarkably
clear and distinct, in the coronella they are mostly
blotched and undefined. The colour, too, of the latter
is generally a dull slaty grey or a dusty brown, very
different from the rich beauty of tint which adorns the
viper. It should, moreover, be clearly understood
that although the coronella can, and if irritated will,
at times bite hard enough to draw blood, it is not
venomous, and possesses no fangs properly so called.
Its teeth are mostly hardly larger than those of the
lizard, and are barely perceptible without careful
examination. But situated at the extremities of the
jaws, almost in the throat of the snake, are two long
fang-like teeth, unconnected (as far as I can determine)
with any poison - glands. Presumably they are in-
tended to aid the snake in holding its prey, and

58 BRITISH SERPENTS.

in defeating the vigorous efforts that, during the
swallowing process, the lizard makes to escape."

Mr Baldry concludes a most valuable paper with a
regret that naturalists have not given more attention
to the close observation of coronella, in which regret I
certainly concur ; though in the case of a reptile whose

Fig. 10. — Coronella Austriaca, or Smooth Snake.

Note-
Shape of head. Shape of tail.
Steel-blue colour, showing where slough is peeling off.
Absence of markings seen in adder and ring snakr.

British distribution is so extremely limited, and whose
numbers seem to be decreasing, it can fall to the lot
of very few capable naturalists to have the desired
opportunity. Still, I should not be at all surprised to
find, if the matter were closely investigated, that the
smooth snake occurs more generally in the south of
England than is suspected.

THE SMOOTH SNAKE. 59

Those most likely to come across it doubtless
destroy it in mistake for the adder, and thus it remains
unrecorded.

The smooth snake is hardly ever referred to as
anything but the smooth snake in English, except
occasionally as the Dumfries snake. But it is given
all the following specific names in various writings: —

Coronella austriacus.
Coronella lewis.
Coluber ferrugineus.
Coluber leva's.
Coronella austriaca.

Coluber dumfrisiensis.
Natrix du mfris ten s is.
Zach olus a mtriacus.
Coluber th uringicus.

Its classification (other than its specific name) is the
same as that of the ring snake (see p. 28).

LITERATURE.

The Zoologist, pp. 6731, 6787, 9505.

Bell's Reptiles, p. 60.

Sowerby's Miscellanies.

Intellectual Observer, vol. iii. p. 149.

Lord Clermont's ' Quadrupeds and Reptiles of Europe.*

Dr Gunther's Catalogue of Reptiles in British Museum.

The Field, September 13 and October 18, 1S02.

The Outlook, November 10, 1900.

Aflalo's "Walk through the Zoological Gardens.'

Science Gossip, No. 188, 1880.

60

CHAPTER VI.
HIBERNATION AND SLOUGHING.

GENERAL — IN VARIOUS SPECIES— QUOTATIONS — CRITICISM.

As the two processes of hibernation and sloughing are
common to all serpents, it will be convenient to dis-
cuss them in a separate chapter, so that the peculiar-
ities of the different species may be contrasted.

Hibernation. — Hibernation in British serpents
means the method they adopt to pass the winter
months. It applies to all reptiles which are inhab-
itants of cool climates. It is precisely comparable to
the process of aestivation, which is the summer sleep
of reptiles in tropical countries, where the serpents
retire in the dry season, to become active again when
the rainy season begins. In cool countries, such as
our own, hibernation is an attempt on the part of the
snake to avoid the extreme cold, when the natural
food is impossible of attainment and the general
environment such as no cold-blooded creature can
tolerate. Snakes are very susceptible to cold, even

HIBERNATION AND SLOUGHING. 6!

when that cold is very far short of the winter tem-
perature. I have often noticed, when snake-hunting
in the Monnow Valley, how a change of wind affects
the adders. Let a cold east wind strike the slopes
of Garvvay Hill or the Graig, and the adders which
yesterday were lying out on the margin of the cut
bracken, or on the paths through the woods, are no-
where to be seen. Even the snakiest spots, where one
knows the reptiles are, will be searched in vain on a
cold day. So repeatedly have I found this to be the
case, that now I never go to certain favourite hunting-
grounds unless I see that the wind is from a warm
quarter. Thus it is that the time of the retirement
for the winter varies considerably with the particular
season : one year all the snakes will have disappeared
by the middle of September, whilst in a warm late
autumn they will be found active towards the end
of October. In the same way the elate of commenc-
ing activity in the spring is found to vary according
as that season is early or late. F. G. Aflalo x mentions
that he has " found adders lively in the New Forest in
the middle of April, rarely before ; but Sir Herbert
Maxwell tells me that he has seen them in Scotland as
early as March." In Dorset they are generally seen
in February. Of course it is difficult to be quite cer-
tain as to the exact date, because the snakes may have
been moving about in any given district some weeks
before any one happened to see one.

1 Natural History (Vertebrates) of the British Islands, p. 305.

62 BRITISH SERPENTS.

For some years now I have tried to note this point
in my own locality, with the result that the earliest
date on which I have seen an adder in the spring has
been on March 4. For three years in succession I
have failed to find one before May — one year as late
as May 16; but this is a sparsely populated district,
and one might easily fail to hear of the adders mov-
ing about for some time after they had finished their
hibernation, and still more easily fail to come across a
specimen. Considering that in the Monnow Valley
we frequently have an early spring, I am inclined to
think that the adders are not so late in making their
appearance as my earliest note of the fact would indi-
cate. I have never had the opportunity of comparing
the different species of snakes in the same district as
to their relative times of hibernating, as it so happens
that the adder is sole representative of the Ophidia in
that part of the country where I hibernate myself ; so
that I cannot express any opinion as to which of our
three snakes is the first to retire or the last to re-
appear. But it is obvious that such a comparison, to
be an accurate test of their respective habit in this
matter, must be made in a locality where all three
British snakes are found. It would be dangerous to
assume that because the adder retires in September in
one district, and the ring snake in October in another
locality, that therefore the adder's period of hiber-
nation is longer or begins sooner than that of the
ring snake. The degree of torpor exhibited by the

HIBERNATION AND SLOUGHING. 63

different species is said to vary, that of the smooth
snake being less than that of the adder.1 T)r Opel
observed that the hibernation of the smooth snake
was neither so prolonged nor was the degree of tor-
por so great as in some other serpents. This snake
exhibits another interesting peculiarity, in that in-
stead of covering itself up in holes and corners it
hibernates on the surface of the ground. In this
country the favourite places for adders and ring snakes
to choose for their winter quarters are holes in old
trees, crevices in rocks, under masses of dead leaves in
the woods, in fern or bracken, and, as we saw in the
incident at Llanelly, in old quarries. A favourite
retreat for adders when hibernating is amongst the
roots of gorse. Where these bushes are large a space
is formed round the larger roots by the action of the
wind swaying the roots about, just as a hole is made
with a crowbar. Into these holes both adders and
ring snakes will withdraw on being disturbed, and
will also hibernate in them. Mr Kees tells me that
on one occasion when uprooting gorse near a wood at
Gwern Efa, Llantrisant (Glamorgan), for the purpose
of clearing the land, a large number of ring snakes
were found thus hibernating together.

Frequently they are found entwined together in
masses — for warmth, presumably. A correspondent
of mine, to whom I owe the knowledge of many in-
teresting adder incidents, writes me the following,

1 Natural History (Vertebrates) of the British Islands.

64 BRITISH SERPENTS.

which bears on the point of their hibernating in
clusters : " A farmer I knew well told me that some
woodmen in Eeinden Wood, Swingfield (Kent), were
in mid-winter excavating under the edge of a gravel
pit (I believe to dig out a rabbit), when they came
upon an enormous mass of adders in a semi-dormant
state. He said there were hundreds coiled up to-
gether ! At the time I did not think much of it, and
expressed my incredulity, but he assured me that
it was so. That they do at times congregate in con-
siderable numbers I quite believe. When I was a
boy I used to spend a few days sometimes at a farm
where there was a sloping bank. This had at one
time been a cottage garden, but the cottage having
been converted into a ' hopoust,' the garden was
allowed to drop into an overgrown waste of brambles
and long grass, tenanted by rabbits and adders. On
one occasion the farm - servants decided to devote
the Sunday afternoon to an adder-hunt in this spot.
Each one, armed with a stout stick, set to work, when
the adders quickly swarmed round them in such
numbers that they completely drove the men off the
field. They struck about in all directions for a minute
or two, and then fairly had to make a bolt for it,
and not one of them could be prevailed upon to enter
the enclosure again, although they were a dare-devil
lot." Even supposing that the farmer exaggerated the
numbers a little, there is no doubt that the men did
come across a very large congregation of adders hiber-

HIBERNATION AND SLOUGHING. 65

nating in a mass. The second incident mentioned by
my correspondent does not refer to hibernation, but
simply to the fact that adders do swarm together.

The physiological condition of a snake when hiber-
nating is very remarkable. Eespiration is almost sus-
pended, but the heart goes on beating feebly and
irregularly. Digestion is totally stopped, and the
temperature of the reptile sinks to that of its' sur-
roundings— that is, to the temperature of the protected
crevice, hole, or heap of leaves, not the temperature of
the atmosphere above. If at this stage the snake be
disturbed and roused, death usually results. Extreme
cold wakes them sometimes, and being unable to per-
form their vital processes with sufficient activity at
that temperature, they die. No doubt many of our
reptiles perish every year from cold in the winter.

It is a somewhat common belief, and one which
is found in many books, that the bite of venomous
serpents, if sustained when the reptile is roused during
its period of hibernation, is comparatively harmless;
and conversely, that the hotter the season the more
virulent is the poison. This point was made the sub-
ject of observation by l)r Guy on, who comes to a
somewhat different conclusion. As the result of his
investigations, he is of opinion that the matter of
season or external temperature is not the most important
factor in determining the degree of virulence of the
poison. He finds that the most poisonous bite is that
from a poison-gland which has been accumulating its

E

6G BRITISH SERPENTS.

secretion for the longest period. That is to say, it is
a matter of " dose " ; for a gland which has been
storing up secreted poison, say, for a month, will con-
tain more poison than one which has discharged its
contents the day before, and consequently will have a
more deadly effect on the person bitten. This is
doubtless a sound argument so far. But Dr Guyon
goes on to conclude that the greatest accumulation of
poison takes place during the period of hibernation,
" because the animal is in a state of torpor, and does
not take any food during that season." l Now I con-
fess that this seems to me a very different thing. I
quite agree that the bite of an adder which has not
used its fangs for some time will be more dangerous
than that from one which has emptied its poison-gland
of its virulent contents just previously. But I find
it hard to believe that the greatest accumulation of
venom takes place during the period of hibernation.
Consider for a moment the physiological condition of
the reptile. The activity of all the functions is re-
duced to a minimum. The heart just beats feebly
occasionally, respiration is almost suspended, the
secretion of the digestive fluids ceases cd>sohdely, and all
chemical change in the body is as nearly non-existent
as is compatible with the maintenance of life at all.
The secretion of poison in the poison-gland is precisely
the same kind of process as the secretion of the bile
in the liver — i.e., it is the production of a powerful

1 M. C. Cooke, Our Reptiles and Batrachians, p. 69.

HIBERNATION AND SLOUGHING. 67

chemical secretion by the vital activity peculiar to
that particular gland. Surely when all the other
glands and organs in the body are practically at a
standstill, one can hardly believe that the poison-
gland goes on secreting just the same, independently
of the circulation and other body functions. In this
country most observers agree that the adder bite
during hibernation is comparatively innocuous, and this
conclusion is what one would expect from theoretical
reasoning on the physiological condition of the reptile
during that period of general functional inactivity.

Sloughing. — The process of sloughing in serpents
is the periodical casting-off of the external epidermic
covering. " This moulting of the skin is effected by
its being pushed off by the upward growth of fine,
temporary cuticular hairs. On certain parts of the
body, as on the under side of the capsular skin and
scales of the eyes, these hairs do not develop. After
the skin is loosened it dries and is readily shuffled
off." : It is sometimes stated that the sloughing is an
annual process, but I think most observers are now
agreed that our snakes cast their slough several times
every year. The slough, once cast, is said to be used
as an article of diet in some species, but I am inclined
to think that is more commonly the habit of amphib-
ians than serpents, though perhaps the latter also do
it. M. C. Cooke expressly states that in the case of
the ring snake the slough is left on the grass, and I

1 Packard.

68

BRITISH SERPENTS.

have observed that adders do likewise, and the fact
that one often finds portions of sloughs in snaky places
proves that the habit of swallowing them is by no
means invariable. The ring snake is very irregular in

Fig. 11. — Eye-covering of Adder.

the matter of sloughing, occasionally going through
the process as often as five times in a season, with
longer or shorter intervals between the different
sloughings. Young ring snakes and young adders
always cast their first slough very soon after birth.
The process begins at the head, the cuticle being

HIBERNATION AND SLOUGHING. 69

folded backwards over the body, ultimately being
left turned inside out. An interesting object is the
eye-covering, which is shed along with the rest of the
slough, and is seen to be a thick transparent scale,
very like an ordinary watch-glass. The accompanying
drawing (see opposite page) is from an adder which
was sloughing when I captured her. I reproduce it
as seen under the low power of the microscope. It
is seen to be surrounded by scales of various sizes, in
this case ten in number. The scales have a granular
appearance, while the eye-scale is transparent.

In Coronella austriaca, the smooth snake, the slough-
ing was very carefully observed by Dr Opel in the
specimen he secured in Silesia. He found that this
snake cast its slough monthly in June, July, and
August, and has no doubt that in its natural con-
dition the first casting would be in April, after the
winter hibernation. This snake was in captivity
during these observations, and it seems that, follow-
ing upon the completion of the process, the reptile
displayed unwonted energy and excitement.

My own observations on sloughing have been con-
fined to our adders, and after watching them very
carefully for some years, I find the process in them
varies somewhat from the accounts usually given of
the sloughing in the ring snake. Miss Hopley, de-
scribing the sloughing of the Ophidia generally, says :
" If a snake is in good health and sheds well, the
whole process does not occupy many minutes ; but if

70 BRITISH SERPENTS.

the skin is in an unhealthy condition, the snake has
more difficulty, or makes no effort, and the cuticle
comes off in pieces." 1 This supposition that the health
of the serpent is the determining factor in the slough
coming off whole or in pieces seems to have become
widely believed ; at any rate, I have often heard
it mentioned in conversation. But Miss Hopley's
favourite ophidian is the ring snake, about which
she has written so much and so delightfully, and
she seems to have had this species in her mind when
writing the above-quoted sentence. At any rate, I
have not found it to be the case in adders, unless the
adder population of Herefordshire and Monmouth-
shire is assumed to contain a very large proportion
of invalids, which is hardly likely to be the case, con-
sidering the large size they grow to in these counties.
My experience with adders is that the slough is more
often cast in pieces than whole. The whole process
resolves itself into two distinct phases — first, the
separating of the external cuticle from the under-
lying skin ; and second, the dropping or leaving
behind of the portion to be cast off. The first is a
physiological process, explained before ; the second is
a mechanical process, dependent on external circum-
stances, over which the snake may have no control.
I regard it as almost accidental, when the slough once
is loosened from the body, whether it comes off whole
or in separate pieces. In other words, it all depends

1 British Reptiles, p. 27.

Fig. 12. — Slough of an Addeh.

HIBERNATION AND SLOUGHING. 73

on what the reptile happens to rub itself against in its
effort to rid itself of what has become an incubus.
Should the adder happen to find itself evenly wedged
in between two stones, or to have equable pressure
exerted upon its sides in crawling through a thick
bush, then the slough will peel off entire. But the
slough is a most fragile and delicate substance, ex-
tremely easily torn, and it must very frequently
happen that at one stage or other of the shedding
a portion will be ruptured by catching against some
contiguous thorn or stone or bramble. When this
takes place the resulting slough will not be in one
piece but in sections. I have captured a large number
of adders while they were sloughing, and in nine out
of ten cases the slough was torn partially off before
the process was completed. I think this a very usual
occurrence, quite apart from the healthy condition or
otherwise of the adder. Adders cast their sloughs,
as a rule, at least three times every summer, and I
have observed that the female is very often under-
going the change of cuticle just before the birth of
her young. The tail slough comes off very easily, and
is not turned inside out, as a rule, though it frequently
is in males. I have on several occasions, after taking
an adder that was sloughing, tried to complete the
process as one would skin an eel, and on each occasion
part of the slough came off in my hand, proving how
slight a force is sufficient to tear it in pieces. More-
over, though I have frequently found pieces of adder

74 BRITISH SERPENTS.

sloughs, I have rarely come across a whole one. My
own conclusion is, that in the wild state the casting
of the slough whole or entire is largely a matter of
accident.

A very favourite method of divesting itself of the
slough in the case of the ring snake is to climb into
a shrub about a foot or so from the ground. The
blackthorn is much used in this way where it grows.
Wedging itself between two branches, the snake then
begins a process of wriggling, and in a few minutes the
cast slough is left hanging in the shrub.

The cast sloughs of both the adder and ring snake
are held in considerable veneration in the rustic mind,
and are credited with various powers of healing. The
particular power ascribed to them varies in different
localities. Thus the sloughs are believed to have the
power of drawing out thorns from the flesh if worn
over the point of puncture ; of curing rheumatism if
worn as a garter round the knee ; of preventing sun-
stroke and curing headache if put on round the head.

The young of the adder cast their first slough in
the embryo, which can be seen in an illustration in
the chapter on the development of that species.

75

CHAPTER VI r.
VIPEBA BERUS, OR ADDER

DISTRIBUTION — DESCRIPTION — AVERAGE SIZE— MARKINGS AND

COLOURS — HAUNTS — FOOD.

We now come to the consideration of our sole
venomous serpent in these islands — Vipcra herns, the
adder, or, as it is often called, the viper. It has
been explained in chap. i. of this hook why this
species will be discussed somewhat more fully than
was the case in the two serpents already considered.
Distribution. — Vipera berus is distributed over
almost the whole ,of the European continent, the
extreme north excepted, where the cold is too in-
tense for serpents to flourish. In Scotland it is
much more common than the ring snake, while in
England its distribution is very various, and will be
found under the head of the separate counties, in a
later chapter. In Wales it is very common in some
places, rare in others. Like the other ophidians, it

76 BRITISH SERPENTS.

is absent from Ireland. It is frequently seen in the
islands of Mull and Jura.

Description. 1. Size. — Some confusion has arisen
in the minds of some as to the size of the adder, from
the fact of the small red viper not being regarded as a
distinct species, a most excellent work on Natural His-
tory thus making the statement that the " average size
of the common viper is 10 inches." The fact of the
matter is that the small red viper averages this figure,
but the common adder has a very different measurement.
A reference to the fisures in the various counties will
show that the average size of the adult adder in this
country varies from 18 inches to 25 inches, accord-
ing to the locality. When I was working up the
Ophidia of the Monnow Valley I was very much
struck with the large size of the adders there, and
wrote to G. A. Boulenger on the subject. I had
then recently obtained a specimen measuring 28 \
inches, and was anxious to know what this authority
thought of it. His opinion on this matter is prob-
ably of more value than any other that could be
obtained, as many of the interesting specimens taken
in this country go to him at the British Museum.
Mr Boulenger says : —

" The usual size of adult vipers in this country is
from 20 to 25 inches, specimens of 26 inches being
very rare. I have no British example measuring as
much as 28 inches. The largest specimens in the
British Museum measure —

THE ADDER. 77

680 millimetres (tail 70), female, from Crowborough, Sussex.

630 ii ( ii 65), ii ii ii ii

630 ii ( ii 65), n i; Cromlin, N.B.

620 ii ( ii 75), 1 1 ii Lowestoft.

600 M ( ii 80), male, n Crowborough.

590 ii ( i. 80), ii .. Cromlin.

590 ii ( u 85), .1 ii Lowestoft.

Our largest Continental adder measures 700 milli-
metres. It is, therefore, \ inch short of 28 inches."

This is a very important point, as the general idea
of the size of the adder is that it is seldom more
than 18 inches Ion" I remember a gentleman once
solemnly assuring me that any snake in this country
which measured over 18 inches was perfectly harm-
less, and must be a ring snake, which seems to be
the usual, but erroneous, idea, and, moreover, a
somewhat dangerous one if put into practice. It
must always be remembered that not every adder
seen is an adult; and it is probably true to say that
if an adder be killed measuring less than 18 inches,
it is a young one, the parents of which, could they
be compared with it, would be found to measure
several inches more. Another point in connection
with the size is that the female adder in any given
locality averages from half an inch to an inch and
a half more than the male in length.

2. Markings. — The markings of adders are very
well defined, and serve at once to distinguish them
from the two innocuous serpents. These markings are
seen to perfection in a young adult male just after

78 BRITISH SERPENTS.

the slough has been cast. They are the same in
general character in the female, but not so brilliant.
At the back of the head, which is flattened, there are
two narrow dark or black bands, converging to a
point on the top of the skull. These two dark bands
may or may not join at the point to which they
converge ; as a rule, they do not quite join. They
form the well-known characteristic V-shaped mark,
the point of the V being towards the snout of the
adder. But this V-mark, although always present in
adders, shows endless variety. As I write, there are
a number of preserved adders on the table before
me, and on looking closely at them seriatim, it is
noticeable that the mark is slightly different in each
specimen — very different, indeed, in some from others.
The following drawing (natural size) shows some of
these variations. The figures under each drawing
refer to the length of the adder to which the marking
belongs, measured in inches. These specimens were
taken haphazard out of my collection, and they
show well that the V-shaped mark is a very varying
one. Immediately behind the V the adder is of a
bright yellow colour very often, showing up the
dark markings more prominently. Then, proceeding
in the description along the back, the zigzag black
line is noted, the first patch of which is shown in
the drawings. This first patch also varies greatly
in shape, but as it goes along the back it becomes
more regular. This line of markings is continued

THE ADDEK.

'9

to the tip of the tail; but on the tail itself the
marks are often not joined, and appear as separate

26A in.

19 in.

3%

24i in.

Ti in

in.

[Li

20 in.

0\

28 in

•25 h in.

Fig. 13. — V-Marks of Adders.

26f in.

black bands running across the back from side to
side. Along the sides of the body are two rows of

80 BRITISH SERPENTS.

dark patches somewhat lozenge - shaped, one row on
each side. One patch is placed between each point
of the zigzag — thus :

Vr /\ V,

a

Fig. 14. — Side-markings op Aduei;.

These side-markings are extremely variable in shape
and intensity, being sometimes almost merged in the
general body colour. The lip-scales, which are on the
sides of the jaws, are of a bright yellow, numbering,
as a rule, eight or nine. The colour of the belly is
very varied, there being all shades from deep slaty-
blue to grey. While the arrangement of the markings
is always much the same, the colours of the markings
exhibit a wonderful range of variation, which are dis-
cussed in a separate chapter.

A Remarkable Adder.

" The late Mr Kirkby of Ulverston once met with
the very remarkable viper here figured. He showed
it to me a short time before his death. It was
taken with his own hands in the neighbourhood of
Ulverston, where he lived so long. It was unique
in his experience. The ground colour of this snake
is uniformly olive-grey. The curious feature is that

THE ADDEK.

81

the usual zigzag dorsal pattern is entirely absent,
and has been replaced by the even ribbon-like black
band depicted in the woodcut, which has been drawn
from a photograph of the specimen." 1

Fig. 15. — Banded Marking on Adder.

o. Shape, &c. — In general appearance the adder is
more thick-set than the riim snake, and gives thii
impression of sturdiness rather than that of
sinuosity conveyed by the harmless snake. Some
specimens have a very flattened look about them,
especially if the skin of the neck and over the gullet
is very loose, as it frequently is. If an adder is com-

1 Fauna of Lakeland, p. lxxviii. Rev. H. A. Macpherson, M.A.
The woodcut referred to in the above paragraph is here reproduced
by the very kind permission of the author and Mr David Douglas,
the publisher of the work quoted.

F

82 BRITISH SERPENTS.

pared with a ring snake of equal length, it will be
seen that the appearance of greater bulk is borne out
in their respective weights, an adder of 2 feet weigh-
ing considerably more than a ring snake of the same
length. The tail of the adder is much shorter and
much blunter than that of the rin" snake, and is
generally about one-eighth of the total length of the
reptile, being slightly longer in males than females.
The arrangement of the plates on the head differs
from that noted in the ring snake, and the head
itself is broader and not so rounded.

Haunts. — Generally speaking, the place to look for
an adder is the hottest spot in that particular district.
More definitely, they occur on commons, on the sum-
mits of hills, in woods, in fern and bracken, among
rocks and rough stones, on dry slopes, on sandy banks,
on the warm side of hedges, on hot grassy banks, on
heaths, and especially on chalky soil such as is found
in parts of Kent and Dorset. But there are three
kinds of places in which adders like to lie above all
others. These are, first, on the edge of a " ride " which
has been cut through the fern for shooting purposes ;
secondly, on the warm stones of a disused and un-
frequented quarry (splendid places for reptiles are
these old quarries) ; and thirdly, on the top of an ant-
hill. Of all the adders I have taken the vast majority
have been in one of these three situations. The most
likely place of all is a patch of fern surrounded by
woods, for there the adders have both summer and

THE ADDER. 83

winter quarters to hand. A place of this sort is
adapted to the retiring disposition of the adder, for it
is, of all animals, perhaps the shyest and most timid.
An adder will invariably slip away unperceived if
possible, and only when absolutely cornered will it
show anything like a fighting attitude. Hence it lies
just on the edge of the cut fern or wood, ready to slip
under cover at the slightest approach of any noise. If
the reptile can be traced into the fern, it is probably
found that it goes down one of the runs made by the
mice or moles, which run just an inch or two below
the surface, covered only by the dead leaves and the
last year's fern. I had a most exciting chase after an
adder in a run of this sort this summer. I saw the
adder lying on the edge of the fern where I had seen
it on a previous occasion, but though I crept up as
quietly as T could, it disappeared into the fern, which
was about 3 feet high. I dashed after it, and push-
ing the fern aside was just in time to see its tail
vanishing down one of these runs. In went my stick,
and 1 tore up the run as fast as I could, but not quite
so fast as the adder went on. Twice I got an irritating
glimpse of the tail disappearing, and the pursuit went
on for some 5 or 6 yards of that run. Then, to my
disgust, the run branched into two, and I must have
taken the wrong one, for I saw that adder no more.
Eabbit - holes, too, are favourite places of refuge.
Their retreats in the winter we have spoken of when
discussing hibernation.

84

BRITISH SERPENTS.

Food. — The dietary usually given consists of mice,
lizards (especially slow-worms), small birds and their
eggs, insects, moles, and ant-eggs. To this list I would
add the smooth newt, water-voles, and young rats, as
having come under my own notice. In the Mori now
Valley the staple articles of diet are mice, slow-worms,
and, on the banks of the Monnow river, water-voles.

One of the parts of our snake literature which seems

Fig. 16. — Slow-worms.

especially defective is this question of their food-
supply and its digestion ; and particularly difficult is
it to get authority for the statements which are made.
There are only two methods of investigation that are
of any real value — namely, the actual watching of the
reptile feeding out of doors ; and secondly, the dis-
section of the stomachs of adders freshly killed. The
former method is almost impossible, as no adder will
allow itself to be watched when feeding; so reliance

T3

w

0)

h-I

-t->

o

JO

0)

r*

tm

—

r~^>

W

H

>~,

--

■+J

*--

(h

crt

fr,

a 5°
.a ^

CO

CM

0)

« a

w

►-5

p

^

p

r-*

<!

-t->

w

«*-!

■4

0>

<*■<

C/J

I

+3

05

r^

+3

1— 1

,£3

fct)

^

a

1— t

rrt

in

O

w

^^

-

TT

o>

r*

+J

CO

rri

0>

H

to

THE ADDER. 87

has to be placed mainly on what is found in the
stomach. The difficulty here is, that digestion is so
rapid that the most usual thing is to find nothing at
all. Moreover, the adder feeds at more or less long
intervals, and the only chance is to get it just after a
meal. Any bulky food contained in the throat or
stomach can be easily squeezed out without opening
the adder. Two years ago (June 1808) I captured an
adder in a grass-field on the banks of the Monnow at
Skenfrith (near Monmouth). I followed it across the
field for about 200 yards, watching its movements and
observing its rapidity of progression, which was that
of an ordinary walking -pace. On approaching the
hedge I secured the adder for fear it should escape me.
It was very full, and when I got home 1 squeezed the
contents of the gullet and stomach into a dissecting-
dish. The first thing to appear was a young water-
vole, quite perfect. This was followed by a second,
which showed signs of partial digestion. It looks as
if the adder had paid two visits to the water-voles. In
the illustration (p. 85) the water-vole on the left of the
picture is seen undigested, while that on the right is
partially absorbed. This indicates that the adder can
retain food in the oesophagus or gullet undigested till
it is required to be passed on into the stomach, and
explains how it is possible for frogs and toads to have
been rescued alive from the inside of adders, as is
related. Though generally described as being in the
stomach, more probably the frogs and toads were only

88 BRITISH SERPENTS.

in the gullet. It has a bearing, too, on the swallowing
of the young, which will be referred to again. If a
frog can remain alive in the gullet for some time, why
not young adders ?

The illustration opposite shows one of the most
interesting specimens in my collection. I was look-
ing for a gravid slow-worm in an old quarry a mile
from my house, and on turning over a large flat
slab of stone about 2 feet square, was much sur-
prised to see a large adder in the act of swallowing
a slow-worm. A very one-sided engagement ended
in the total defeat of the adder (he was severely
handicapped by being in . the middle of dinner), and
I photographed him on the spot, dinner included.
The adder is a male 25 J, inches long, and one of the
best marked in my collection, and the largest male I
have seen. The slow-worm is evidently a young one,
and about 4 inches of it is protruding from the adder's
jaws, firmly held there by the recurved teeth.

In all probability an adder would take any am-
phibian as food, if mice and slow- worms were not
to be had. I have never actually found any in
their stomachs, but I have captured adders in cir-
cumstances which looked very dangerous for some
newts that were near. On one occasion (16th May
1898) I was on the Tump, Ewyas Harold, Hereford-
shire, with a friend, when we came upon a large
female adder coiled up on the top stone of a heap.
Having killed the adder, we turned over the stone

■

_ ■'." — — ' —

o
o

os

3
^

ID

o

Sh

O

-u

<tf

-tJ

.

cjD

3

£

o

4

Q3

O

fe

<

1-1

-PI

Q

w

i— i

i— i

First stage.

Second stage.

Fig. 19.— The process ok Swallowing large articles of Diet

in Adders.

92 BRITISH SERPENTS.

and found a regular collection of reptiles and am-
phibians. There were six slow-worms and a fine
specimen of the great water-newt, Molge cristata.
Whether the adder knew all that was under that
stone or not may be doubted, but if she contem-
plated swallowing the lot, I am very sorry that we
did not come an hour or so later. In the summer
of 1900 I killed an adder in Kentchurch Park, wdiich
was also lying on a stone under which were three
specimens of the small smooth newt ; and probably
in both these cases the adder was on the point of
feeding. The smooth newts are shown in the illus-
tration on opposite page.

How to distinguish the sexes. — At first sight
it would appear to be a matter of some difficulty
to tell a male from a female adder, but careful
examination of a few specimens will soon enable
the field naturalist to determine the sex without
trouble. External appearances alone are quite suffi-
cient for this purpose, without going into any inter-
nal anatomical details. The points to be noted are
the total length of the specimen, the length of the
tail, the shape of the tail, the number of shields on
the body and tail, and the colouration of the adder.

Total length. — In order that this may be of as-
sistance, it is necessary for the observer to know
the average length of adders in the particular local-
ity from which the specimen is taken. Given this
knowledge, it will be found that the females are from

THE ADDER.

93

half an inch to an inch and a halt' longer than the
males in the same place. Tims in South Hereford-
shire adult male adders average 24 inches, adult
females 25h inches in length. All the exceptionally
long specimens that have come under my own
notice have been females, but it should be men-

Fiu. 20. — Smooth Newts.

tioned that Mr Boulenger did not find this difference
to be constant in a series he examined.

Length of tail. — This is a constant sexual differ-
ence, the tail in the males being invariably longer
than in the females. Speaking generally, the male
adder's tail is 3 inches long, the female's tail 2J
inches. But the length of the tail of course varies

94

1HMTISH SERPENTS.

with the size of the adder. " Its length is contained
in the total from 5 J to 7| times in the males, 8
to 9f times in the females." x The tail in the males
is not so sharply denned from the hody as in females,
the whole adder tapering to a point without showing

distinctly where the

tail begins. In females

the tail is much more

obviously an appendage,

being sharply defined,

not so thick, and coming

more abruptly to a

point. The extra thick-
ness of the male tail

is due to the presence

in the anterior portion

of it of the reproduc-

tory organs of that sex.

A side view of the tails

of the two sexes at once

brings the differences in
the tails into prominence. Diagrammatically they
are shown above.

Number of shields. — The male tail being the longer,
it is to be expected that the sub-caudal shields in
that sex are more numerous than in the female.
" The number (counting each pair as one, and not
reckoning the terminal, conical, or spine-like shield)

1 Boulenger, Zoologist, March 1892.

Fig. 21.- Male
Tail (3 in.)

Fig. 22. — Female
Tail (2|in.)

THE ADDER. 95

•

is 35 to 40 in males, 28 to 35 in females."1 In
my own collection I find, as a rule, in the males 38,
39, or 40 pairs of sub-caudals, and in the females
very frequently 32 pairs. In the same way the
ventral shields vary. In males they are usually from
140 to 144 in number, in females from 144 to 150;
but these figures do not represent the limit of vari-
ation in either direction.

Colouration. — By far the easiest manner of deter-
mining the sex of adders is by the colours in any
given specimen. Adders which exhibit a black or
dark-blue belly are males, and along with this is
often seen a striking contrast of very black markings
on a grey or yellowish background. The brownish-
green or olive colour with brown markings is char-
acteristic of females, this sex having a tendency to
shades rather than distinct colours. Reddish adders
with brown markings are also females. The throat
is often a sure test of sex. Adders which have the
throat scales black or edged with black are males,
those with reddish or yellow scales are females.

Bearing in mind the shape and length of the tail,
and the more striking colouring of the male sex.
there is no difficulty in determining the sex of any
adder that comes under notice. Several of the
illustrations in this book show these sexual dif-
ferences.

1 Boulenger, Zoologist, March 1892.

96

CHAPTEli vnr.

THE ADDER— Continued.

ANATOMY.

ANATOMICAL POINTS — PLATES AND SCALES — JAWS — POISON-
FAN*; — WINDPIPE — GULLET — STOMACH — HEART, LUNGS,
AND LIVER.

Anatomy. — Except that the adder is a poisonous
serpent, all the negative characteristics of the Ophidia,
which were noted under the anatomy of the ring
snake, are again to be remarked in the adder. But
there are some positive differences to be noted, and
some points common to both these snakes not referred
to previously.

Plates and scales. — The plates on the head in
this species are more numerous than in the ring snake,
and have quite a different arrangement. They are
also smaller, with the exception of one large plate
between the eyes, often the only light-coloured spot
on the top of the head. The position of this plate
is shown in two of the drawings of the V-shaped

THE ADDEK.

97

marking, the two dark limbs of the V dividing to
enclose it. This plate is very often a well-marked
hexagon. But even this large plate is very variable,
and sometimes not much bigger than the others.

The scales which cover the back and sides are small,
and all keeled or carinated. Those on the belly are
broad, and of very varied colours,
according to the sex. They are
disposed in a single row until
the tail is reached, when the
row becomes a double one, the
two tail scale rows overlapping
each other in the middle line.
The last inch or so of these
caudal scales is frequently of
a bright orange colour on the
ventral surface.

Jaws and fangs. — The whole
mechanism of the adder jaw has
been developed in the direction

of perfecting the poison apparatus, and a very wonder-
ful mechanism it is. Apart from this there is the same
mobility which we saw in the jaws of the ring snake
to allow of the swallowing of large articles of diet.
This is attained by the quadrate bones, which connect
the lower jaw with the skull, being movable ; and also
by the free movement of the jawbones with the palate-
bones. The lower jaw is furnished with the usual
recurved teeth, while the upper jaw, a very short

G

Fig. 23. — Head Plates
of Adder.

(S, supra-ocular ; F, frontal ;
P, parietal ; C, canthals.)

98 BRITISH SERPENTS.

bone, has the fang alone upon it. The adder-fang
is about one-third of an inch in length, curved back-
wards, the extremely fine point directed to the throat.
The fangs lie horizontally in a groove when at rest,
and only assume the vertical attitude when the adder
is about to strike. They can be moved independently
of each other, one or both being brought into play as
the adder wishes. When the adder is about to strike
the lower jaw is opened, the pterygoid goes forwards,
the os transversum rotates the maxilla (or upper jaw),
and the fang is brought into the striking position.

The gland which secretes the venom is situated
at the base of each fang, and has a duct leading from
it to the narrow canal through the fang, which has
its point of exit just above the sharp point of the fang.
In the adder this canal is a closed one, while in some
other poisonous species it is merely a groove on the
surface of the fang. The poison, which is a chemical
one, is driven through the duct and down the canal by
the action of the muscles of the lower jaw, the whole
process being the work of a moment.

When broken off or worn out, the fangs are quickly
replaced by others, the new ones being already de-
veloped and lying in the fang-sheath until required.
If the adder's jaw be opened widely (after death) and
the fangs carefully moved into the striking attitude,
the reserve supply of new fangs can be readily seen
with the naked eye. (For the effect of the bite see
later.)

THE ADDEE.

99

Tongue and windpipe. — As in the ring snake,
the tongue is provided with a strong muscular sheath,
and is deeply bifid. It is not often that a photo-
graph sufficiently accurately focussed can be obtained

Note —

Fig. 21.— Adder (26i inches).

1. Bilid tongue.

2. Head plates.

?>. Arrangement of scales.
1. Markings.

to show this distinctly, but it is well seen in the view
shown above — a large adder 26i inches long, captured
on the Kentchurch estate. This tongue, though an
object of terror to country-folk, is of course only used

100 BRITISH SERPENTS.

for the legitimate purposes of tongues — that is, either
for feeding purposes or as an instrument of tactile
sensibility. To show how unreliable are the snake-
stories that are told in some country districts, the
following may be mentioned. I was snake -hunting
with my friend F. G. Aflalo in July 1900, and we had
as a guide a man who was going to show us the haunt
of some adders. He was quite right as far as the
adders being there was concerned, but en route he told
us of an adder in this spot that had once " stung " him,
and the sting — i.e., the tongue — went through his
leggings ! We felt that to attempt to convince him
that the adder's tongue was probably more innocent
than his own would only result in his taking no further
interest in the day's work, besides the total loss of our
reputations in his eyes, so we listened with all due
respect to this and other terrible tales.

The windpipe is long and narrow, ending in the
simple sac-like lung. By an interesting anatomical
arrangement the pipe can be protruded out of the
mouth during the swallowing of some particularly
difficult morsel, at which time the appearance of the
reptile is very peculiar. This arrangement is also
seen in other snakes.

(Esophagus or gullet. — From what was said about
the food of the adder it must be quite evident that
the gullet is a very capacious organ, capable of con-
siderable distension. So indeed it is. In an adder 24
inches long the average length of the gullet is 9 inches,

THE ADDE1?

101

the average diameter when distended 1 inch, and the
average circumference 31 inches ; so that the total

Fig. 25. — Gullet of Adder, distended to .show Capacity.

capacity is considerable. It is only divided from the
stomach by a slight constriction. (These points are
clearly seen in the illustrations of the distended gullet

102 BRITISH SERPENTS.

shown on pp. 101, 103.) The gullet is shown dis-
tended with an ordinary blowpipe, and then ligatured
at the entrance, and again below the stomach end.
Incidentally the illustration shows the double row of
scales on the under surface of the tail and the shape of
tail in a male. The next dissection (p. 105) shows them
even better, and it is distinct enough to count them.

Heart and liver. — The heart is found to lie just
about the junction of the gullet with the stomach. It
is three-quarters of an inch in length and half an
inch thick. Immediately behind it is the liver, the
thick end of which lies in contact with the apex of the
heart, and the rest of the liver tapers away down the
abdominal cavity for 5 inches or so. The respective
positions of the two organs are seen in fig. 27. The
ophidian heart is three-chambered, consisting of a
right and left auricle and a single ventricle. The
partition in the ventricle being incomplete, the cir-
culation is necessarily an imperfect one, as far as
keeping the pure from the impure blood is concerned.
The heart does its best to drive the pure blood to one
aortic arch and the impure to the lung for aeration,
the mixed blood win^ into the left aortic arch. Snakes
are, of course, cold-blooded.

The liver is a large one, and produces a powerful
secretion for digestion. There is a gall-bladder, and
also a pancreas.

The dissection on p. 107 shows the heart, lung (dis-
tended with a blowpipe), and liver separated from the

cj

o>

^

=«

O

OJ

•o

m

>>

£>

^-^

<X>

~^

P<

rv*

T)

«

a

p

fe

•>

o

O)

/.

fc

hJ

<<

o

23

u

-1-1

s-c

a

--

«

E4

X

to

09

o
O

s

S3
4)

O

J

Q
Q

<

Q

X

I-

OJ

THE ADD EH.

107

rest of the body contents. The liver is arranged in a
semicircle to reduce the compass of the illustration ; in

Fig. 28. — Dissection op the Heart. Lung, and Liver.

situ it is quite straight. The small blood-vessels are
seen stretched over the distended simple lung, just as
they would b§ when the adder was taking a deep breath.

108 BRITISH SERPENTS.

The main artery to the liver is seen running along one
margin of that organ, and the vessels to the lung can
also be traced. Eespiration in adders is very slow,
and very difficult to count, but I once satisfied myself
that a particular adder took seven breaths in a minute.
They can, however, do with very little air, and have
been known to survive in a closed bottle for a
considerable time.

109

CHAPTER IX.

THE ADDER— Continued.

COLOUR VARIATION IN BRITISH ADDERS.

COLOUR VARIATION AND PROTECTIVE COLOURATION — COLOURS
FOUND IN ADDERS — FACTORS CONCERNED — HEREDITY —
CLIMATE — LOCALITY — SEX — AGE — CONCLUSION.

Even a very casual observer of a collection of British
adders could hardly fail to notice the great variety of
colouring they exhibit. In this chapter an attempt
will be made to examine, and if possible to throw
some light upon, the causes of these variations. To
state the problem clearly it is necessary at the out-
set to recognise the distinction between protective
colouration and colour variation. The former term
is used to describe the resemblance in appearance
between many creatures and their surroundings, by
means of which resemblance the members of the
species are protected from attack, and thus the
species from extinction. " The disguises worn by
animals, the exquisite adaptation of the colours of

110 BRITISH SERPENTS.

their fur or feathers to their surroundings, are part
of the general harmony existing throughout nature." 1
Thus every sportsman knows how difficult it is at
a little distance to distinguish partridges from the
earth on which they are crouching. Many serpents
also afford examples of this protective colouration,
the British ring snake, for example, being very much
the hue of the grass anion st which it moves and
looks for food. But some serpents are most
brilliantly coloured, and thus rendered conspicuous.
These will generally be found among the poisonous
species, whose formidable weapon of defence makes
it unnecessary for them to be otherwise protected
from attack. Indeed their very striking colours
may be regarded as in a sense protective, as giving
warning of their presence. But this protective
colouration is quite a different phenomenon from
that of colour variation. This latter term is descrip-
tive of the varying colours seen in any given species,
whether that species exhibits any protective colour-
ing or not.

In the particular case under notice the problem is
not to account for the specific markings and colours
seen in adders, but, granting that adders arc marked
and coloured in a given n<<< n ncr, why do these colours
exhibit such variation ? In other words, what is
the cause of the striking colour variation to be seen
in any collection of British adders ?

1 Packard.

THE ADDER. .111

Colours found. — Note first the actual colours that
are found to be present in adders. These will be
found to fall under two heads : first, colours descrip-
tive of the general appearance of the adder ; second,
colours that are found only on particular parts of
the body. Amongst the first I find all the follow-
ing terms used by correspondents to describe the
general appearance of adders: black, dark - brown,
olive - green, warm - brown, coppery - red, dirty pink,
brownish-grey, pallid -grey, grey, and almost white.
All these terms are correct descriptions of the speci-
mens referred to, so that it may be said literally that
adders vary from black to white. But these terms
do not refer to the markings, which are generally
described as being black, brown, or mahogany-red.
In addition to these colours the following may be
seen in one or other part of the body : yellow,
orange, deep-blue, mottled grey, and pale-blue. The
question to be considered is, What determines the
presence or absence of any of these colours or com-
binations of them in any given specimen ?

In this connection the small red viper will be
dealt with separately, as it is fairly constant in
colour, and does not exhibit the variation of the
ordinary adder.

Factors concerned. — Bearing in mind the exact
question at issue, the factors concerned in the pro-
duction of colour variation in adders will probably be
found to fall under one or other of the following : —

112 BRITISH SERPENTS.

1. Variations due to heredity.

2. H it climate.

3. it it food.

4. n M locality.

5. it it sex.

6. H H age.

7. M M pathological causes.

A careful consideration of these several factors ought
to throw some light on the problem. Take them
seriatim.

1. Heredity. — In the case of adders this factor does
not help much, for the simple reason that it is but
rarely possible to compare any specimen with its
parents and grandparents. This could only be done
by breeding adders in captivity, thus at once in-
troducing an artificial element which might tend to
misleading results. But what is known of the in-
fluence of hereditv would seem to indicate that it is
of little importance in this connection. Thus a case
is recorded of a black female adder producing seven-
teen young ones, only one of which was black, and
that one a male.1 But to be of any value the
comparison should be made, not at the birth of the
young, but when they have become adult, which, as
has been said, is rarely possible.

2. Climate. — It is evident that in dealing with a
country of the limited size of these isles the climatic

1 Zoolo-i-t. March 1892.

THE ADDER. 113

conditions can hardly be so diverse as to influence the
colours of animals. Hot climates are often associated
with brilliant colouring; but this is a matter of pro-
tective resemblance, and not the point under discus-
sion. Even if it were shown that adders in one county
differed from those in another, climate in this country
could not be held responsible for that difference.

3. Food. — A striking resemblance is seen in some of
the lower animals between the creature and its food,
in the matter of colour, especially in insects ; but
this, again, is protective colouration. There is no
evidence that I am aware of to indicate that the
food of British adders has any connection with their
varying colours.

4. Locality. — Locality in this connection means the
exact nature of the soil and vegetation in a given area,
This at first sight seems to afford the explanation
sought for ; and it should be stated at once that the
theory that adders vary in colour according to the
place they haunt is the one generally accepted.
Personally, I do not believe it to be true, and shall
attempt to give good reasons for that disbelief. It
comes to this, if the varying colours of adders are due
to the locality they haunt, then there is found in a
single species an immense variety of instances of pro-
tective colouration within a very limited area. Still,
it is very natural to suppose that adders vary accord-
ing to their surroundings. The adder whose habitat
is light sandy soil easily answers to the coppery-red or

H

114 BRITISH SERPENTS.

light- brown description ; while those found in dark
woods, or on black soil, no less obviously come under
the description of black, dark-brown, or olive-green.
Very simple, but unfortunately not borne out by the
facts. Then the case of the colour variation in fish at
once occurs to the mind. I know nothing about fish
myself, but no one can live in the neighbourhood of a
trout-stream without hearing others discourse on the
varying colours of trout. A correspondent of mine,
who lives at Newcastle Emlyn, South Wales, where
adders are very common, writing on this subject, says :
" The varying colours are, I think, clue to the actual
spot that the adder frequents, and to which they get
adapted like a trout. For instance, on open slopes
facing the south, they [i.e., adders] get a reddish tinge
like parched grass. In the Tivy, trout vary in tint
within a few yards. Thus, one taken in a deep rocky
pool would be a deep green on the head and back,
and one taken a few yards away in. a shallow stream
would be a light gravelly-golden tint." Now my cor-
respondent is a good fisherman and observant, and
doubtless all practical fishermen will agree that what
he says "of the trout in the Tivy is true of trout else-
where. Whether he is correct in attributing the
variation of trout colourings entirely to their habitat,
I leave to authorities on piscatorial matters to say.
But having noticed this in trout, he very naturally
concludes that the case of the adder is analogous.
It should always be remembered in science that

THE ADDER. 115

analogy is not proof. Forgetfulness of this leads to
many an error. Analogy may be good for purposes of
illustration or to point an argument, but in itself it
can never constitute actual proof.

In this case of the trout and the adder I believe the
analogy to be a misleading one. It is a very tempting
one, nevertheless ; for adders do, like trout, keep very
much to the same spot. But the crucial test is this :
If the varying colours of adders arc due to the actual
spot they frequent, then all the adders tal.ru in any one
given spot ought to shoiv the same variety of colouring.
Is this so ? As a matter of fact, it is very far from
being the case. I have a series of adders before me,
all taken from the southern slopes of Garway Hill,
Herefordshire, which shows every degree of variation
from .black to light-brown, and in the same place I
once saw, though I did not capture, a white specimen.
Half a mile from this place across the Monnow Valley
is the northern slope of the Giaig Hill, and a second
series of adders from this locality shows the same
variations as the Garway Hill series. Now these two
hills facing each other, having opposite aspects, the
river Monnow running between, and moreover differ-
ing in the nature of the surface (Garway being covered
with bracken, the Graig wooded), produce, neverthe-
less, adders showing the same colour variations. I do
not mean to say that I could pick out an identical
series of adders from both localities, because no ttvo are
exactly aliJce, even in the same loccdity, which is the very

116 BRITISH SERPENTS.

point at issue. But I do say that adders of great
variety of colouring are taken in both localities. If
the nature of the soil or surface of the ground be the
determining factor, then obviously all the adders on
the south slope of Garway Hill ought to be the same
colour ; and a series from this spot should exhibit
little or no variation, which is not the case. Curiously
enough, this same correspondent mentioned above,
a few days after he wrote the letter quoted, sent
me three adders from the locality of Newcastle Emlyn.
One was particularly light, one was very dark, and
the third a medium shade of brown. I do not know
the nature of the soil on which they were taken, but
the differences may be accounted for without that.
The same variety of colouring is found in the Here-
fordshire adders, the Monmouthshire adders, and those
of the Brecknock Black Mountains — i.e., adders on
cultivated undulating land, on wooded mountains, and
on bare arid slopes. It would be utterly impossible to
say from the colour of an adder what was the nature
of the ground it lived on, as would be possible if the
colour was dependent on that ground. I am inclined
to go further and to say, that while the factor of
locality may be a very or even an all-important one in
the case of the trout, it plays but a small part in the
colour variation of adders. The proof of the contention
is found in the examination of a sufficiently large
series of specimens taken from one locality, when,
instead of uniformity of colouring, infinite variety

THE ADDER. 117

is found to obtain. So, then, it is necessary to look
still further to explain the problem.

5. Sex. — Having briefly considered the possible
effects of climate and locality, and having found little
or no explanation in these factors, note next the
influence of sex and then of age as agents in this
production of colour variation. In these two factors
are to be found, I believe, the most important modify-
ing influences. First as to sex.

This point is very apt to be overlooked by a casual
or non-anatomical observer, simply because unless the
specimen being examined were a gravid female, very
big with young, the observer would not be aware what
the sex of the adder was. A certain amount of special
education in the adder's structure is necessary to
decide the question of sex. Now, it is found that the
sex plays a very definite part in this colour question.
I have often had an adder brought or sent to me with
the remark or message, " It is a beautifully marked
specimen." When such is the case it almost invariably
happens that the adder is a male. That is to say,
speaking generally, the colours of the males are far
more brilliant than those of the females. There are
light-coloured males and light -coloured females, but
the former are brighter than the latter. Also there
are dark males and dark females, but the males are
blacker than the females in their markings and on the
throat.

More definitely still, a brilliant yellow background,

118 BRITISH SERPENTS.

with the zigzag line almost black, occurs in the male,
but I have never seen that striking contrast of colour
nearly so well marked in a female specimen. The
general colouring of the female tends to dull shades,
that of the male to sharp colours. Olive-green body
and brown markings are characteristic of the female;
while the yellowish body and blacker markings are
more significant of the males. Such, at least, is my
own experience. Here again analogy is suggested.
It is almost a rule in nature (except in the genus
Homo perhaps) that the male is the more attractive in
appearance, especially in birds. Thus we have a
choice of analogies ; but while neither analogy is to be
regarded as proof, the one may be misleading and the
other correct. It is at least suggestive that in both
the amphibians and birds — one group on either side
nearly related to the reptiles — this particular attrac-
tiveness of the males should be so pronounced a feature.
Female adders outnumber the males by three or four
to one, and when this is the case in a species, the male
is, as a rule, the brighter coloured of the two. The
full bearing of the influence of sex can, however, only
be appreciated when considered in connection with the
other most important factor — viz., age.

6. Age. — The difficulty at once arises here, How is
the age of any given adder to be determined ? I readily
admit that after an adder has reached its full growth
it is very hard to say what is the exact age in years.
Certainly I cannot do so to my own satisfaction ; but

THE ADDER. 119

any one can readily tell an old adder from a young one
by the size and build. But assuming that the speci-
men to be examined is undoubtedly a young one, how
does this affect the colouring ? An examination of a
few young adders will at once show that the younger
the specimens the more well-defined are the colours.
By that is meant that black and yellow, green and
brown, are seen more distinctly as separate colours.
Of course the specimen must not be too young to
show this — not just after birth that is, for at that
time the full pigmentation has not taken place. But
observe the young after the first spring sloughing is
completed, and what has just been stated will be
seen. In the same way suppose that the specimen
under consideration is an old one. In this case,
too, it is not difficult to trace the effect of age.
It is observed that the older the adders the less
defined are the colours, and the more blending is there
of shades. Further than this, the markings are seen to
be less distinct. In an old female there is a tendency
to a general greenish -brown colour all over the body,
and in very old adders the zigzag line and the other
marks are sometimes almost obliterated. Photographs
do not give much idea of tint, but they do give some
indication of the sharpness or otherwise of colours.
Thus in the two illustrations here shown — one a young
male, the other an old female — the contrast of bright
colours and dull shade is quite distinctly seen. Both
adders were taken in the Monnow Valley. Any one

120 BRITISH SERPENTS.

who has observed many adders in nature will agree in
this general statement, that old adders are much
duller in colour than young ones — the young males
being the brightest of all, the old females the dullest
of all, in colouring. Adders of the same age and sex
in the same locality might be very nearly identical ;
but adders of different ages and sexes, though from
the same locality, will be found to exhibit great varia-
tion. Thus age in connection with sex must be con-
sidered the two main factors in the production of the
varying colours of adders. Locality would seem to
have but little influence.

The old female adder shown is a good example of
what was just mentioned — viz., the disappearance of
the dark markings with great age. She measured 26|
inches in length, so there was no doubt as to her
maturity, and the zigzag line is discernible only for
an inch or two a short distance behind the neck.
The young male is the smallest adder I have taken
in the Monnow Valley, being 19f inches — equal proof
of his youth in that locality, where the average length
of males is two feet.

All these considerations might apply to other
animals, but in the case of reptiles there is another
point to take note of, and that is sloughing. Has
casting the slough any effect on the colour variation ?
Strictly speaking, I think not. That is, the colours are
not different after sloughing, but they are better seen.
(The smooth snake is not here referred to.) The

OS

si

a.

C5

£
o

o

w

H

I*

K
Q
Q

<;

w

-93

03

O

THE ADDER.

123

brightest coloured of all adders is a young male seen
just after casting his slough. So in the female the
dull colour is seen more distinctly after sloughing.
The slough obscures the true colour ; it does not aid
or influence its production.

7. Pathological causes. — The possibility of some very
exceptional colouring being due to pathological or
unnatural causes must not be overlooked. Disease

Fig. 30. — Old Female Adder (26h inches lung).

might affect it, or the same kind of cause might be
operating which now and then one sees the result
of in a white pheasant. My own idea is that the
white adders are examples of this pathological colour
variation. In these cases the true condition is a non-
production of colour rather than a variation. White
adders occur so rarely that I cannot avoid coming to
the conclusion that they are merely abnormalities.1

1 Some specimens are bleached from long preservation, not having
been kept in the dark.

124 BRITISH SERPENTS.

Personally, I have seen only two, one on Garway Hill
ill Herefordshire, and the other in the anatomical
museum at Edinburgh University, where Professor
Sir William Turner drew my attention to it.

This question of colour variation in adders is not
an easy one to solve, and a very large series of
specimens from different counties must be examined
before a definite conclusion is come to. The fore-
going arguments are based upon the examination of
a series of several hundred adders, taken in such
widely differing localities as Dorset, Herefordshire,
South Wales, and Scotland, the observations extend-
ing over a number of years.

Conclusion. — From the fact of the same varia-
tions being found in different places, it is obvious that
the causes producing those variations must be acting
everywhere. This does not preclude the possibility of
adders adapting themselves in some degree to their
environment and exhibiting some protective coloura-
tion, but the evidence that they do so to any appre-
ciable extent in this country is not satisfactory. In
any case, the particular habitat can only account for a
certain amount of resemblance ; it cannot possibly be
responsible for differences found in adders taken in
one spot. In other words, even if a locality produces
a particular type of adder-colouring (which is doubt-
ful), the same locality cannot account for the varia-
tions in that local type. These variations are

THE ADDER. 125

undoubtedly a matter of the sex and age of the
adder, certain colours pertaining to the male or to
particular parts of the male, such as the throat and
belly ; certain other colours being no less character-
istic of the female or parts of the female. The
brilliancy or otherwise of these sex colourings is
mainly dependent on the age of the adder.

126

CHAPTER X.

THE ADDER— Gmtinued.

THE EFFECT OF ADDER VENOM.

EFFECT OX ANIMALS — ON HUMAN BEINGS — TREATMENT OF
ADDER-BITE — CASES RECORDED — POPULAR CURES.

Effect on animals. — The adder uses its poison
apparatus for one of two purposes : either to secure
its food or in self-defence. In the case of food the
prey is by no means always killed in this way ;
more often indeed it is swallowed alive, and the
poison-fangs only used in the case of large or very
refractorv articles -of diet.

Many animals perish every year even in this
country from adder - bite, and probably many that
are found dead on hills and commons are really the
victims of our venomous reptile. Those most fre-
quently bitten are dogs, sheep, and cattle. Mr C.
1ST. Rogers informs me that in Cornwall dogs are
often killed from adder-bite, and that this is more

THE ADDER. 127

especially the case with hounds. It can be easily
understood why this should be the case, as hounds
work with their noses close to the ground, and
would be very apt to run over an adder. Probably
some of the cases read of now and then of hounds
being lost and found dead are to be accounted for
in this way, and not always to be put down to wil-
ful poisoning by malicious people. Dogs are gener-
ally bitten in the lower part of the leg, just above
the foot, or under the jaw. A good many sheep,
too, perish annually from adder-bite. In their case
the bite is generally under the jaw, or, as I saw
in one case, on the udder. The hardness of the hoof
is a protection to the feet. This also applies to cattle,
which are invariably struck under the jaw. A farmer
on Gar way Hill, Hereford, this summer (1900) lost
a young bullock in this way, and found the adder
lying beside its victim — not an unusual habit of the
reptile. The adder measured 24h inches, and was
in my possession an hour or two after it slew its last
bullock.

In the case of animals the symptoms vary according
to whether the dose of venom is a lethal one or not.
The venom is a powerful cardiac depressant, tending
to stop the action of the heart very soon. If suffi-
cient venom was thrown into the system at the time
of the bite to kill the animal quickly, no symptoms
will show themselves except a rapid unconsciousness.
The two marks where the fangs struck are the only

128 BEITISH SERPENTS.

diagnostic sign, and require very careful looking for.
If, on the other hand, the animal be strong enough
to withstand the venom, or the dose injected be not
so large, symptoms of local blood-poisoning show
themselves very quickly. The part becomes swollen
and painful and inflamed, and may develop abscesses.
This active inflammation reaches its height in two or
three days, and then gradually subsides, the animal
taking several weeks before it quite recovers.

Effect on human beings. — Cases of adder- bite
rarely terminate fatally in adult persons. F. G. Aflalo
mentions, however, that Dr Stradlinsj had records of
five fatal cases.1 The same author states that " on
the whole, men and monkeys succumb more fre-
quently to snake-bite than other animals." In locali-
ties where the small red viper is found, its bite is
supposed to be particularly noxious. The effect on
man varies with the healthy condition or otherwise
of the person bitten ; but this is the case in any
other kind of wound. Most of all does the result
depend on the actual amount of venom injected into
the circulation. The bite nearly always takes place
before the person is aware of the proximity of the
adder — either through treading on it or in picking up
something on the ground, not seeing the adder there ;
or in some such accidental manner. Very rarely is
it the result of a deliberate attack on the part of
the reptile, which is doing its best to elude notice.

1 "Natural History (Vertebrates) of the British Islands, p. 306,

THE ADDER. 129

Only when absolutely cornered does the adder turn
to attack — for example, when in a box or something
of that sort. The part most likely to be the seat
of the bite is therefore the hand or the foot : especi-
ally does the adder appear to aim just above the
ankle, if nearly trodden upon. On examination the
skin shows the two points of puncture made by the
two fangs, looking like two severe pin-pricks. In
doubtful cases the presence or absence of these marks
must decide the diagnosis. The symptoms, which
come on very rapidly, are, pain at the seat of the
wound, sickness, and a feeling of extreme prostration,
terminating in actual fainting and loss of conscious-
ness. In fatal cases death occurs soon from heart
failure. If, however, the dose injected was not so
large, or the venom of the particular adder less potent,
the patient recovers consciousness (or may not actu-
ally faint), and a set of secondary symptoms set in.
The day .after the bite the vessels of the arm or leg,
as the case may be, become painful, and the lym-
phatics stand out as dark lines. The limb becomes
swollen, and the swelling may extend to the body.
The patient, in fact, exhibits all the signs of severe
local blood-poisoning, in addition to great weakness
of the heart. In some cases the limb shows consider-
able discoloration, more or less of a green colour.
The symptoms then gradually subside, but the patient
is some weeks before feeling quite the same as before
the accident.

I

130 BRITISH SERPENTS.

One of the few recorded fatal cases of adder-bite is
that published in the ' British Medical Journal ' of
July 15, 1893, by Dr P. P. Jennings and Dr R C.
Fraser, from Llwynpia, Glamorganshire. As this case
was observed in great detail by these two medical
men. it will be well to reproduce it here, minus the
technical terms used in the strictly medical report : —

"A. B., aged 11J years, whilst playing on the side
of a mountain in Glamorganshire on June 3, 1893,
was bitten by a snake. He saw a bird resting on
a fern, fluttering its wings ; for the purpose of captur-
ing it he extended his hand, and was immediately
bitten by a reptile lying concealed. The bite was
at once sucked by some one who had witnessed the
incident, and the boy ran homewards.

" He was seen professionally within three-quarters
of an hour following the receipt of the bite. At this
time he presented two distinct punctures, situated
about one-tenth of an inch- apart, on the middle of
the right forefinger. There was no swelling, no
tenderness on pressure, no complaint of pain in the
finger. The case was regarded as a bite from an
ordinary ' mountain snake,' and was treated accord-
ingly. The boy appeared to be of particularly robust
physique for his age.

" At 5 p.m. — an hour and a half after beino- bitten
— he was decidedly drowsy, and gave evidence of
great pain in the affected finger on being roused ;
vomiting had taken place ; his temperature was

THE ADDER. 131

normal ; the right hand was swollen ; the pupils of
the eyes were widely dilated, and reacted to light.

" At 8 p.m. the hand and forearm were very dark,
swollen, and brawny; there was excessive tenderness
on pressure ; extension to the arm was evident. The
pulse, temperature, and respiration were normal ; he
was still vomiting. His drowsiness had completely
passed off', the mental faculties being wholly undis-
turbed ; he complained of great thirst and of severe
pain at the site of the bite.

"At 8 a.m. it was found that there had been pro-
gressive extension of the swelling and duskiness of
the involved tissues during the night. The whole of
the limb and a portion of the right side of the chest
and the side of the neck were implicated ; tenderness
and pain were aggravated. The surface of the body
was cold, the pulse very weak; all food was vomited,
and his mind was quite clear.

" At 2 p.m. the upper part of the abdomen on the
rioht side had become affected. His face was blue
and had an anxious expression, and he was covered
with a clammy perspiration. The pulse at the wrist
could not be felt, and the beating of the heart was
very faintly felt. The temperature in the armpit
of the affected side was 101°, in the opposite armpit
98°. Mentally the boy was still quite undisturbed.
The breathing was slower. The pupils were still
dilated and reacting to licrlit.

" At 7 p.m. information was received to the effect

132 BRITISH SERPENTS.

that he was ' very much better, and the parts were not
so black.' When seen, however, this improvement
was found to be fallacious. There was less discolora-
tion, but except that his mind remained clear, all the
symptoms were aggravated.

"From this time towards midnight he continued
much the same. Death occurred at 1 a.m. Con-
sciousness was retained almost up to the moment
of his decease. There had been no convulsions at
any time in the illness.

" Naturally the main interest in this connection
is the determination of the exact type of reptile.
Presumably it belonged to the adder species. In
any case, the great weakness of the heart's action,
and the slowing of the breathing later, coupled with
the absence of mental disturbance markedly shown
throughout, are facts of great interest."

The following letter appeared in the ' British
Medical Journal ' of July 29, 1893 :—

" The case of fatal poisoning by snake - bite in
Glamorganshire, reported in the ' British Medical
Journal' of July 15, is of great interest, inasmuch
as authenticated instances where this injury has
terminated in death are extremely rare. Indeed
Professor Bell, in his work on British Reptiles,
expresses a doubt as to whether a fatality from this
cause has ever actually occurred, he having been
unable to trace any quoted case to a valid source. As

THE ADDER. 133

a matter of fact, however, I believe that this is the
fourth which may be regarded as vouched for b)T
competent authority in Great Britain. Death from a
snake -bite is more commonly heard of on the
Continent, but is there invariably due to another
species of viper, though one which is closely allied to
our own. Nevertheless, many bitten persons who
have recovered from all primary symptoms produced
by the poison eventually succumb to its influence in
remote indirect effects at a later period.

"Drs Jennings and Fraser state that the fangs'
wounds were one-tenth of an inch apart. If this be
so, it should stamp the aggressor as a very small
specimen ; two-fifths, or even half an inch, would more
nearly represent the interval between the punctures
inflicted by a full-grown viper. In the bites of these
serpents which possess erectile fangs, the breadth of
surface included is often a little greater than the space
which separates the teeth, as they lie quiescent in the
mouth, a fact which I have repeatedly verified where
tropical Viperidae and Crotalidre were concerned. But
it very frequently happens that one fang misses alto-
gether where the finger is struck. One mark only
would then, of course, be visible, but it would not
follow that the symptoms must necessarily be less
severe. That no pain should be felt for three-quarters
of an hour is certainly unusual ; the rest of the
phenomena described are characteristic enough ; there
is often little or no mental disturbance.

134 BRITISH SERPENTS.

" The reptile does not appear to have been secured,
but is ascribed 'presumably to the adder species.'
Now, of the three snakes inhabiting this country, one
only is venomous (Pelias berus), the 'little viper' of
France and the Continent generally.

" Your correspondents say that the case was first
looked upon as one of a bite of an ' ordinary mountain
snake.' If by mountain snake is meant the common
ringed or grass snake, it would be deeply interesting to
know, both as a question of natural history and as a
point of possible importance in diagnosis, whether they
have ever seen or heard on good authority of this
creature biting.

" It will hiss furiously on the smallest provocation,
and its odour when enraged is something appalling ;
but though I have handled hundreds, perhaps
thousands, of them in the course of my life, I never
experienced a bite from one, nor have I ever met with
any one whose testimony was otherwise. And I am
not acquainted with any other member of the
serpent tribe of which the same thing can be said,
although I have ' gone in ' for reptiles all my days. — I
am, &c, Arthur Stradlixg, Watford."

My own experience with the ring snake coincides
with that of Dr Stradling. Though this species will
hiss volubly and open its mouth when caught, I have
never known it attempt to bite, even when a finger
was offered to it.

THE ADDER. 135

Another fatal case has occurred quite recently
(June 1901) in Cumberland, where a little boy named
Hartley, aged four years and eight months, was bitten
on the leg by an adder. In this case death took place
three days after the accident. Owing to the long dis-
tance to be travelled, it was some hours before medical
aid could be got, and though cardiac stimulants and
permanganate of potassium were injected, the patient
gradually succumbed to the effect of the venom.1

The following description of a case of adder-bite
has been sent me by my neighbour, B. St J. Attwood-
Mathews, Esq., Pontrilas Court, Herefordshire, and
is quoted in his own words : —

" In the year 1846 or 1847, I forget which, I was
walking on Jansley Moor, near Matlock, Derbyshire,
on a hot day in the month of August. I had caught
an adder about 2 feet long and put it into a box.
On opening the box soon afterwards the adder bit me
in the right forefinger. I shut up the adder again in
the box, and tried to suck the venom from the wound.
This was of no use, and soon I became very faint and
sick, and fainted by the roadside. There I was found
by some passers-by, who helped me into a gig and drove
me home. I went to bed and had my arm covered
with cloths steeped in ammonia. The arm swelled
up to twice its natural size, and the swelling extended

1 I am indebted to Dr Eden Cass of Ravenglass, near Carnforth,
who attended the case, for kindly furnishing me with particulars of
this fatality from adder-bite. — Author.

136 BRITISH SERPENTS.

a little down the side. There was very great discol-
oration. It was about a week before I was able to use
my arm, and the elbow remained stiff for a couple of
months."

Treatment of adder-bite. — The treatment to be
of much avail in a severe case must be prompt and
heroic. It may be divided into two — namely, that
at the moment of the accident ; and the after-treat-
ment.. These may be summed up as follows : —

A. Immediate treatment. — 1. A free incision into

the flesh at the point of the fang-punctures.1

2. Sucking the wound, provided that there are no

sores on the lips or in the mouth.

3. Applying a tight ligature above the part where

possible (to prevent the absorption of the
venom into the system).

4. The internal administration of large quantities

of stimulants (brandy, whisky, or ammonia).
The first three of these, to be of any use, must be
carried out immediately.

B. After-treatment. — 1. Continued administration of

stimulants.

2. Hot fomentations to the swollen limb.

3. Opening of any abscesses that form.

4. Heart and other tonics, according to the course

the case runs, at the discretion of the medical
attendant.

1 Permanganate of potash lias recently been advocated, rubbed
into the incised wound.

THE ADDER. 137

The immediate treatment is directed to the pre-
vention of the venom being absorbed into the system ;
the after-treatment to keeping up the strength of the
patient, and the relief of local conditions. The im-
portant point to remember in dealing with a case of
adder-bite is that the fangs penetrate sufficiently far
into the tissues (or may do) to throw the dose of
venom directly into the circulation, and so affect the
heart in a very short time. Take prompt action, and
do not be afraid of doing too much.

Adder attitudes and movements. — Connected
with the subject of adder-bite is the question of the
attitude of the adder when about to strike. From
experience I can say but little, as I have only had
an adder face me on one occasion, and then I pre-
vented any further movement on her part. But very
extraordinary statements are made about the way
adders spring and jump. But very few people have
sufficient command over their nerves to observe an
adder's movements very closely, if they are under the
impression that the reptile is about to strike at them
the next moment ; and with all respect to those who
have written to me on this point, I am inclined to
think most statements made on the matter are a little
exaggerated. It may be quite possible that, under
the influence of great fear or excitement, a sudden
spasmodic contraction of the muscles in a certain way
might cause an adder to project itself a few inches off
the ground (somewhat in the same waythat a stunned

138

BRITISH SERPENTS.

rabbit throws itself up when lying on its back), but

I have never seen even
this much myself. But
the adder's anatomy is not
such as to permit it to do
more than raise itself up
on to the tail as a volun-
tary act, and as a rule it
may be said that the rep-
tile always has some part
of itself on the ground.
Still I am quite aware
that some say otherwise ;
witness the following: —

" One of my workmen
told me that an adder
sprang at him as high
as his waist, but he
managed to dodge it,
and it just missed him '
(letter from W. Jacob).

Again, " I was very

near putting my foot on

a lame dark - coloured

female adder when she

jumped right at me, and

hissed ' (letter from a
Fig. 31. — Adder in motion. . .

gamekeeper).

The ordinary motion of the adder in progression is

THE ADDER. 139

a sinuous wavy movement from side to side, well
seen in the accompanying illustration (p. 138). This
attitude in motion is also shown in the figure of
the handsome young male adder depicted on p. 121.
When stationary, adders are usually seen curled up in
two or three coils (see p. 99); and this attitude is
also assumed prior to the act of darting the head
forward to strike. This latter is done with extreme
rapidity, and frequently repeated a second time. The
ordinary sinuous movement is carried out by the
action of the muscles on the ribs and on the ventral
scales. " The large ventral scales are successively
advanced, the hinder edges of the scales resting on
the ground and forming fulcra ; resting on these, the
body is then drawn or pushed rapidly forwards."1
Each scale is attached to the rib corresponding to
it, the whole mechanism being a very beautiful one
to watch in operation.

Cures for Adders'1 Bites.

In most parts of the country where adders are at
all common, there is some popular method of treating
their bite. Perhaps the most usual is an oil made
from some part of the adder, or from the melting down
of the whole reptile. Sometimes only the liver is used
to make this oil ; at other times the faith is put in the
adder's fat. In the Monnow Valley I have heard of

1 Packard.

140 BRITISH SERPENTS.

the fat being cut out of the adder immediately after
the bite has occurred (presuming, of course, that the
adder was killed), and forthwith applied to the wound.
In some parts of Surrey, I am told, the shepherds
always carry a bottle of adder-oil to apply to any
sheep that may be bitten. The application of sweet-
oil to the bite, or its internal administration, is often
to be found recommended, the idea being that the oil
is supposed to have some power of preventing the ab-
sorption of the venom. Personally, I should not like
to depend on the efficacy of oil to counteract the effect
of a poison which has been injected directly into the
circulation ; and oil is one of the things I dispense with
on an adder-hunt, though I do like to have a sharp lance
and some powerful stimulant at hand. In some parts
of Scotland quite a different method of cure is trusted
to, based on more Scriptural grounds. This plan is
mentioned in a paper read by the Rev. George
Williams, Perthshire, on December 17, 1900, before
the Stirling Natural History Society. He there says :
" The Moss of Boquhapple is a favourite nursery for
adders. A man having been bitten by one of these
poisonous animals, John Marshall (who died a few
months ago) was instantly despatched to fetch a live
figeon. The bird was torn to pieces, and the warm
flesh was applied to the wound to extract the venom ;
because the flesh of the gentle dove is totallv antagon-
istic to the poisonous bite of the viper's brood — an
exception to the old medical principle, ' similia simili-

THE ADDER. 141

bus curantur.' John Marshall assured me that the
man recovered splendidly and speedily."

It seems almost a pity to add that Mr Williams's
paper was entitled " Local Superstitions."

Our ancestors had some very interesting methods
of ridding localities of adders and of curing the bite,
and in some ancient books there are some appalling
prescriptions to be found. The following are from a
work published in the year 1792, the author being
William Augustus Osbaldistone, Esq., the volume
being entitled ' The British Sportsman, or Noble-
man, Gentleman, and Farmer's Dictionary.' Under
the heading " Adder - Stung ,; these remedies are
mentioned : —

" Ointments. — I. Garlic, onions, bacon, and baysalt,
stamped together.

" II. Stamped rue, mustard-seed, pickled herrings,
and black soap, with a sufficient quantity of deer's
suet or bear's "Tease.

"III. Cover the wound with Venice treacle or mith-
ridate : either of these are very good, especially if the
spirituous embrocations used for gangrene be also
used.

" IV. Dragon's blood,1 barley-meal, and whites of
eggs, mixed to a thick consistence.

" Solleysel recommends the following remedy, which
indeed is not improper, only that the scarcity of the
chief ingredients renders the preparation very dear in

1 Dragon's blood refers to the name of a plant, I fancy.

142 BRITISH SERPENTS.

this country, and rather difficult to be attained : Two
or three ounces of the powder of dried adders and
two ounces of adder's oil, mixed in a pint of canary,
and repeated several times. As soon as the malignity
and venom are destroyed, treat the sores as wounds or
ulcers."

Which Mr Osbaldistone considered the most expen-
sive, and the harder to get, — the adder's oil, or the
pint of canary, — is not stated. Perhaps the latter was
dear, the former not easily to be had. In another
part of this interesting old book he writes : —

"Snakes and Adders. — To drive them from the
garden, plant wormwood in various parts of it, and
they will not come near it. Or smoke the place with
hartshorn, or lily roots burnt in a fire-pan, and they
will fly from the place. Or old shoes burnt, or other
stinking stuff, will drive them away ; or ash - tree
boughs, while green leaves are on them, laid about
your ground will have the same effect. Or, take a
handful of onions and ten river crabfish, beat them
well together, and lay it in the place where they come,
and you may kill many of them together."

Of these remedies, it can quite be believed that the
burning of old shoes would be very effective in driving
away the most intrusive adder ; but, unfortunately, no
respectable person would care to be in that spot either
as long as the fumes were at all potent, and when that
effect had worn off the adders might return too.

143

CHAPTER XL

THE ADDER— Continued.

THE REPRODUCTION OF THE ADDER.

PAIRING — TIME OF P.IRTH — NUMBER OP YOUNG — NAKED EYE

DEVELOPMENT.

Pairing. — Female adders are more numerous than
males, in the proportion of three or four to one. The
process of the fertilisation of the female eggs by the
male takes place soon after the winter hibernation is
over — that is, in the month of April or early in May.
At this time it is a common occurrence to see a male
and a female adder lying together on a warm sunny
bank, and I have seen as many as seven adders all in
a heap. Should a single adder be killed at this time,
careful watching for a day or two will generally result
in the discovery of the mate in the same spot. The
term " bunching " is applied to adders at this time in
some districts, from the fact of their being seen or

144 BRITISH SERPENTS.

killed when curled up together;1 and a correspondent
tells me that he once struck at an adder with his stick
at this season, and not until he had killed the reptile
did he notice that there were two together. Several
farmers have told me that they have often killed an
adder, and on setting fire to the gorse-bush or thicket
by which it was lying, a second adder was driven out
by the heat. It is a practical point worth remember-
ing, that should an adder be encountered in the spring,
it is well to keep a look-out for a second specimen in
the same spot.

Time of birth of the young. — With all deference
to a writer in a well-known encyclopaedia, it is hardly
the case that the adder " brings forth in April or May"
her family — at any rate in this country. The process
of development takes about four months, and as the
pairing occurs in the spring, the young are born in
late summer or autumn. This of course refers to
adders in their natural habitats, not in captivity,
where the conditions might be different. The first
two weeks in September are perhaps the most fre-
quent date of birth, varying a few weeks with the
season and locality. At this time the females become
very sluggish in their movements from the weight
they have to carry, and can be captured with greater
ease than at any other period of the year, if they can
be found. But just before parturition takes place

1 " Bunching " is also used to refer to a mass of adders hibernating
together.

THE ADDER. 145

they are apt to retire to a warm secluded spot, there
to await the advent of their offspring. I noticed this
particularly in the case of three females that I had
been watching for a couple of months in their haunt.
During July and August they were always to be found
on a warm afternoon sunning themselves in the same
spot ; and by sitting very quietly a little distance off,
with a good pair of field-glasses, they could be observed
without much difficulty, by the exercise of a consider-
able amount of patience, a virtue the absence of which
is fatal to any success in the observation of adders in
nature. But at the end of August they vanished into
the fern and were seen no more, to my great dis-
appointment.

The average number of young. — It might be
imagined that on this point there would be some
degree of agreement amongst various authors. In-
stead of anything like unanimity prevailing, however,
most widely varying figures are given in different
books. The three following estimates are from three
modern works. The adder is said to bring forth at a
birth young to the number of from 5 to 14, from 10
to 20, and from 15 to 40. The one estimate may
almost be said to begin where the other leaves off.
The minimum figure in the last estimate is greater
than the maximum of the first, and the maximum
of the first less than the minimum of the third, while
the maximum family allowed in the second case is
exactly half of that given in the third-quoted esti-

K

146 BRITISH SERPENTS.

mate. It is manifestly impossible to reconcile such
varying statements as these, unless one lumped them
all together and said that the adder family varies in
number from 5 to 40, which would be very apt to
convey the impression that very little was known
about it. An author can only give his own opinion
and flic reasons for arriving at it, which latter point is
too frequently omitted. People often say that they
unce killed an adder which had its young ones play-
ing about it, the young numbering about such and
such a figure. These figures are of necessity a very
hasty estimate on the part of the observer, made,
moreover, at a very exciting moment. It is not an
easy matter to count a number of young adders
scuttling away and at the same time keep a careful
eye on the mother; and very little reliance is to be
placed on this kind of haphazard evidence. There is
only one reliable method of observation applicable to
adders in a state of nature, and that is the dissection of
a sufficiently large series of gravid female adders shortly
before the time of parturition.1 This condition of the
female may be found, as has been said, in the month
of August. At this time the embryo adders are well
on in development, and can be handled and counted
with ease and accuracy. They are several inches long,
according to the stage of development, and every
embryo that is to be born can be taken out of the egg,

1 This is also the method adopted to determine the relative pro-
portion of the sexes.

ffl

H
O

Q

<

w
►J
<

w

CO

I— I

THE ADDEK. 149

uncurled, measured, and counted. The dissection
must be made with some care to avoid injuring the
eggs, and the following is the method I adopt
myself.

Dissection of gravid female adders. — Fix the
adder down on a board at the head end by means of a
nail or drawing-pin through the snout, the adder being
on its back, the belly exposed to the operator. Leave
the body and tail free. The best instrument to use
is an ordinary blunt-pointed surgical bistoury, which
is a long thin-bladed knife with a blunt point. A
sharp - pointed knife is very apt to injure the ab-
dominal contents. Grasping the adder's tail with
the left hand, insert the blunt point of the knife
into the aperture of the cloaca (the posterior opening
on the belly, that is) and gently slit up the belly from
behind forwards, keeping the edge of the knife in a
line with the edge of the successive large ventral
scales. Continue this incision for about half - way
up the body, and then withdrawing the knife, turn
the separated surface of the belly over to the side
where it is still attached. The whole of the contents of
the lower half of the body cavity will now be exposed.
Gently separate the intestines with the handle of the
knife, and the two large strings of eggs will be seen
lying underneath, one row on each side of the cavity.
Trace these up and down to their ends, and tie a
ligature round the oviduct at each end, on each side
— four ligatures altogether. The blood-supply to the

150 BRITISH SERPENTS.

eggs will be beautifully seen at this stage, and should
be noticed before cutting out the eggs by dividing the
oviduct on the distal side of each ligature. This done,
the two oviducts full of eggs can be lifted out bodily
on to a dish. When lifting out observe which is the
right and which the left oviduct, as the number of
eggs frequently differs on the two sides. If the
dissection has been carefully done and nothing torn,
the eggs on the dish will appear as shown in the
illustration opposite, which is one of the series of
dissections I made in investigating this question of
the number of young.

Result of series of dissections. — During the
months of July and August in 1899 and 1900 I made
23 dissections of gravid female adders in the manner
just described. The average number of young in that
series works out at 13. I freely admit that a series
of 230 dissections, instead of 23, might give a slightly
different result, but should not anticipate any great
divergence from the average given. The fewest found
was in a specimen which contained 7, and the greatest
number was 20, also in only one specimen. One or
two contained 8 or 9, but the great majority were 10,
11, 12, 13, 14, or 15. I have found it the exception
for an adder to contain more than 15 young or less
than 10, and can hardly credit that as many as 40
could be carried to full time for reasons stated later.
My conclusion may be subject to modification after a
larger series of dissections ; but it is not a hasty esti-

60

60

<u

*-•

r— 1

o

cc

eg

60

0)

to

o

05

-4-3

0

>>

•"-1

Ph

+=

p

c3

-53

CD

CD

a

i— ■

£*

O

o

K

co

P

cc

a)

P

i— i
05
CO

"3

«1

cS

ft

>

C

o

U

o

fii

02

o

pH

H

O

s

s

P

P

1— 1

>

O

ft

o

15

O

HH

H

.

O

.

a

CD

^h

CO

o

C

CO

£. cc

CO
0

>—i

<D CO

fe

I

CD

-4J

o

Left oviduct containing 5
Right oviduct containing

THE ADDER. 153

mate, but founded on the specific data stated, and it
is that the average number of young of the adder is
about IS.

Development. — The terms viviparous and ovo-vivip-
arous are both used to describe the method of birth
in adders. Both are correct : viviparous — in that it
means that the young are brought forth alive ; ovo-
viviparous — in that the term means that the young
are extruded cdive from an egg-covering. The latter
term is therefore more descriptive than the former, as
it includes an additional fact.

It would be out of place in a work of this descrip-
tion to discuss microscopic appearances ; but it is of
interest to the field naturalist to observe the size and
shape of the eggs and the embryos at different stages,
and these may be briefly noticed.

Before the embryos can be distinguished in the
egg, say in May, the eggs are long and somewhat
the shape of a very short thick cigar. A specimen
taken on May 16 showed the eggs the following
size and shape.

Fig. 34. — Eggs of Adder.

On section, to the naked eye they appeared to be
full of yolk. A month later, on June 14, a speci-

154 BRITISH SERPENTS.

men showed the eu^s to be larger and more rounded
— thus :

k

Fig. 35. — Eggs of Adder.

The embryos were now quite distinct on opening an
egg, over an inch long when uncurled, the head being
prominent, and the eye the one dark spot in the general
yellow colour of the embryo. Up to this time the
female adder does not show much change in shape
externally, but in another month the size of the belly
is at once noticed. The embryos have now attained
the length of 2\ inches. The eyes are still most
prominent, the mouth gapes, the body is about the
thickness of a good-sized worm, and the wall of the
belly is not closed in front in trhe middle line.
Development after this is very rapid, and by the
end of July great changes have occurred. I hap-
pened to get three on July 23, 1900, all extremely
large ones, one of which is figured with a male taken
at the same time, on p. 245. The female measured
26T% inches. She contained ten embryos in seven
eggs, which is a point not mentioned before ; but it is
not at all unusual to find an egg with two embryos in
it. In this case the left oviduct had two eggs and the
right oviduct five eggs in it. The eggs are now much

THE ADDER.

155

larger and quite round, the embryo being seen through
the covering membrane lying on the egg surface. The
embryos were 3| inches long, and, except in size, were
much like those of July 10.

A dissection a fortnight later shows still more rapid
progress, and by August 13 the embryos look like
young adders for the first time.
Even through the egg-membrane
the markings could be distin-
guished, the e^ being the one
reproduced here. The embryos
in this adder were again ten in
number, and it was surprising
on measuring them to find they
were 5 inches in length. I
photographed three of them,

with a scale of inches marked on the dish (fig. 37),
which gives a very good idea of the size and general
appearance.

The anterior abdominal wall was now completely
closed. The colour of the belly surface was still
whitish, but the division where each scale was to
appear wTas evident. The colour shaded off' into grey
on the back, and the markings were distinct, the zig-
zag line and the extra line of patches opposite each
point of the zigzag both quite plainly visible.

There is one very interesting detail in connection
with the development of the markings which is seen
at this stage. It is this. At the posterior part of the

Fig. 36.— Egg of Adder.

156

BRITISH SERPENTS.

head, where subsequently the dark V-shaped mark
is to appear, there is now a white V. That is to
say, the pigment here has not yet been deposited,
although the zigzag marking lias been completed all
along the back. I have since observed this in other
embryos. The dark V seems the last mark to develop,
as it is the most characteristic when developed. The

Fig. 37. — Embryo Adders.

white V is best seen in the middle embryo in the
illustration last <nven. The allantois is seen in the
embryo on the right.

Up to this time I had no difficulty in securing
specimens to illustrate the adder's development ; but
towards the end of August the females be<nn to retire
into secluded spots, as before mentioned, and were

Fig. 38. — Female Adder (25| inches).

THE ADDEII.

159

hard to find. However. I was fortunate enough to
capture on September 4, 1900, on the Graig Hill
(North Monmouthshire), a female very big with young,
and which proved a unique specimen as far as my

Fio. 39. — Embhyo Adders.
(From the specimen in the Ellesmere Museum, kindly lent to the Author.)

collection is concerned. She was 25^ inches long, and
so heavy with young that she moved with difficulty,
and was secured with the greatest ease. Her appear-
ance in her museum jar is seen in the full -page
illustration, p. 157. The young adders could be felt

160 BEITISH SERPENTS.

through the abdominal wall, and it was evident that
they must be about full time. After she had been
photographed in toto, she was dissected with the
greatest care in the way described. Opening the
abdomen, about 1 inch from the anal orifice a young
adder at once presented itself to view, loose in the
cavity of the belly. Proceeding very slowly, two
more appeared, also lying free and loose. These three
were lifted out on to a dish, and the whole of the two
oviducts with the eggs then exposed. These were
tied and lifted out in the usual way. The eggs were
counted and numbered eleven, each of which contained
one embryo adder, making a total of fourteen for the
whole litter.1 But the size of the young was amazing.
I measured the three loose ones first with great care,
and found that they were 7, 7h, and 8 inches long
respectively. The other eleven were simply covered
with a very thin membrane (there was no yolk left in
the eggs now), and were extracted and uncoiled. The
whole fourteen were found to measure from 7 to 8
inches in length. They appeared perfectly formed,
and no one would have taken them for unborn adders.
I arranged ten of them on a dissecting-dish and photo-
graphed them, and to be on the safe side in case of
any accident happening to the first negative, took a
second view.

Of course the great interest of this specimen is that
the young were just on the point of being born. In

1 Three embryos had already ruptured their covering.

Fig. 40. — Ten Embryo Adders at Full Time.

THE ADDER. 163

all probability another hour or so would have seen
fourteen lively young adders playing about at that
spot : they certainly have every appearance of being-
capable of looking after themselves. This group shows
the fact that was mentioned when discussing sloughing
— namely, that the first slough is cast before birth.
Several of the embryos show the slough as a ring
round the body, peeling off towards the tail.

It is quite possible that the size of the young in
this particular case was larger than usual ; but I
think there can be no doubt that young adders are
born greater in size than is usually supposed, and
are quite perfectly developed at birth. All these
embryos were provided with their teeth, including the
fangs. Two of them are now in Sir William Turner's
museum at Edinburgh University, the others preserved
in my own collection, where any one interested can see
them. This size of the young at birth will be again
referred to when discussing the question of the adder-
mother swallowing her young for protection.

164

CHAPTER XTI.

THE ADDER— Continued.

SWALLOWING THE YOUNG FOR PROTECTION.

THEORY STATED — OBJECTIONS ADVANCED — EXAMINATION OF

VALIDITY OF OBJECTIONS.

The next question for consideration is that bone of
contention in adder politics — namely, whether the
adder-mother does or does not swallow her family.
There is a very widespread belief (found wherever
adders occur) that the adder-mother will on the ap-
proach of danger take her young into some part of
her interior by the act of swallowing, and will there
retain them till such time as they can safely be
ejected again to the exterior. It is astonishing what
bitter disputes arise over the discussion of this matter ;
and I have heard two people holding opposite views
on the righteousness of the Boer war argue that
question politely, when on the conversation turning
to the swallowing theory they became violently

THE ADDER. 165

abusive, and in a very few minutes were hardly on
speaking terms. It is to be hoped that no such
acrimonious feelings will be the result of this re-
view of the question, but an honest endeavour made
to re-think the whole subject in a serious and
scientific manner, just as the student would ap-
proach any other question of natural science which
has two sides to it, and evidence to be weighed on
both sides. To be content to say off-hand that one
cannot believe such an absurd idea is a very un-
scientific attitude to take up on this or any other
debated point, especially when a moment's thought
is given to the innumerable facts in nature quite
as curious. Nor is it to be expected that scientists
and others should believe it simply because a cer-
tain number of people say or think that they have
seen the occurrence. In the absence of certain kinds
of proof, which will be mentioned presently, it is a
question entirely of weighing evidence, and the ver-
dict may be that the swallowing of the young is (1)
true, (2) untrue, or, as they say in Scotland, (3) not
proven, according to the way in which the evidence
strikes the particular jury who have the case under
consideration.

This statement, then, being made, why is it not
altogether accepted ? What are the main reasons
put forward as the objections to the probable truth
of the statement ? These objections may be stated
as follows : —

166 BRITISH SERPENTS.

1. That there is no adequate reason for its occur-

rence— i.e., that the young would be safer
outside the mother than inside her.

2. That there is not room for them in the supposed

retreat.

0. That they would be killed by suffocation.

4. That no competent authority has ever dissected

an adder and found the young in any posi-
tion which would prove that they had been
swallowed.

5. That those who believe that they have seen the

process were deceived by something else tak-
ing place.
These several objections must be carefully examined.

1. The swallowing process is unnecessary. — Now it is
important to carefully distinguish between matters of
opinion and matters of fact in evidence. The opinions
may be quite as important as a fact, but there can be
many opinions while the fact remains. This objec-
tion to the swallowing theory is an opinion, a care-
fully considered opinion having due weight, that the
young adders would be far safer if they each at-
tempted to escape on their own account than they
would be if the mother swallowed them. Those who
hold this view are quite entitled to consider it as
weighing against the truth of the theorv. But it is
quite as admissible to hold a different opinion on
the safety of the young. It may be said that the
question is not so much where the young would be

THE ADDER. 167

safest, but where the instinct of the mother and the
young themselves points to as the safest place. It is,
of course, a truism to say that most animal mothers
make some effort to protect their offspring, quite
apart from the efficacy of that effort. The mother's
instinct is that the family are safer in her charge
than when looking after themselves, and, as a rule,
the young fall in with this view. It may or may
not be the case that a dozen chickens would have a
better chance of escaping a hawk by going in a
dozen different directions ; but the old hen does not
think so, and prefers them under her wing, literally
in this case.1 I do not know definitely that young
adders are the food of any other animals in this
country,2 but in other lands they are eaten by large
birds of prey, and the adder -mother's instinct may
remain even thus far west. This first objection is
at any rate quite open to argument.

2. There is not room for the young in the supposed
retreat. — It will be admitted that if the young are
swallowed the receptacle must be the oesophagus or
gullet. So that this objection may be stated in more
definite words, thus : that the cubic capacity of the gullet
is not sufficient to hold all the young ones in a litter.

1 My friend the Rev. Maurice Bird says that a hen does call her
chickens if in danger, but that they scatter.

2 Many animals — e.g., pheasants, owls, toads, pigs, &c. — are stated
to swallow adders ; but I have not been able to get actual demon-
stration of this in any case, so cannot speak from my own experience
on the point.

168 BRITISH SERPENTS.

This is a most pressing objection ; for if it conlcl be
shown that the gullet of the adder is not capacious
enough to contain the average number of young in an
adder family, then there could be but little belief in
the theory. Three factors are involved in this objec-
tion : —

A. The average number of young in a litter.

B. The structural adaptability of the gullet for

swallowing.

C. The absolute cubic capacity of the gullet.

A. The question of the average number of the
young has been discussed, and the conclusion stated
that it is about thirteen. Here it is evident how
important it is to have definite data to go upon. It
is not sufficient to know that an adder could hold
half-a-dozen young at a time in her gullet. If this is
nature's method of protecting them, the conditions
must be such as will apply universally. Not that a
small female adder must be able to hold in her gullet
the largest litter of young adders that has been re-
corded, but that an average-sized adder's gullet must
be capable of holding an average-sized adder's family.

B. The question of the structural adaptability of
the gullet to swallow the young may be dismissed
with the remark that the gullet is adapted for swal-
lowing very large articles of diet. This matter is also
gone into in the consideration of adder anatomy, and
presents no difficulty which can be said to apply to
swallowing the young.

THE ADDER. 169

C. A reference to the chapter on the anatomy of
the adder will recall what was there said on the size
of the gullet (see p. 100). A careful comparison of
the cubic capacity with the average number of young
will show that the total bulk of the latter is not be-
yond the dimensions of the gullet. Discussing this
question once with a naturalist, I dissected a gullet
and distended it with a blowpipe in his presence. His
comment was, " There is room in the gullet for twenty
young, but for forty I think not." With this remark
I am in full agreement, but am by no means satisfied
that an adder ever had forty young at a birth, and am
quite certain that if it did occur it was a most excep-
tional litter.1 It is instructive in this connection to
remember the appearance of the young in the egg just
at full time, and to notice in what a wonderfully small
space they can coil themselves up. When taken out
of the egg it seems impossible that they should have
been stowed away in such a small compass. So in the
matter of the gullet it will be found by any one who
cares to make a dissection such as described, that the
cubic capacity is sufficient to hold the average number
of young in the adder's family.

Anatomically considered, there is nothing impossible
in the adder-mother being able to swallow her young
and find room for them in the gullet.

3. The further objection is advanced, that even if

1 I have been informed since writing the above that an adder
brought forth forty young on one occasion in captivity.

170 BRITISH SERPENTS.

the young could get into the gullet they could not
live there. Of course it is not to be supposed that the
young stay there indefinitely ; the presumption would
be that they would be ejected as soon as the threat-
ened danger was past, perhaps a matter of a few
minutes. It is a well-established fact that some small
animals have been taken alive out of a snake's gullet,
as was mentioned in reference to their food. More-
over, there are cases of other reptiles having swallowed
their young which are beyond dispute, notably the in-
stance of the rattlesnake described by Dr Menger.
So that the adder is not the only reptile that has the
reputation of performing this curious action, only in
the case of the rattlesnake it is established beyond
doubt. Eeptiles can do without a very good air-supply
for some time, and the air naturally contained in the
gullet after distension of the entrance would probably
be sufficient to sustain the vounsj for a short time.

It has been thought by some who do not deny the
swallowing that this is an act of cannibalism on the
part of the adder-mother, concerning which supposi-
tion Miss Hopley remarks : " The prey of snakes do
not run helter-skelter a dozen at a time down the
throat of an enemy ; nor do snakes when feeding gulp
down a number of snakelings at once, but one at a
time, and by the action of the jaws moving gradually
over the prey."

4. The fact that no scientific naturalist has ever
dissected a female adder with the young in the gullet

THE ADDER. 171

carries, perhaps, more weight with the incredulous
than any other objection that has yet been mentioned,
and rightly so. But even supposing the adder-swallow-
ing theory to be true, it is by no means realised how
extremely difficult a matter it is to get this kind
of proof of it. In the first place, adders are not often
seen at all, even if looked for in places they are known
to frequent — that is, in comparison with the frequency
of most of our animals. They will always move away
quietly and quickly if they can ; and it is almost certain
that unless the searcher happens to go within o or 4
feet of an adder, the reptile will slip away unnoticed.
Still less common is it to see them with their young.
Secondly, if it be true that the young are swallowed,
this can only be supposed to occur when the family is
in its infancy — that is, for some days or perhaps weeks
after their birth. This would be, as a rule, towards
the end of September, varying, of course, with the date
of birth. As far as I have observed, the young do
not remain with the adder - mother very long after
birth, and it is a rare occurrence to meet the family
all together. But if they are quite young when the
adder-mother looks after them in this way, as they
must be, the only chance of being able to witness the
process is to come across the whole family at a fairly
definite and restricted, period in any given year. That
being so, it is fair to ask, How many people in England
and Scotland and Wales see an adder at cdl in any given
week or two in the year ? Certainly very few. Of

172 BRITISH SEHPENTS.

those that do, a certain proportion would not stop to
see what the adder was doing, much less about to do,
but would leave that precise spot as quickly as pos-
sible. Of the rest, some would kill the reptile at once,
but in the majority of instances the adder would elude
observation. Supposing that one or two fortunate
individuals waited to observe the adder, and were
rewarded by seeing the young come to the mother and
duly disappear down her throat, and that they then
killed the adder -mother (a fairly extensive supposi-
tion), what would they do next ? In nine cases out
of ten the persons would be farmers or farm-labourers,
or other persons working on the land, with other
things to think about than proving the adder-swallow-
ing theory, which they have probably believed in ever
since they could walk. The adder - mother, killed,
would be thrown into the nearest hedge, possibly after
cutting her open and counting and smashing up the
young. At any rate this is the answer I always get
from farmers and woodmen who say they have seen it,
that they left the adder where they killed it, never
thinking that the editor of the ' Field ' or any one else
would be likely to give £5 to the person who brought
the specimen to him. It simply strikes them as an
occurrence that they have always known to happen :
their fathers told them so, and at last they have seen
it for themselves. That anybody should refuse to
credit what they say on the matter is very surprising
to them, and is accounted for by the ignorance of the

THE ADDER. 173

listener. That the foregoing reasoning is in no way
exaggerated, I can testify from numbers of instances
in my own experience. So that, whatever is thought
about the truth or otherwise of the theory, it must be
admitted that it is extremely difficult to get actual
ocular demonstration.

5. If the adder- mother does not swallow her young,
what has taken place to deceive so many people ?
It is supposed by some that the so-called cases of
swallowing are really to be explained by people
having killed the adder which was on the point of
bringing forth, and that the young being found in the
hody in a fully developed state, were concluded to have
been swallowed. It is quite likely that this is the
explanation of some cases where the witnesses say
that the young were found sivallowed after the adder
had been killed — where the actual swallowing has not
been seen — as the large size of the young would de-
ceive any one who had not seen a litter at full time.
I have had an adder brought to me which was killed
by a farmer by a blow from a stick, the result being
that the young were protruding from the ruptured
side of the belly. The farmer, who was not acquainted
witli the details of the adder's anatomy, thought that
the young had been swallowed, whereas they had
never been born. No doubt many cases are to be
thus explained, but there are others where the actual
act of swallowing is said to have been witnessed that
do not come under this category.

174 BRITISH SERPENTS.

On the whole, then, not having seen the act of
swallowing the young, and having tried to survey
in a spirit of impartiality the objections brought
against the belief, what is the conclusion ? Speaking
for myself, I decline to come to a definite opinion. I
have been told that such an attitude is simply begging
the question. On the contrary, I maintain that it is
the only scientific attitude one can take up on this or
any other question, if the evidence seems to be incon-
clusive. Why should any one be expected to hold
definite opinions on matters he considers unproved,
even if they be possibly or probably true ? I do
not feel bound to form or express a definite opinion
on the stability or otherwise of the Peruvian Govern-
ment simply because I have two friends, one of whom
thinks it the strongest that has existed for years, and
the other is convinced that it is tottering to its founda-
tions. I simply await events, in order to see which
opinion turns out the correct one, keeping an open
mind on the subject, and not refusing to weigh evi-
dence whichever way it leads. Similarly in the
adder-swallowing question, I do not refuse to believe
it because I have not been fortunate enough to see it
for myself (the combined evidence of the community
has to be sufficient on many questions not coming
under our individual notice), nor do I feel bound
to accept every statement made by all sorts of people
(or one would have many extraordinary beliefs). But
it may be fairly asked, What would be considered

THE ADDER. 175

satisfactory proof ? My answer is this. Let the first
person who sees the adder-mother swallow her young-
proceed to carry out the following programme : —

1. Secure the mother alive or dead, and tie a liga-
ture securely round the neck.

2. Take the specimen to any well-known naturalist,
and make a statement in the presence of witnesses as
to the circumstances attending the capture.

3. Request the naturalist to dissect the adder in
the presence of three reputable witnesses.

The final act in the drama will be the finding (or
not finding) of the young in the gullet of the adder-
mother, or elsewhere, by the naturalist in question.

This is what science calls proving a question, and
short of this, whatever private opinion may be held
on the matter, scientists cannot be expected to con-
sider the adder-swallowing belief proved. Until this
is done, rather will they regard the question as one
capable of proof, if true, but hitherto unsettled.

176

CHAPTER XIII.

THE ADDER— Continued.

STATEMENTS BY CORRESPONDENTS ON THE SWALLOWING
OF THE YOUNG BY THE MOTHER.

Having how discussed the theoretical side of the
adder-swallowing question, and come to the conclu-
sion that anatomically and physiologically there is
nothing impossible in the belief, it is of interest to
see what practical men have to say on the matter. I
have a large mass of correspondence in my possession
on the point, all of which is most interesting, and
from which all the following extracts are made. No
comment is made on the letters as they are quoted,
as it is difficult to do so without appearing, however
unintentionally, to doubt the good faith of some of
the writers, in some cases at all events. They should
be judged in the light of what has been already learnt
about the habits and structure of the adder, and espe-
cially in connection with the arguments considered in
the last chapter.

THE ADDER. 177

In a paragraph in F. G. Aflalo's column " About
Animals" in the 'Morning Leader' of 25th July
1900, he refers to a letter received from Mr Jacob of
Eythorne, Dover. This was in reply to a suggestion
by Aflalo that it would be well to have evidence on
the point from reliable witnesses. Mr Aflalo sent
Mr Jacob's letter on to me, and Mr Jacob and myself
had a long correspondence on the matter. Mr Jacob
has kindly given me permission to make any use I
deem fit of his letters, and what follows is from the
correspondence in question.

1. " In your [i.e., Aflalo's] interesting article you
appear to hint that the evidence of some reliable
witnesses would be not altogether unwelcome.

" I can give you twTo instances from among my
near acquaintance. My father-in-law is one instance
and also a next-door neighbour is another — both in
a large way of business as farmers, and both well
known in the East Kent markets. Neither of these
men was likely to be deceived, and equally also
neither was likely to deceive in such a matter. Both
have declared to me in conversation that they have
distinctly witnessed the act of the young vipers being
swallowed by the parent, and safely carried off by
her. Neither knew the other had spoken' to me on
the subject, so there could have been no collusion.

" But what appears to me to be sufficient evidence
of the fact is that I have seen it myself. That is to
say, although / have not actually witnessed the act of

M

178 BRITISH SERPENTS.

swallowing, I have nevertheless seen the young ones emerge
from the parent' 's gullet, which to my mind is evidence
that they had previously entered into it. It was in
this way, Some twenty years ago in the month of
October, in the early days of that month, I was
shooting in a piece of viper - infested, very rough,
broken ground in this neighbourhood, when, in a
sudden dip a few yards in front of me, my dog, a
high-couraged retriever, all at once drew back a pace
or two, and with the hair along his back standing
straight up, commenced baying some object which I
couldn't then see over the slight rise in the ground.
I immediately remarked to my son, who was with me,
" There's something up ! " and rushing forward saw,
just over in the hollow, a viper facing the dog. In
an instant I took aim and blew the animal's head
clean off close by the necJc, when, to my amazement,
seven young vipers immediately oozed out from the
gullet. One of them had a solitary shot through the
vertebra ; the other six were perfectly sound, and
wriggled about in a most lively fashion. They were,
roughly speaking, about the size of an ordinary lead-
pencil. What I should be pleased to know is, if
vipers never swallow their young, how did these
seven young ones find their way into the old one's
gullet ?

" My theory is, that my dog, springing suddenly for-
ward over the bank, surprised the parent viper basking
with her brood ; then they for safety scuttled down her

THE ADDER. 179

throat, with the result I have described." — Eythorne
17th July 1900.

2. In reply to a criticism of Ailalo's, Mr Jacob
writes : —

" First, you assume that my shot carried away not
only the head but also the upper part of the body.
This is absolutely incorrect. I was only 3 or 4
yards from the adder, and my shot cut its head clean
off close to the neck. The body of the reptile was
injured in no way. The young emerged from the
gullet, and could not possibly have escaped from the
abdomen, as the entire body was intact. If I had
shot the adder asunder, I should have taken no more
notice of the occurrence, but should have assumed
as you do.

" Secondly, the young were about 7 inches long, and
in the largest part of their body about § of an inch in
diameter. They were exceedingly active and lively,
and had every appearance of knowing something of
the world. Would this correspond with the size and
condition of previously unborn young ?

" I quite freely admit that if the case was as you
suggest — viz., that my shot carried away the ' upper
part of the body ' — yours would be ' quite a plausible
explanation,' but as the facts stand, I must ask you
to allow me to join issue with you. I may say that
during a shooting experience of nearly forty years I
have twice shot an adder's head off whilst in the act

180 BRITISH SERPENTS.

of facing my dog at close quarters, but in the other
case I saw no young." — Eythorne, 23rd July 1900.

3. " A son of a late gardener to Lord Guildford
(whose seat, ' Waldershare,' is close by here) was, when
a boy, a sort of ' Thomas Edward ' in a small way. He
used to say that as he was proceeding to take a wasp's
nest one autumn, he smashed a viper's head with a
stone and a number of young ones emerged from the
throat. To me it seems evident that it is practically
impossible for a scientist to quit his study and say,
' I'll have a day in the country and find out for myself
if vipers swallow their young,' with any great hope of
success. The thinsr is not done to order. But one
person here and another there once in a lifetime
stumbles unexpectedly upon a case, and this after
living and working all their lives in an adder-infested
district, while by far the greater number, with equal
advantages, are never in their whole lives equally
favoured."— Eythorne, 26th July 1900.

4. " Since writing to you [the author] last I have
met the under-keeper of Waldershare estate, and I
asked if he had ever seen the adder swallow her
young. He replied that he had, and that it occurred
just outside his garden fence. He said he was going
quickly round a corner by this fence when he came
suddenly on a viper with three or four young ones
about 6 inches long. They went down her throat, and

THE ADDER. 181

as he was quite unprepared, the parent got away in
the nettles before he could secure her.

" Mr Merry field, head gardener on the same estate,
who has in his time acted as judge at most of the
leading East Kent flower-shows, says that he once
saw a viper's head crushed on the road in front of him
by a passing waggon. When he arrived on the spot
several young vipers between 3 and 4 inches in
length were escaping from the neck. He is positive
that the body of the adder, apart from the head, was
perfectly uninjured. He does not remember the date,
but if you knew the man you would not hesitate to
take his word. Mr Merryfield also says that the late
wood-reve on the estate often used to affirm that he
had also witnessed the act of swallowing. There are
thus, with those I have mentioned in previous letters,
four distinct cases on one estate, and probably inquiry
would elicit more.

" The fact is, that among this class of people the oc-
currence is so generally recognised as to call for little
comment, except perhaps to make a passing remark,
and then little more is thought of it." — Eythorne,
31st July 1900.

" P.S. — May I say by way of postscript ? I had
just finished this letter, and got it in the envelope but
not sealed, when a friend called in, and having the
subject on my mind, and knowing that he had lived
all his life in a district where adders abounded, I

182 BEITISH SERPENTS.

asked him, ' Have you ever seen adders swallow their
young ? ' He replied, ' No ; but I know that they do
so.' I said, ' Naturalists tell us they do not.' He

said, ' My neighbour G told me distinctly that he

had seen it, and I would believe him in the face of all

the naturalists.' He continued : ' G told me that

he had disturbed a viper with several young ones
lying around it. When they saw him the old one
opened her mouth, and the young ones wriggled down

her throat. G disabled the viper, and putting

his foot on the body, pressed it gently, when the whole
of the young ones came wriggling from her mouth'
Now, I am aware that this is only a sample of what
dozens of men tell us. But when I consider the char-
acter of such men as this G (whom I knew well

as a farmer and as a man above the average for intelli-
gence and high character) and those I have mentioned
before, I can only arrive at one of two conclusions.
Either adders swallow their young or a considerable
number of persons of high repute have banded them-
selves together into a conspiracy of falsehood. And
this conspiracy appears to have been going on for gen-
erations, and to have spread over the entire country.

" I can't help thinking that some of us poor country-
folk are not quite the simple and credulous mortals
we are sometimes represented to be. This is just a
mild protest against the somewhat disdainful attitude
of ' scientific bigwigs ' towards such country-folk as
myself and many others."

THE ADDER. 183

5. "I just wish to say that three or four different
persons, in describing to me what they have seen,
have been unanimous in saying that the old one
raised her head slightly (that would be just clear of
the ground) and the young ones jumped or sprang
down the throat. They tell me that the young did not
glide down on the level of the ground. This striking
unanimous and quite independent testimony seems to
me to be somewhat significant. I may mention that
my brother-in-law tells me he had a correspondence
on this subject some years ago in ' Science Gossip,' in
which he mentioned my viper - shooting experience.
I don't know the year, and I never saw the corre-
spondence."— Eythorne, 9th August 1900.

I owe many other very interesting letters on the
habits of adders to Mr Jacob, some of which are
quoted elsewhere, but these are the most important
on the swallowing question. In the summer of 1900
I asked for information on the point from eye-
witnesses, by means of a letter inserted in the press
of Hereford and Monmouth, in both of which localities
adders are common. In response to my appeal I
received a large number of replies by letter, and other
people made statements to me afterwards which I
wrote down at the time. Some of these letters and
statements I now append. The letters are quoted
verbatim, the statements in the words used in writing
them down at the time they were made.

184 BRITISH SERPENTS.

Letter 1. — "J see you are seeking information
through the local papers, asking, Do adders swallow
. their young ? I think I can honestly say they do. I
will write you an incident I once saw with an adder.

" I was walking by the side of a small brook and I
came in contact with an adder. Of course the first
thing I did was to kill it. To my surprise there were
three small adders close by, from 3 to 4 inches long.
I smashed them up and turned my attention to the
old one, where I could see protruding from the mouth
the tail of a little adder. I got it out ; it was the same
size as the other three. With the aid of two small
sharp sticks I tore open the old adder and found two
more of the same size inside. I should say the little
ones all belonged to the same lot. This happened
quite twenty years ago. I never saw such a thing
before or since, though I have killed several since. I
have killed two adders this season." — James Davies,
Mill Farm, Welsh Newton, nr. Monmouth, July 23,
1900.

Letter 2. — " I can quite understand your desire for
information re adders. I came across one on Ascot
Heath many years ago ; it was attempting to cross the
road, out of some furze and heather. I don't know if
it was not wanton mischief on my part to try and kill
it — however, I made for it with my stick. It made a
hissing noise, and, to my surprise, seven small — its
own offspring, no doubt — ran to it and were de-

THE ADDER. 185

molished. This exceeded my comprehension. I suc-
ceeded in killing it, and from legendary remembrance
I put one foot on its tail, and with the other I pushed
up the body of the viper, and the whole seven jicel out.
I succeeded in killing four of these little ones ; the
others escaped in the heather. I am quite convinced
they do swallow them, and I grieve I did not attempt
the further elucidation to me a mystery." — E. Slann,
30. Queen Anne's Gate, London, July 2, 1900.

Letter 3. — " Seeing a few lines in the ' Hereford
Times ' of Saturday last about adders swallowing their
young, I for one have seen it, and I will tell you
where. It was not far from where you are living.
About half a mile from Pontrilas station there is a
farm called Penlan, just above the distillery works.
Three hundred vards from the barn at that farm there
used to be some rough brambles, just outside the
Benath Wood. There was another person with me,
but at present I have forgotten who it was. Anyhow,
the old adder was a large one, very dark. I was very
near putting my foot on her. She at once jumped
right at me, and threw a lot of something out of her
mouth on my clothes. I retreated back some paces
to look for a stick or stone, and I returned back, and
then she ' blowed ' at me a^ain. I saw two or three
young ones go down her throat, about 4 or 5 inches
long, and I noticed that they were very dark and
about the size of a large worm. I was at that time

186 BRITISH SERPENTS.

one of the under -keepers at Kentchurch Court for
Colonel Scudamore. I killed the adder at the time.
We saw one of the little ones come out of her mouth,
and it got away in the brambles. The others we
smashed to bits, with the old one. You can rely on
this to be true." — John Went, 1 Park Crescent, Barry,
nr. Cardiff, July 3, 1900.

Letter 4. — " I have had several proofs lately oi
Pelias hemes swallowing the young on the approach of
danger. Several years have elapsed since I saw a case
myself. Lord Cawdor's woodman told me on Friday
that on one occasion he saw an adder with a lot of
young ones playing about her, but when they noticed
him they crawled into her mouth. He killed her
before she had time to swallow the last, which he
found in her mouth. On opening the adder he found
eight young ones, about 2J to 3 inches long. This
was seen by an under-woodman as well. An educated
lady told me a few days ago in Pembrokeshire that
she had seen an adder deliberately swallow her young
on her approach. A gentleman farmer saw the same
thing, and on opening the adder found nine young
ones, which had been flaying about her a few seconds
before." — (Rev.) D. H. Davies, the Vicarage, Cenarth,
Caermarthenshire.

Letter 5. — "Seeing your letter in the 'Hereford
Times' of June 30 about adders, I think it may

THE ADDER. 187

interest you to know that a year ago my late
husband, Major J. M. Browne, was walking near The
Wood, and he had in his hand a pitchfork with which
he intended to remove some fagots. He caught sight
of a group of adders, male, female, and a number of
young ones. He made for them with the fork at once
and disabled one. During this time the other old one
was getting off, and the young ones had all disappeared,
but he was in time to kill her. On smashing her with
the fork, a number of young ones were inside her
— I almost think he said thirteen." — (Mrs) Adelaide
Clarence Browne, Hall Court, Bishopst'rome, Worcester,
July 10, 1900.

Letter 6. — " What I am about to describe happened
certainly over thirty years ago, when I was quite a
lad. The place was at Brockley Mount, on the estate
of the late Sir E. Rycroft, near Sevenoaks, a place
where many adders are found in hot seasons. The
number of young was, I believe, nine ; size about 6 to
6h inches long, J inch in diameter. The adder was
killed by a man named Pankhurst (I believe), long
since passed away. The young ones were also killed as
they were taken from the mother. I do not remember
further details, as I was not particularly interested at
the time, besides which, I had from my earliest child-
hood been taught the fact of the adder-mother swallow-
ing her young under certain conditions. I am, how-
ever, certain of what I saw at the time stated.

188 BRITISH SERPENTS.

Pankhurst was the keeper on the estate. There were
several members of my own family and other friends
together at the time of which I speak. Make what-
ever use you please of this." — (Rev.) Wm. Burnett,
The Manse, Eythorne, Dover, August 7, 1900.

Letter 7. — The following, taken from a communica-
tion I have received from Mdme. Elise Otte, is of
peculiar interest, inasmuch as it is the only statement
I know of from an eyewitness whose name is known
to scientific naturalists. Years a^o Mdme. Otte was
well known for her work on marine zoology, and
as a capable and accurate observer I take the
following quotations from her narrative: —

" The scene which I witnessed thirty years ago,
when I saw the young of an adder run into the
mother's mouth, was on an occasion when I had
come from Torquay to take part in a geological
excursion to Lustleigh Cleve. The late William
Pengelly, F.E.S., was to explain the nature of the
strata exposed to view in some recently made cut-
tings of a railway. As, however, I had previously
seen similar beds, I preferred to take the oppor-
tunity of reaching a point of view on the moor I
specially wished to see. Accordingly I applied to
the landlady of our inn for a guide to take me
through the network of intersecting lanes that had
to be traversed. A young girl was selected to be
my cicerone, and after innumerable turnings brought

THE ADDER. 189

me to the special group of granite boulders that I
wanted to see. Descending, we turned sharply
round a corner, where our steps were suddenly
arrested, and we stood transfixed, half in admiration
and half in terror. For there, not many feet distant,
and exactly at the spot where we were to cross the
lane, with its head slightly raised and facing us, lay
basking in the sun a beautiful adder. As we looked
we caught sight of six or seven little creatures at the
rear of the mother s body, slipijing and sliding about
on the ground as if at play. Then suddenly, as if
terrified, they separated, and with almost ludicrous
rapidity shuffled along on either side of the mother's
body till they reached the head, when, raising them-
selves a little, they tumbled on and over each other
in their haste to reach her mouth, which almost as
quickly closed over them."

The following have been - made to me by word of
mouth : —

Statement 1. — " Some years back I saw an adder
killed and opened with thirteen young ones in her.
We were reaping a field of beans. My brother was
carrying the men's dinner up to the field ; when on
his way up he heard an adder hiss close to him, and
a moment or two afterwards saw the brute a few
feet off. It was a very large one — I should say
nearly 30 inches long. We killed it and found it
very full about the throat, and knowing that they

190 BRITISH SERPENTS.

swallowed their young ones, we cut her open, and
found, as I say, thirteen young, about the length of
my little finger." — T. Morgan, Tresemmy, Grosmont,
Monmouthshire, June 1900.

Statement 2. — "A few years ago I disturbed an
adder in a field near Din eter wood, Ewyas Harold.
She gave a repeated hissing noise, so I knew there
were young ones about, as they never hiss more
than once unless they have young ones with them.
The repeated hissing is to call the young. She
then -put her lower jaw on the ground, and I saw
a number of young ones swallowed. I killed the
adder, which measured 22 inches in length, and
found eleven young ones, about 2J inches long, inside
her." — Mr Froth ero, gamekeeper, Pontrilas, Here-
fordshire, July 17, 1898.

Statement 3. — " Some years ago I was walking with
my younger brother to help to gather the cut fern in
Kentchurch Park. About a yard off the path I saw
an adder coiled up in the grass in the sun. When I
stopped 3 or 4 feet off she lifted up her head, put out
her tongue, and hissed at us. I then saw six young
ones, which I had not noticed before, wriggle up to
her. She put her head flat on the surface of the
ground and opened her mouth, when all six went in.
The young were about oh inches long. As soon as
they were inside her, the mother at once disappeared

THE ADDER. 191

under a large stone. I could show you the exact spot
on Garway Hill where this occurred." — L. Davies,
High Meadow, Kentchurch, Herefordshire, June 3,
1898.

I have many other statements of a similar char-
acter to these quoted, but no good purpose would be
served by giving them all. I must, however, quote
a letter from Tyrrell, the Keeper of the Eeptile House
at the Zoological Gardens, London, which F. G.
Aflalo has kindly sent me. It runs as follows : —

" In answer to your question with regard to snakes
swallowing their young, I am aware that it is a
common opinion that snakes hide their young in this
manner, but I candidly believe it never happened. I
have had many kinds of vipers with young ones, and
have tried several methods of frightening them, but
have never seen the event take place, or any action
to cause me to believe it even possible." — J. Tyrrell,
Beptile-Keeper, 27 Lawford Eoad, Kentish Town,
July 12, 1900.

I have no intention of offering a detailed criticism
on these statements : my readers can compare them
for themselves, and form their own opinion upon their
relative value. I would only add that the italics in
this chapter are mine, and that they draw attention
to what I consider the points to be particularly noted.
Too much stress should not be laid on the very

192 BRITISH SERPENTS.

various estimates of the size of the young, as they
are not actual measurements (unless so stated), but
the recollections of judgments of length formed some
years before the letters were written or the state-
ments made.

A word as to Tyrrell's experiments, which carry
great weight in the opinion of some. To my mind
they only prove that adders do not swallow their
young in caijtivity , which personally I should never
expect them to do even had I seen them do so in a
state of nature, which I have not. Although reptile
intelligence is by no means high, probably adders in
a cage are quite conscious that they cannot carry
their young away, and also that they are quite safe
where they are, especially if the young have been
born in the cage in question.

The late Mr Tootal Broadhurst published a pamphlet
some years ago which he was in the habit of circu-
lating among his acquaintances, in which he gave a
list of people, with their statements, who had seen
the swallowing process. The pamphlet was published
by J. Maxwell & Sons, Dumfries, but I am informed
by them that it is out of print. If I recollect
rightly, Mr Broadhurst and his head-keeper were two
of the witnesses, and statements were given from a
dozen or so other persons.

Other references have been made to the matter
from time to time in the ' Field,' ' Bod and Gun,' and
other papers.

THE ADDER. 193

Lastly, it is of great interest to know that one
species of venomous serpent certainly swallows her
young ones, even if the British adder is not proved to
do so. Dr Eudolph Menger, San Antonio, Texas,
U.S.A., who has devoted much time to the study of
the rattlesnake, describes the following incident : —

"I was one day passing through a field and hap-
pened to notice a large rattler lying along the fence
surrounded by about a dozen very young rattlers. I
dismounted, and while hunting for a strong stick with
which to kill the snakes, I noticed that all the
young snakes had disappeared, and that the throat
of the old snake was considerablv swollen. A few
heavy blows killed the snake, and to my great
surprise on examining the reptile's neck, a large
number of young rattlers crept out of the snake's
mouth. I captured one of the little fellows and found
that, although it must have been very young, for it
was scarcely a foot long, its poison- fangs were fully
developed." l

1 New York Herald, April 21, 1901.

N

194

CHAPTER XIV.

THE OPHIDIA IN THE MONNOW VALLEY.

AREA DEALT WITH — GEOGRAPHICAL — NATURE OF DISTRICT —
OPHIDIA FOUND — SIZE — EXPLANATION OF LOCAL DISTRIBUTION.

It is proposed in this chapter to indicate briefly the
results of the observations made on the serpents in the
Mid - Monnow Valley. The lines of investigation
followed up are those applicable to the study of our
reptiles in other localities where they have a peculiar
distribution, and the explanations offered for that
peculiarity are such as may help to elucidate the same
kind of problem in any particular locality.

The area dealt with. — These observations refer to
that part of the Monnow Valley where the river
Monnow forms the boundary between the two coun-
ties of Herefordshire and Monmouthshire, extending
from Pontrilas railway station, on the Great Western
line, to the village of Skenfrith, some six miles from
the town of Monmouth. The distance between these
two places is about eight miles, the valley running

THE OPHIDIA IN THE MONNOW VALLEY. 195

from east to west, having Herefordshire on' the north
and Monmouthshire on the south bank of the river.

Nature of the district. — The traveller enters this
part of the Monnow Valley by turning off the main
road at Pontrilas sharply to the left if coming from the
Hereford side, to the right if coming from the Aber-
gavenny direction, and immediately finds the river
flowing close by the road on his right. For three
miles, till Kentchurch is reached, the road is fairly
level, and at that point the steep sides of Garway Hill
present themselves in front of him. From here he
may get through the narrow five miles of the valley
either on the Hereford side or the Monmouth side of
the river ; there being a bridge over the river at Kent-
church, and no other means of crossing till Skenfrith
is reached at the exit from the valley. The change in
the nature of the ground is startling in its suddenness.
From the gentle undulations and well-cultivated farm-
lands of the more central parts of Hereford, one is
transformed, all in a moment, into a land of mountains
and woods ; and the cyclist who has chosen the road
on the southern bank is compelled to push his steed
up the steep approach to the village of Grosmont, and
there rest and admire the magnificent view of the
valley obtained from the high bank above the river, on
which stand the ancient ruins of Grosmont Castle.
Facing him here on his right is the Graig Hill, shelv-
ing sharply down to the river's edge, Garway Hill
rising abruptly from the opposite side. To get out

196 BRITISH SERPENTS.

of the valley one must go through it : on right and
left the mountains shut the traveller in. Both hills
are well wooded — with this difference, that while Gar-
way Hill is only covered with fern and bracken on its
upper third, the Graig is wooded thickly to its summit,
and has a margin of cleared land at the river-side. It
is necessary to note these features in order to under-
stand how the fauna of this or any similar locality is
affected by natural boundaries.

Ophidia found. — It so happened that it was
winter when these observations commenced, so the
reptiles were hibernating ; and one could only proceed
by making inquiries. This was done, making use of
the class of people of most service for such a purpose
— viz., gamekeepers, woodmen, farmers, and others
whose occupations take them to the more secluded
•parts of the locality to be investigated. Their replies
to my questions were carefully noted, and these replies
showed a singular uniformity which very much struck
me. I invariably got the answer, " There's no snakes
here, only adders" or occasionally the reptiles were
termed " vipers." On further inquiry as to the usual
size of the serpents these men were familiar with, a
similar uniformity was observable in the estimates
they gave of size. All agreed in putting the ordinary
length of the only snake which they knew of at about
" 2 feet or a bit over." Experience teaches that snake
measurements which are only estimated are not always
to be relied upon, and so it seemed that very probably

THE OPHIDIA IN THE MONNOW VALLEY. 197

this one was exaggerated. It could hardly be believed
that adders over 2 feet lono; were as common as this
local snake evidently was, and no evidence could be
obtained of there being more than one species found in
the vallev. There was nothing for it but to wait till
the return of spring enabled me to get some specimens
for myself, and in the mean time I became familiar
with the spots where these reptiles were said to be most
often seen. Bv the end of the summers of 1896 and
1897 I had caught and seen a considerable number of
the local serpent, and found that it was, as my in-
formants had assured me, the adder. But what about
the length ? Had thev exaggerated it ? To answer
this question I cannot do better than give the exact
measurements of the first six adders I took, because
the same figures apply to many I have taken in the
valley since, and also because the list includes both
the lamest and smallest adders in my local collec-
tion, and is representative of the whole extent of the
valley.

No. 1.

Ferns

No. 2.

1!

No. 3.

II

No. 4.

II

No. 5.

Male

Length in

inches.

near Pontrilas .

26i

near Skenfrith .

23|

near Grosmont .

281

on Graig Hill

23

on Gar way Hill

211

near Pontrilas .

19|

No. 6. ii n

A small calculation will show that the average
of this series of six works out at a length of 23|
inches, which is very nearly what my information

198 BRITISH SERPENTS.

had stated. Of course this was not sufficient basis
for a final conclusion, but it was sufficient to show
that I was dealing with a locality in which the adder
was the most common serpent found, and that it did
attain a very large size here. The sixth adder in the
list was a very young male, and evidently not mature.
The female of 28J inches, taken within a few hundred
yards of my own doors, is the largest adder I have
ever captured, and one of the largest I can obtain
authentic measurements of in any district. Since

1897 I have measured a large number of adders
taken in this part of the Monnow Valley, and of
the whole series (over a hundred specimens) I find
that —

The adult male averages 24 inches,
it . female n 25 J n

If these figures are compared with the averages given
under the heads of the various counties, it will be
found that the adder in the Monnow Valley attains its
maximum length for these isles.

Are there, then, no other snakes in this valley but
adders ? The gamekeepers, farmers, and others all
told me that no other species was to be found, which
of course meant that they had seen no other kind, and
for two and a half years I. never saw any other serpent
here but the adder. Then on the 26th September

1898 I saw the small specimen of Tropidonotus natrix
referred to in the chapter on that species, where the

w

P
P

P

o
o

S3
P

o

►—1

THE OPHIDIA IN THE MONNOW VALLEY. 201

details of its capture are described. This is the only
ring snake I have seen in the valley during five years,
nor have I ever seen one nearer than four miles from
the Graig Hill, on the slopes of the Hill towards
Abergavenny, where they become somewhat common.
Coronella austriaca (the smooth snake) I have never
seen here at all, nor can I get any evidence of its
existence.

Explanation of the ophidian distribution. — It
is no uncommon thing to find that adders frequent
certain restricted localities ; and the interesting
problem at once presents itself, Why should adders
be so limited in their local distribution, and in
particular, why should the adder alone of our
ophidians be found in the Monnow Valley, and there
attain such a large size ?

The general principles governing the fact of the
survival of a single species of any given class of
animals in a restricted area are the same in all cases,
and only require to be applied to the special local
conditions of environment. Broadly speaking, those
principles fall under one or other of the following
heads : —

1. Natural boundaries,

2. The chances of extermination or otherwise.

3. Food-supply.

Applying these principles to this locality, how do
they throw light on the fact that the ring snake is

202 BRITISH SERPENTS.

absent, and the adder common and of large size in
the Monnow Valley ?

1. Natural boundaries. — In the case of a small
inland area these are the topographical factors of
rivers, mountains, woods, and cultivated land. The
influence of such factors is at once evident in a case
such as the one under consideration. This valley is
approached from all directions through more or less
cultivated parts, highly so in several directions, and is
far more sparsely populated than the surrounding parts
of the counties. The transition is sharp from arable
or ploughed land to mountain and woodland. Ob-
viously as civilisation advanced towards the valley
from all sides, as the land became cleared and the
plough succeeded the axe, the wilder animals, which
shun the approach of man, would retire before him ;
and here at the northernmost point of Monmouthshire
and the south border of Herefordshire, coining from
both directions, these animals found a shelter in the
secluded valley, and in the thick and extensive woods
of Garway Hill and The Graig. To this day the latter
hill is the home of the foxes in the district, and, as
the Master and members of the Monmouthshire Hunt
know only too well, it is a nearly hopeless task for men
or hounds to turn an old fox out of his haunts in the
thick woods on The Graig. So that from the point of
view of natural boundaries, here is a place where one
would expect the most retiring animals to congregate
and make a last stand.

THE OPHIDJA IN THE MONNOW VALLEY. 203

2. The chances of extermination or survival. — In
the case of the adder civilisation is the worst enemy
to be feared — man is the greatest danger. It may even
be said that, excepting the severity of climatic condi-
tions, the adder usually dies a natural death, unless
at the hand of man. If, then, the adder has as its
habitat a locality where man is chiefly conspicuous
by his absence, the chances of survival are at their
maximum. This condition is present in the Monnow
Valley — that is, man is nearly absent. A few scat-
tered farms, mostly rearing cattle and sheep, and

therefore with fewer hands than a more corn-orowin£

© ©

district, are all that are met with in the way of
human habitations in a drive through this valley.
The gamekeepers kill a considerable number of
adders every spring (the woods on both Garway Hill
and The Graig are heavily preserved with pheasants),
but apart from this the adder population is very
secure. This partly accounts for the exceptional size
of adders here : they live to a good old age and attain
their full growth. And when it is remembered that
twenty female adders will in a season bring forth
somewhere about 260 young ones, it is not hard to
account for the fact of their being fairly common.

3. Food- supply. — This is an all-important question
in the distribution of a species. It has been seen that
the food of adders consisted mainly of mice, slow-
worms, small birds and their eggs, newts, water-voles,
and grubs. All these are in abundance in this valley,

204 BRITISH SERPENTS.

especially the mice and slow-worms on the hillsides,
and the water-voles at the river-side. These three are
their staple articles of diet here. The bracken on
Garway Hill, which covers a very large area, swarms
with mice, which are also of course plentiful in the
woods, while the slow-worm is perhaps more abun-
dant across the river. The slopes of this hill are hot
and dry and face the south — conditions which we saw
were all characteristic of the taste of adders ; so that
altogether everything is in the adder's favour in the
Monnow Valley. But there remains the problem of
the entire absence of the ring snake. Without going
over the same ground again, it is quite obvious that it
is precisely because the conditions are so favourable
to the adder that the ring snake is not equally at-
tracted. In particular, the nature of the ground and
the food-supply are not suited to its requirements.
There are no small streams, few ponds, and therefore
comparatively few frogs, the favourite food of the
ring snake. Heaps of garden rubbish and manure
are few and far between, and the slopes of the hill-
sides too exposed in winter for the eggs to survive
if not hatched out in the autumn. The conditions
favouring the ring snake are better found on the
southern slopes of The Graig some miles away, and
accordingly there TropidoTwtus natrix flourishes. It
was suggested to me by a naturalist that possibly the
adder had exterminated the ring snake here, but I
have not been able to obtain any evidence to support

THE 0PH1DIA IN THE MONNOW VALLEY. 205

this theory ; and the fact that the adder is so often
restricted to a particular locality in many counties, in
addition to what we have seen to account for its
presence here, leads rather to the conclusion that it is
a case simply of a suitable environment.

The result of this investigation into the distribution
of the Ophidia in the valley of the Monnow in its
course on the South Herefordshire boundary may be
summed up thus : —

1. That the adder (Vipera hcrus) is here relatively

common.

2. That the average length is 24 inches in the adult

male, 25.1- in the adult female — being much
above the average of most localities.

3. That the ring snake (Tropidonotus riatrix) is not

found, except probably when artificially con-
veyed thither, and certainly does not breed there.

4. That the smooth snake does not occur.

5. The small red viper has been taken once (by the

author), and seen on two other occasions.1
Some such factors as the foregoing must be held to
be mainly responsible for the striking ophidian char-
acteristics of this and other localities which present
similar peculiarities. There may, of course, be other
modifying influences at work, which have either in
past times contributed to, or even now are maintain-
ing, the existing state of affairs.

1 Cf. "The Reptilia of the Monuow Valley," Woolhope Club
Transactions, 1898-99. — Author.

206

CHAPTER XV.

THE SMALL RED VIPER.

PLEA FOR ITS RECOGNITION AS A SPECIES —DISTRIBUTION —
DESCRIPTION — SIZE — VENOMOUS — SUGGESTED NAME.

The small red viper is a reptile far better known to
those whose occupations take them to the haunts of
snakes than to scientific naturalists. Indeed by the
latter its existence is generally ignored. Many works
on natural history make no allusion to it, and where
it is mentioned it is referred to as a variety of the
common adder, or as merely the young of that species.
Any departure from those views, if noticed at all, is
sure to be severely criticised, if not resented as pre-
sumptuous. If, however, an observer is to be true to
himself, he must record his observations, and is
entitled to deduce conclusions therefrom irrespective
of results. Careful study of British adders has driven
me to regard the small red viper as a valid species,
quite as distinct from the ordinary adder as a swallow
is from a martin or a stoat from a weasel. It is a

THE SMALL RED VIPER. 207

reptile that has had hut little attention paid to it,
probably on account of its great rarity and its very
local distribution, and also, no doubt, because it is
very much more difficult to capture than the ordinary
adder.

The small red viper resembles the common adder
in the arrangement of its head-plates and in the
number of belly-shields, and is therefore put in the
same species. It differs from the adder in most other
respects; but the differences, by an arbitrary arrange-
ment, are not regarded as essential. These differ-
ences are, however, constant, which to my mind is
an all-important point. It has been said that the
small red viper is held to be either a variety of the
adder or the young of the adder. The latter view is
the important one from the point of view of its
validity as a species. This opinion presumably is
based upon the fact that certain ordinary adders
exhibit a red colour. It is assumed that these adders,
if they could have been examined when young, would
have appeared to be small red vipers. But it so
happens that this red colour in ordinary adders is
characteristic of one sex only, and that the female.
Thus in Mr Boulenger's most valuable paper on
the " Variations of the Viper in Great Britain " 1 the
following occurs : " Brown and brick-red specimens,
with the markings of a more or less dark-brown, are
females" This is absolutely true, the colours men-

1 Zoologist, March 1892.

208 BRITISH SERPENTS.

tioned never being found in the ordinary male adder.
The question therefore arises, Are all these so-called
small red vipers simply young female adders? This
could only be settled by obtaining specimens of
this colour of both sexes. I had long believed in
the distinctness of the small red viper from the adder,
from its constancy in size and colour, but had never
taken a male specimen until the 26th April 1901. I
was at that time investigating the Ophidia of Central
Dorset, and on the day mentioned took a specimen
locally known as the little viper. It was the usual
red colour, but a glance at the tail at once showed
it to be a male. I demonstrated the male organs to
the Eev. F. W. Brandreth, to whom I am indebted for
the opportunity of examining that most snaky neigh-
bourhood. The length of the specimen was 12|
inches. This viper is well known in that locality,
though of much less frequent occurrence than the
ordinary adder, which is abundant. The male adder
there is pale-grey with very black markings and
bluish-black belly, not in the least like the small
red viper.

Moreover, if the red viper were a young female
adder, a large number of specimens ought to show
the gradations of the one passing into the other. This
is not seen in any of the hundreds of female adders I
have examined.

Distribution. — On account of its infrequent occur-
rence, and the absence of authentic county records, it

THE SMALL RED VIPER. 209

is a matter of some considerable difficulty to determine
its exact distribution. F. G. Arlalo 1 mentions that it
is found in Herts, Somerset, and Devon, also in parts
of Scotland, and these three counties are usually the
ones mentioned in this connection. He also refers to
the capture of " a small reel kind " in Fairlight Glen,
near Hastings, in further reference to which he writes
to me : —

" I wish I could give you the accurate information
you seek touching those Fairlight red adders, which I
distinctly remember killing on two or three occasions,
some twenty years ago. But I did not in those days
— it must have been during the period 1881-1883,
during which I lived at Hastings — see any particular
interest in a snake beyond its power of dying pictur-
esquely, and all I can recall is the decided reddish hue
of some of the adders {not all, mind) that we found
thereabouts, and the belief among the villagers in the
neighbourhood of Fairlight and Ecclesbourne that
these red adders were more dangerous than those
of normal colour. More than this memory does not
spare me."

The Eev. H. A. Macpherson, in his ' Fauna of Lake-
land,' records the occurrence of a specimen thus : —

" Most of the Lakeland vipers are grey or brown
in ground colour, regardless of their sex. The only
instance at present known to me of the capture of a
' red ' individual within our limits relates to a viper

1 Natural History (Vertebrates) of the British Islands, p. 304.

O

210 BRITISH SERPENTS.

which Joseph Boadle presented to the Whitehaven
Museum. ' Instead of being grey and black, it is a
dull ferruginous red, and the zigzag markings are a
dark mahogany colour.' This animal had been caught
near Rig House, Dean, West Cumberland " (recorded
in the 'Whitehaven Times,' December 3, 1874).1

But as a matter of fact, the distribution of the small
red viper is much wider in England than has hitherto
been recognised, and not the least interesting of the
results of my effort to obtain a complete account of
the county distribution of our serpents has been the
discovery that this species is to be found in at least
fifteen English counties, five of which have already
been mentioned. I have myself observed it twice
in Herefordshire, both times in the same locality —
namely, on Garway Hill, once in 1898 and once in
1900. I have also taken one specimen in Monmouth-
shire, on August 1, 1900 ; this latter specimen
measured 9| inches, and was captured on the summit
of the Graig Hill. I showed it at the annual
meeting of the Woolhope Field Naturalists' Club
in 1900. I have also taken one — a male — in Central
Dorset (Buckland Newton) as mentioned. A refer-
ence to the county reports in this book will show that
it also occurs in the following additional counties :
Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Lincolnshire, West Sussex,
Northumberland, Durham, Dorset, Devon. In most

1 From this description the specimen might have been a female
adder, the size not being given, nor the sex.

THE SMALL RED VIPER.

211

cases, however, it is an
unusual occurrence, and
though its distribution is a
fairly wide one, its numbers
seem to be small. No doubt
a further investigation will
establish its occurrence in
some other counties.

Description. — The name
small red viper is suffi-
ciently descriptive, as the
serpent is both small, red,
and a viper. It can be at
once distinguished by its
red, coppery, or ferruginous
colour, which is the only
colour it shows, the mark-
ings being a darker shade
of the same colour. The
zigzag back - line and the
V-shaped head -mark are
both present in the same
positions as in the adder,
but the extra side-line of
black or brown patches
seen in the latter have
been absent in the speci-
mens of small red vipers
I have examined. There is

Fig. 42.— Small Red Viper.

212 BRITISH SERPENTS.

not the amount of colour variation we saw in the
adder, the only variation being in shade, from bright
copper colour to a darker mahogany shade. The tail
is very sharply marked off from the body in females,
and ends in a very fine point.

Size. — If the colour of this species is distinctive,
the size is no less so. As in the adder, the average
length varies somewhat in different localities, but the
largest small red viper is hardly the length of the
smallest adult adder. The adult adder averages from
18 to ^5 inches ; the small red viper averages from 10
to 15 inches in length. The most common measure-
ment is about 12 inches. This is of some practical
importance, as only last year my attention was drawn
to a statement in some newspaper correspondence,
where a writer informed his readers that they need
never be afraid of the larger snakes in this country,
as our sole venomous serpent was only about 10 inches
long. It turned out that his experience had been
gained in a part of Devonshire where the small red
viper occurred, and this was the only kind he was
familiar with. I mention this because it is a proof of
my contention for the validity of the species.

Venomous, &c. — In places where the small red
viper is found it is regarded as being particularly
venomous, and more to be feared than the ordinary
adder. Whether this is really so or not I cannot say,
but there is no doubt that it is more pugnacious and
less timid. On beinq- disturbed it does not seem to

THE SMALL RED VIPER. 213

make every effort to glide quietly away, as does the
adder, but, curling its tail in a circle on the ground,
erects its head and hisses vigorously.

Much requires to be learnt regarding its food and
reproduction, the great difficulty being to secure enough
specimens to form reliable data.

The illustration of the small red viper (p. 211) is
from the one I captured in Monmouthshire.

Specific name. — If naturalists could see their way
to use some specific name, such as Vipera rubra, when
referring to this viper, it would greatly conduce to
accuracy and clearness, and would avoid the confusion
which at present exists.

214

CHAPTER XVI.

CANKER IN SNAKES KEPT IN CAPTIVITY.

Snakes kept in captivity usually remain free from
any disease if proper attention is paid to the selection
of the diet and scrupulous care taken in the cleansing
of their quarters. But in spite of the greatest care, it
sometimes happens that a curious condition of the
mouth, eyes, and head and neck appears and gener-
ally proves fatal. This disease is called " canker."
An excellent account of it was sent to me by Mr
B. J. Horton of Birmingham, who had a remarkable
series of cases of the disease in his own serpents. Mr
Horton in his description says : —

" Canker is thought to be a form of tuberculosis,
and, as far as I know, there is no cure for it, although
a friend of mine, who has had considerable experience
in keeping snakes, says that a snake so affected may
recover if kept warm. This, I think, is doubtful. I
cannot give any reason for an outbreak of this disease
except the drinking-water which is supplied • to the
snakes. I always used to give my snakes hard un-
filtered water, and during two years I lost nine snakes

CANKER IN SNAKES KEPT IN CAPTIVITY. 215

out of twenty I had from this complaint. I was then
advised to substitute soft filtered water for the hard
unfiltered. This I did, and for three years I have not
lost a single specimen from this cause. From this I
think there is reason to connect the water with the
canker. Strange to say, the disease does not occur in
snakes in their wild state.

" The symptoms, taken from the examples which I
have had in my own collection, are as follows : —

" The mouth of the snake generally seems to get
filled up to a greater or less extent with a kind of
fleshy substance. The eyes frequently increase in
size, and sometimes turn quite white and opaque,
though this latter symptom is rather exceptional.
Then gradually the head and neck swell up, some-
times to such an extent that the scales become
stretched apart. The snake in the mean time refuses
to eat or drink. There is no outward sign of any other
part of the snake being affected except the head and
neck. The reptile may linger in this condition for a
considerable time, although most of my specimens that
were affected have died in two or three weeks.

" The disease is highly contagious, in proof of which
I may cite the following cases. I received a perfectly
healthy specimen of the dice snake (Tropidonotits tes-
sellatus), which I placed in a new vivarium which had
only just been made, and consequently had never pre-
viously contained snakes. The dice snake remained
in a healthy condition for two or three weeks, when I

21 G BRITISH SERPENTS.

noticed it was slightly affected with canker. It got
rapidly worse, and died two or three weeks afterwards.
I then cleaned out the vivarium with soap-and- water,
and the next specimen I placed therein was a small
specimen of the viperine snake ( Trojridonotus tigminus).
This snake was also quite healthy. About five weeks
subsequently this snake became affected with the dis-
ease, and after lingering for eight or nine weeks, died.
This time I scrubbed out the vivarium with hot soda-
and- water, and put in the vivarium a specimen of
the English ring snake (Tropidonotus natrix), which
showed sign of canker a week afterwards. In this case
the symptoms were very severe, the eyes becoming
quite white and opaque, and the head very much en-
larged in size. Death took place in a few days. I
did not use that vivarium again for about six months,
and then I enamelled it inside and out, and have not
had the misfortune to lose any specimens since."

From this most interesting series of cases of canker
it seems very evident that a serpent once infected
with the disease may leave the germs in the cage or
vivarium it has been inhabiting, and I should strongly
advise any one who loses a snake from canker to have
the cage thoroughly disinfected with a strong solution
of carbolic acid, repeating the washing at intervals of
three days until it has been done three or four times.1

1 Mr Horton lias sent me a leopard snake which was supposed to
have died of canker. After careful examination, no sign of tuber-
culosis could be found, only inflammatory changes being present.

217

CHAPTER XVII.
EXAMINATION AND RECORDING OF SPECIMENS.

Every field naturalist who wishes to make his obser-
vations of permanent value, or to record them in the
transactions of a society, should keep careful notes of
all specimens examined. A definite scheme ought to
be adopted for each species or class, and the follow-
ing is the method advocated for keeping records of
serpents. The figures are taken from the record of
the most recent adder in my collection.

Species. — Vipera herus, common adder.

Date of capture. — March 15, 1901.

Locality. — Norton, Skenfrith, Monmouthshire.

Sex. — Female. (This is determined by the tail being
sharply marked off from the body, and its shortness ;
the general colouring, the throat colour, the belly
colour, and number of shields.)

Total length. — 25 J inches. (Note whether above or
below the average for the particular locality.)

Length of tail.—2h inches.

Head-plates. — Show the normal arrangement. (Note
the size of the parietals and their relation to the

218 BRITISH SERPENTS.

frontal. The number of small shields in front of the
frontal. The arrangement and number, if any, of the
small shields between the frontal and the supra-ocular.)

Lip-scales, or labials. — Nine on the right side, eight on
the left side, the fifth and sixth being fused on the left.
(The labials vary greatly, and should always be noted.)

Shields round eyes. — Ten in number.

Body scaling. — Ventral shields number 144. Sub-
caudal shields number 32 pairs, and the terminal
conical shield.

Colouration. — This specimen exhibits the usual female
colouring in this locality : brown markings on an olive-
green body, mottled belly, yellowish-white throat, and
bright orange colour on the under surface of the tail.

On dissection. — (If dissected note the contents of the
stomach, and the stage of development of young if a
pregnant female, also the number of eggs developing.)

Record of specimen. — Private collection, No. 4, year
1901, preserved in formalin solution. (Specimens
may be preserved in various ways. Methylated spirit
is frequently used, but is not very satisfactory : the
specimens shrink considerably in it after a time, and
the colours become dull. Absolute alcohol exhibits
them best, but is expensive if used on a large scale.
Formalin is not a good preservative for snakes, though
it is comparatively cheap.1 Serpents should always be
preserved in fluid, never stuffed, as they never look
natural in this latter way.)

1 Formalin is apt to turn snakes blackish.

EXAMINATION AND RECORDING OF SPECIMENS. 219

The preservation and recording of British serpents
by field naturalists on the above plan would very soon
result in the collection of a vast amount of informa-
tion at present unobtainable. Most naturalist societies
have museums connected with them where the speci-
mens may be deposited, and if not, the curators of
county museums would be only too glad to have repre-
sentative collections of local reptiles. The great draw-
back of specimens killed by keepers and workmen, as
a rule, is that they are so smashed as to be useless for
preserving. The usual method of killing an adder is
by means of the nearest stick that is stout enough for
the purpose ; but the field naturalist will find it much
more satisfactory to use a tool made expressly for the
purpose, and which costs very little.1 It is a long-
handled pair of forceps, the blades of the instrument
being covered with indiarubber, so that the skin of the
reptile is absolutely unharmed. The blades close
automatically, so that the adder cannot get away even
if the instrument be dropped. The advantage of such
a tool is that harmless snakes may be picked up and
examined by those who do not care to do so with
their hands, and the snake set at liberty afterwards
unharmed ; or if a venomous species be captured,
it can be disposed of carefully without injuring it
for preservation.

1 This instrument was made from my instructions by Messrs
Watkins & Doncaster, London, and answers its purpose admirably.

220

CHAPTEK XVIII.

VARIOUS INCIDENTS RECORDED OF BRITISH

SERPENTS.

Snakes and water. — " One sometimes hears people
talk of an English water snake, but of course they
really are referring to Tropiclonotus natrix. The
ring snake takes kindly to water, as the following
incidents will show. They are led there primarily
by a desire to find suitable food. So it is when
Dante wants to describe the souls huddling together
(in the ninth canto of the ' Inferno ') he says : —

' Even as the frogs before the hostile snake
Across the water scatter all abroad,
Until each one is huddled on the earth.'

I fancy that this ' biscia ' which Dante saw in the
swamps round Ravenna was merely a ring snake
looking for her dinner. Gilbert White mentions
them actually lying under water in search of prey,
but I have never seen this.

" Beyond the desire of feeding, snakes take to the
water for mere enjoyment. I have often seen them

VARIOUS INCIDENTS RECORDED. 221

swimming across a pond. Once, up at Heath Pool,
when accompanied by a black retriever, I saw a snake
swimming and threw my stick at it. It went some
distance beyond the snake, and the dog plunged into
the water to fetch back the stick. En route he came
across the snake, which stiffened itself as the dog
approached. The latter, mistaking the snake for
the stick, snapped at it, and then shook its head in
disgust. I think he must have killed the reptile,
for it did not reappear." — J. Bevir, M.A., Wellington
College.

Adder- springing. — " I was never faced by an
adder, neither has one ever attempted to spring at
me, although I have killed several. One of my
workmen told me one sprang at him as high as his
waist, but he managed to dodge it, and it just missed
him. A keeper tells me he once struck at an adder,
which had just previously killed a favourite dog, and
the blow missed, and the reptile arched itself up,
resting on its tail and neck only, apparently about
to spring at him. He cut it down, however, before
it did so.

" I have twice had an adder face my dog, but on
each occasion I shot the reptile's head off. Twice in
my experience I have had an adder in my house in
the winter, when living in a farmhouse. We supposed
them to have been brought in with the firewood. They
were somewhat torpid, and easily killed.

222 BRITISH SERPENTS.

" A neighbour who lives by tells me that he was
riding a bicycle last summer through Dane Court
grounds when he saw an adder crossing the road in
front of him, and thinking he could break its back
by riding over it, he steered straight for it, when just
as he thought he had got it, the adder suddenly
reared itself up on its tail, and he missed it in con-
sequence. The adder's head was raised up quite
close to the calf of his leg as he rode by." — W.
Jacob, Eythorne, Dover.

What the Archbishop saw. — "Even the closest
observers of snakes are apt at times to be mistaken.
For instance, I rind in the Life of the late Archbishop
of Canterbury (vol. i. p. 22) that on one occasion ' he
was returning alone from the village, and in the dust
of the road, on the bridge which crossed the stream,
he saw a thing which looked like a snake, with ob-
jects like small wheels on its head, that were running
round and round at a furious rate, so that the dust
flew up in clouds. He was much too frightened to
examine it, but ran home and told his mother. He
was sent to substantiate his story — to look for the
object and bring it home ; but it was gone, and he was
whipped for telling a lie. " Yet I can see it still," he
used to say, " as it lay there ; " and in later life I
have met with few people who knew more about the
natural history of Berkshire than he did." — J. L. Bevir,
M.A., letter to the < Outlook/ November 10, 1900.

Fjg. 43.— "Brusher Mills," the famous Snake-Catcher.

VARIOUS INCIDENTS RECORDED. 225

" Brusher Mills."—" During the time we lived in
the New Forest I was acquainted with the old snake-
killer ' Brusher,' whom I met one day when out walk-
ing. He was carrying his pouches full of writhing
snakes. I asked him if he had found many adders,
and said I should like to see him catch one, and told
him I would help him to find one. We strolled to a
likely spot, but ' Brusher ' found the adder, and
quickly whipping out his tongs, seized it near the
head. ' Now, marm,' said he, ' would you like to see
its teeth ? ' ' Oh yes,' said I, and with the help of
other tweezers he made the poor creature open its
mouth wide, and I had a fine view.

" I said that I had heard that he made oil from
adders that would cure their bite, whereupon he
pulled out a bottle of clear oil from his pocket, and
.si lowed me the dreadful bites on his own hands he had
cured with the oil. I asked him how he got the oil,
and with a ^rin he said that he baked the adders in
an oven, in a large jar. ' Please, marm,' said he,
' would you like to see this one have a run and me
catch it again ? ' ! ! ! But this was more than I had
nerve for, and leaving the old man a small present, I
made off as fast as I could." — Adelaide Clarence
Browne, Hall Court, Bishopsfrome, Worcester.

Adders and spiders. — "A young lady told me
the other day that she once saw a large adder in
the garden. She called the servant, who said, ' Wait

p

226 BRITISH SERPENTS.

till 1 get a spider, miss, and if I can get it to crawl
over the adder, it [i.e., the adder] will get so angry
that it will burst to bits directly.' However, the
spider was obstinate, and refused to perform. The
idea, it seems, is quite general in some of the dis-
tricts about here." — Frank Davies, Newcastle Emlyn,
South Wales.

Pigs eating adders. — It is said that the farmers
near Clun Forest, Shropshire, when the adders became
too numerous to be pleasant, used to turn out their
pigs, which made short work of the adders by feed-
ing on them. I have not been able to authenticate
this from eyewitnesses, though I have been told that
the farmers did adopt this curious plan.

The idea is by no means novel, for Darwin in his
1 Expressions of the Emotions ' states that " it is well
known that pigs are employed in the United States
to clear districts infested with rattlesnakes, which
they do most effectually." Dr E. Brown also
stated in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society
(1871) that pigs will always make a rush for snakes
whenever they see them, and that snakes would
always make every effort to get away from the
locality of a pig.

I know myself of an instance where Tarn worth pigs
were imported into a district in South Africa with the
idea of ridding a certain spot of the numerous snakes
which infested it, and I understand that not only was

VARIOUS INCIDENTS RECORDED. 227

the experiment successful, but the pigs eventually
multiplied and provided most excellent sport.

Mr Edwin Gosling (East Grinstead) tells me of an
incident which further illustrates this weakness of
pigs for serpents. He once came across a large
serpent in Llangwyfan Bog (Wales) asleep on some
water-weeds. The reptile was between 5 and 6 feet
long, and was evidently a foreign serpent which had
escaped from a collection, or been washed ashore from
a wreck, or in some other way got out of its natural
latitude. He killed the serpent, and on opening it
found a large brown rat in the stomach. He left the
snake where he killed it, intending to pick it up on
his return and have it identified at South Kensing-
ton. However, a short time afterwards, on returning
from the shore of the bay, he found that a pig had
just finished devouring the serpent. — The Author.

Snakes in trees. — " I once saw a beautiful speci-
men of the ring snake, just fresh from casting its
slough, coiled up on the brandies and leaves of a
hazel- bush, about 4 feet from the ground, basking in
the sun, and probably on the watch for a small bird.
The bright colours of the snake on the background
of the green leaves formed a most charming picture.
Mr E. Blagg tells me that it took so much strength
to pull one of these snakes out of a loose stone wall
in which it had taken refuge that he was afraid it
might be pulled in two." (The tail, no doubt, was

228 BRITISH SERPENTS.

curled round some projecting point, and was being-
used as a means of prehension — much as a conger
eel will do in a hole in the rocks. — Author.) — John
L\ B. Masefield, Cheadle, Staffordshire.

Retrieving a snake. — " A ring snake was once
seen as late as October (by Mr E. Blagg) swimming
across a pool near Cheadle. His retriever dog went
after it and seized it by the neck, the head only being
above the water. It then coiled up and the dog loosed
it, but again seized it (quite tenderly) and brought
it to his master." — John E. B. Masefield, Cheadle,
Staffordshire.

Frog croaking though swallowed. — " I had a

small ring snake, about 20 inches long, this year
(1900), which was kept in the same case as a very
large specimen, and one day I put a full-grown frog
in the case, intending it for the large snake. The
smaller one, however, immediately seized the frog,
and after some difficulty swallowed it. I distinctly
heard the frog croak in the snake several minutes
after it had been swallowed. In a quarter of an
hour or so the frog was disgorged all but the head,
which was retained in the snake's mouth. The frog
was still alive, and did its best to free itself from its
unpleasant predicament, but without success, and the
snake began to swallow it again. This process took
about half an hour to accomplish, and in another

VARIOUS INCIDENTS RECORDED.

229

half hour (after the frog had been swallowed for the
second time) I could still hear it give a faint croak."
— B. J. Horton, Sparkbrook, Birmingham.

Ring snake in a stone. — A most curious snake
incident was related to me by the Rev. F. W. Brand-
reth of Buckland Newton, Dorset. Some five years

Fig. 14. — Ring Snake in a Stone.

This illustration represents the condition of affairs found by the keeper. This is
not the actual specimen, but a flint I found in the same locality (where they
abound), and which the keeper assured me was idem ical in appearance with
the original one. I inserted a ring snake through the hole in the flint, to
show the result, as he found it.

ago (i.e., in 1895) his keeper found a ring snake em-
bedded in a flint stone, from which it could not
possibly escape. The stone had a hole in the centre,
and the body of the snake was protruding from either

230 BRITISH SERPENTS.

side of the stone, like the two halves of the axle of a
wheelbarrow. The snake was about 15 inches Ions,
and was quite fixed in the stone, which was a flint.
The reptile was thin in the middle and bigger at both
ends on either side of the stone, and those who saw
it consider that it must have grown for some time
in this extraordinary position. The flint had to be
broken in half before the snake could be released.

I can only account for the reptile being caught in
this way by supposing that it attempted to get
through the hole in the stone at a time when its
stomach was bulging from some food, that it was
wedged in firmly where its girth was largest, and
being unable to move either forwards or backwards,
had so remained fixed. The organs on either side
of the point of constriction would soon swell out
and render all efforts at escape quite futile.

Adder with two heads. — The Kev. Canon Bush,
Duloe Eectory, Cornwall, has sent me a very interest-
ing note on an adder killed in 1853 (or 1854) which
had two heads. The adder was brought to him by a
labourer, who had found it in a wood in the neigh-
bouring parish of St Martin. The reptile was about a
foot long, and was shaped like the letter Y, the two
limbs of the Y representing the division of the reptile
into two heads. My correspondent noticed that each
head had independent action, and that when the adder
opened one mouth the other mouth did not necessarily

VARIOUS INCIDENTS RECORDED. 231

follow suit. The curiosity was at once packed up and
sent alive to the Zoological Gardens, a journey which
in those days occupied considerably more than the
seven hours now sufficient to do the distance. Al-
though the adder reached its destination alive, it died
soon afterwards.

This is not the place for an abstruse embryological
dissertation to account for the monstrosity, but it is
probably not unconnected with the fact that I drew
attention to in the chapter on the development of the
adder — namely, that frequently one finds two embryo
adders in one egg. Where such is the case, an
accidental fusion of the early developing cells might
account for the production of a double-headed adder.

Adders and snake -stones. — One does not hear
very much about snake -stones in connection with
British serpents, but in tropical countries, where
serpents are common, these curious charms or reme-
dies— they are used in both ways — present a very
interesting study. But the Eastern ideas on the sub-
ject have their counterpart in our country in Wales,
Scotland, and in Cornwall. (An excellent account of
" snake - stones '; is given in ' Our Eeptiles and Ba-
trachians,' by M. C. Cooke.)

The superstition is that "about Midsummer Eve it
is usual for snakes to meet in companies, and that by
joining heads together and hissing, a kind of bubble is
formed, which the rest, by continual hissing, blow on

232 BRITISH SERPENTS.

till it quite passes through the body, and then it im-
mediately hardens, and resembles a glass ring, which
whoever finds shall prosper in his undertakings. The
rings thus generated are called Gleinau Nadroeth ; in
English, snake-stones " (' Antiquities of Cornwall,' by
Borlase). I have heard of similar stories being told
in Denbighshire.

A variety of this superstition is found in the Vale
of Glamorgan, where the idea is that when the reptiles
congregate they kill one of their species and weave or
make on the dead serpent's tail a small ball. The
snakes are said to be very fierce during the operation,
and the victim is supposed to give vent to shrieks of
agony. Here as elsewhere the snake-stone is regarded
as a charm, and as bringing good luck to the possessor.

Moving masses of snakes. — Several corre-
spondents have told me that they have encountered
masses of snakes writhing together in a ball. I confess
I do not quite understand this curious phenomenon
seen on the open land. It would appear to be only
explainable on the supposition that they had worked
themselves out of their hibernating quarters en masse
when thus encountered, or that a number had got
together in the pairing season. Whatever the real
signification of this curious circumstance, it would
seem, to be not very uncommon, as I have had no
less than four accounts of it being seen in six months.
— Author.

PAET II.

BRITISH SEEPENTS IN COUNTIES AND LOCALITIES

ARRANGED ACCORDING TO THE AREAS DEFINED IN THE

' COUNTY AM) VICE-COTOTY DIVISIONS OF THE BRITISH ISLES'

(FOR biological purposes)

COUNTY ANT) VICE-COUNTY DIVISIONS OF
THE BRITISH ISLES.

(FOR BIOLOGICAL PURPOSES.)

ENGLAND AND WALES.

C. Channel Islands.

I. Peninsula Province.

1. West Cornwall with Scilly

2. East Cornwall.

3. South Devon.

4. North Devon.

5. South Somerset.

6. North Somerset.

II. Channel Province.

7. North Wilts.

8. South Wilts.

9. Dorset.

10. Isle of Wight.

11. South Hants.

12. North Hants.

13. West Sussex.

14. East Sussex.

III. Thames Province.

15.

East Kent.

16.

West Kent.

17.

Surrey.

18.

South Essex.

19.

North Essex.

20.

Herts.

21.

Middlesex.

22.

Perks.

23.

Oxford.

24.

Bucks.

IV. Ouse Province

25.

East Suffolk.

26.

West Suffolk.

27.

East Norfolk.

28.

West Norfolk.

29.

Cambridge.

30.

Bedford.

31.

Hunts.

32.

Northampton.

236

BRITISH SERPENTS.

V. Severn Province.

33.

East Gloucester.

34.

West Gloucester.

35.

Monmouth.

36.

Hereford.

37.

Worcester.

38.

Warwick.

39.

Stafford.

40.

Shropshire.

VI. South Wales Province.

41.

Glamorgan.

42.

Brecon.

43.

Radnor.

44.

Caermarthen.

45.

Pembroke.

46.

Cardigan.

VII. North Wales Province.

47.

Montgomery.

48.

Merioneth.

49.

Carnarvon.

50.

Denbigh.

51.

Flint.

52.

Anglesey.

VIII. Trent Province.

53.

South Lincoln.

54.

North Lincoln.

55. Leicester with Rutland.

56. Nottingham.

57. Derby.

IX. Mersey Province.

58. Cheshire.

59. South Lancashire.

60. West (i.e., Mid) Lancashire.

X. Humber Province.

61. South-east York.

62. North-east York.

63. South-west York.

64. Mid- west York.

65. North-west York.

XL Tyne Province.

66. Durham.

67. Northumberland, South.

68. Cheviotland, or Northumber-

land, North.

XII. Lakes Province.

69. Westmoreland with North

Lancashire.

70. Cumberland.

71. Isle of Man.

SCOTLAND.

237

CHAPTEK XIX.

COUNTY AND DISTRICT DISTRIBUTION.

METHOD OP INVESTIGATION — SOURCES OF INFORMATION —
COMPARISON OF RESULTS OBTAINED.

The study of the variations of the species in any
given order of animals is one of the most fascinating
in Natural History, and what follows in this hook is
an attempt to indicate the most important differences
of distribution and relative frequency of our three
British serpents ; and as it is, as far as I am aware,
the first attempt of its kind in this branch of our
fauna, it must necessarily be imperfect. A perusal
of the various county records will show that it would
be the work of a lifetime for any one investigator to
thoroughly work up the Ophiclia of every county,
even in a small country such as ours. The only
practicable method is to enlist the aid of field natural-
ists all over the land, and compare and tabulate the
results so obtained. This has been the method I
have adopted, being encouraged to do so by the very

238 BRITISH SERPENTS.

large number of correspondents I have had in the
last few years, all of whom were evidently interested
in the subject. I have endeavoured to get a record
of our serpents for every county in the kingdom, and
for this purpose approached the secretaries of Field
Naturalists' Clubs in all those counties where such
societies are working. In each case my inquiries
took the same form, and the queries are reproduced
here in the hope that future correspondents will
supply me with local records on these lines. The
questions asked were : —

1. Which snake is most common in the county (or

district) of ?

2. What is the average length of the adder here ?

3. What is the average length of the ring snake

here ?

4. Does the smooth snake occur to your knowledge ?

5. Does the small red viper occur ?

6. Kindly add any other note on snakes you deem

of interest.

The quotation of the questions will explain the
uniform nature of the arrangement of the county
reports.

In addition to field naturalists I have had the
assistance of some of the curators of our museums, and
of authors of books on county fauna, and have so been
able to bring together a mass of facts which, though
some of it was in existence before, was so scattered
that it was not available for purposes of comparison.

COUNTY AND DISTRICT DISTRIBUTION. 239

In arranging the information I have grouped the
counties according to the sheet recently issued (pre-
pared by Alex. Somerville, F.L.S.), and called " The
County and Vice-County Divisions of the British
Isles," for biological purposes. Some districts have
supplied much fuller information than others, for the
simple reason that where snakes are not, there is
nothing more to say.

At first sight there would appear to be some direct
contradictions in the records of some counties, but on
closer examination it will be found that where two
observers disagree in their statements they refer to
different localities, though it may be the same county.
This very local distribution is a striking feature
in British serpents, and is to be noticed in many
counties. People who live on different sides of the
same range of mountains, though perhaps in the same
county, may make directly opposite statements as to
which serpent is the most common, and both are prob-
ably right. Adders particularly keep to very much
the same place, if the process of civilisation around
them is fairly stationary ; and there are places where
adders abound, the persons living a few miles off
being quite unaware of their existence, because the
reptiles stop in the same place. The ring snake is
not quite so local in its habit, and wanders farther
atield. These facts should be borne in mind in com-
paring the statements made by various correspon-
dents. Not quite so easy of explanation is the great

240 BRITISH SERPENTS.

difference shown in the average size of our adders in
different localities, and this is a question that awaits
elucidation. The fact that the small red viper occurs
in fifteen counties where the ordinary adder is
also found, though the two differ greatly in size as
well as in appearance, is very interesting. But the
adder itself also exhibits great variation in size. Thus
in Sussex it seems to attain its maximum size at 20
inches, while in Herefordshire the average is 24
inches, and specimens of 26 inches are not unusually
taken ; and in Scotland 24 inches is a very usual
measurement. In Devonshire the size varies greatly
in different parts, and in this case the small measure-
ments may be those of the small red viper, the large
one the ordinarv adder, as both varieties are found in
the county.

In the Isle of Man, as in Ireland, there are, I am
informed, no snakes at all ; and the same local immun-
ity is reported from Guernsey and Sark.

Finally, we may sum up the most prominent
features of the county and local records, taking the
areas in groups, as divided in the biological chart
referred to above.

I. Peninsula Province.

Vipera hems. — There is no doubt that the adder
is more common than the ring snake in Cornwall ;
but opinions differ regarding Devon, no doubt because
the two snakes have their own habitats. In the latter

COUNTY AND DISTRICT DISTRIBUTION. 241

county the length varies greatly, being estimated at
12 inches in one part and at 27 in another part of
Devon. The former figure refers in all probability to
the small red viper. The most usual average over the
whole area is 18 to 20 inches.

Tropiclonotus natrix. — The ring snake is frequently
found in Devon and Somerset, but not so often in
Cornwall. The ordinary length of 2J to 3 feet is
observed.

The small red viper occurs in Devon, but Coronella
austriaca is not found anywhere in this area.

II. Channel Province.

Viper a herns. — In the Isle of Wight the adder is
the most common snake, and is very frequent in all
this area with the exception of the county of Wilt-
shire. It is perhaps most common in Mid-Dorset,
though there are, of course, numbers in the New
Forest. In Dorset its period of hibernation seems
shorter than in most places, as it is often found
active in February. It averages 18 inches over the
greater part of this area.

Tropidonotus natrix. — The ring snake is universally
distributed in the Channel Province, being extremely
frequent in parts of Wiltshire. In the New Forest
its proportion in numbers to the adder is estimated
at 10 to 1. It was from this place that Lord Londes-
borough obtained his large specimen of 5 feet 8 inches.
In this forest also the famous Brusher Mills has

Q

242 BRITISH SERPENTS.

killed some thousands of snakes in his lifetime. The
average length is fairly uniformly 2 J to 3 feet.

Coronella austriaca. — As one would expect from
climatic considerations, our reptiles show a decided
preference for the southern counties of England, and
this division of the counties includes the only area in
which the smooth snake is seen at all frequently —
namely, Bloxworth. It is also found in Hants, but
more often in Dorset than elsewhere, its peculiarly
local distribution being hard to account for. Possibly
a very careful investigation in some other southern
localities might reveal its presence where it is so far
unrecorded.

The small red viper occurs in Dorset and Sussex,
and in all probability in other parts of this division.

III. Thames Province.

Vipera hems. — This is another division prolific in
reptiles, especially in its southern portions. The
chalk downs of Kent are famous for adders, and some
of the spots in the neighbourhood of Dover are de-
scribed as being infested with them in some seasons.
The average size in most parts is 20 inches or there-
abouts, an adder of 2 feet being considered a very
large one, — a striking contrast to Herefordshire, for
instance, where that figure is the average for male
adders. There are a good many localities in this
division where the adder outnumbers the ring snake,
especially some places in Surrey, another example of

COUNTY AND DISTRICT DISTRIBUTION. 243

what is seen so often, the adder keeping to a restricted
area, and there becoming very numerous for a time.

Tropidonotus natrix. — The ring snake is to be found
fairly universally distributed all over this division,
and, with the possible exception of Surrey, is more
common than the adder in every county of the
division. It averages up to 3 feet, as elsewhere in
the south.

Coronella austriaca. — There are two points of in-
terest concerning the smooth snake in the Thames
Province. The first is, that at a former period, some
twenty years ago, it was an inhabitant of Berkshire,
where it is apparently no longer found. The second
is, that it occurs in Surrey, and from the observations
of Mr Bryan Hook it seems quite probable that it may
be in considerable numbers in this county. No doubt
it is usually mistaken for the adder and killed forth-
with, many specimens thus being lost to county re-
cords. Unfortunately the class of people who come
across more of our serpents than any one else — the
various workers on the land, that is — look upon them
from one point of view only, namely, as things to be
destroyed on every possible occasion.

The small red viper has been taken in Berks in this
division.

IV. Ouse Province.

It has proved difficult to get much local information
for this area, but one finds that the ring snake is the

244 BRITISH SERPENTS.

more common all over the province, the adder appar-
ently being rarer than it used to be. The ring snake
seems to have a slightly larger average length here
than farther south, specimens of 3J to 4 feet being
frequently found.

V. Severn Province.

Vipera berus. — Here we have a division which in-
cludes some of the snakiest places in the country for
both adders and ring snakes ; but, as elsewhere, the
distribution is very local. Herefordshire is referred to
in detail elsewhere, and no more need be said here
than to recall the average length of adders on the
southern border of the county, where they are prob-
ably larger, as a rule, than anywhere else in England,
the average size being the maximum of Boulenger's
English averages — 25 inches. Very large adders are
found in some Monmouthshire districts, wdiile in other
parts a much smaller average obtains. In this prov-
ince the adder is more common than the ring snake
all along the western border of the province, from
West Hereford to the Forest of Dean.

Tropidonotus natrix. — In all the remaining counties
and districts of the province the ring snake predomin-
ates, and in some places is very abundant. Gloucester-
shire, perhaps, has it in more abundance than the rest,
and here it is very common. In the Churnett Valley,
Staffordshire, too, it is plentiful, and is of a fairly
uniform average length everywhere in the province.

«

X

02

X

E-i
P
O

o

02

PG

w
p

Q
-5

CM

i-J

P

CM

W
fa

O

d

I— I
fa

COUNTY AND DISTRICT DISTRIBUTION. 247

Both adders and rino- snakes are found in the Forest
of Dean.

I have taken the small red viper in Hereford and
Monmouth, and it almost certainly occurs in Glouces-
tershire, and in the Forest of Wyre in Shropshire.

The smooth snake is unrecorded in this province.

VI. South Wales Province.

Vipera bents. — The adder is very common in the
mountainous districts of Pembroke, Cardigan, and
Caermarthen, and often attains a length of 2 feet
there. This province has been little worked for
serpents, but I believe, from correspondence in my
possession, that inland from Cardigan Bay the Ophidia
are almost as numerous as anywhere. Parts of this
district are wild and undisturbed, and a systematic
investigation would probably yield some interesting
results.

Tropidonotus matrix. — The ring snake in Breconshire
attains its maximum average in the country — namely,
over 4 feet — and larger specimens are found not un-
commonly. The whole of this province affords excel-
lent " cover " for snakes, and they have here also a
minimum risk of extermination. It is difficult, how-
ever, to get very much reliable information for this
province, Naturalist Clubs and competent observers
being few and far between.

Just as these pages go to press a very interesting
new fact in this province is brought to light. A speci-

248 BRITISH SERPENTS.

men was sent to me by the Eev. C. Davies, Cenarth,
Caermarthenshire, for identification. It turned out to
be a variety of the adder known as the " black adder "
(the Coluber prester of some writings). This specimen
was a female 20J inches long, and is the first recorded
in this part of the country. Still more interesting
is the fact, which I have since ascertained, that the
black adder is not uncommon in the neighbourhood of
Cenarth, though but rarely killed on account of the
great dread the inhabitants have of its danger. There
are two specimens in the South Kensington Museum
taken in this country, and a considerable number from
the island of Seeland, where they seem fairly common.
G. A. Boulenger has given special attention to the pro-
duction of the melanism which he described in the
'Zoologist' of February 1895. He has shown that the
black colour is produced differently in the two sexes :
in the males by the expansion of the black markings,
in the females by " a gradual darkening of the ground
colour."

VII. North Wales Province.

Vipera herns. — The distribution in this province is
very irregular, common in some places, in others the
adder is apparently absent.

Tropidonotus natrix. — This species is generally dis-
tributed in North Wales, in some places growing to a
large average size.

COUNTY AND DISTRICT DISTRIBUTION. 249

VIII. Trent Province.

Vipera herns. — On the east side of England the
adder is less common than farther west, and also
of a somewhat smaller average size, rarely being
found more than 20 inches in length. Nevertheless,
the largest adder recorded — or one of the largest —
was from Scotton Common in Lincolnshire. It was
killed by Mr F. Boyes of Beverley, who wrote to
' The Field ' thus : " I wish to record that, when on
Scotton Common in Lincolnshire on Whit-Monday,
I killed a viper of extraordinary length and peculiar
colour, the back of the head deep yellow and black
bands; it measured 2 feet 11 inches full. This is the
longest I have ever killed."

Several correspondents have drawn my attention to
the fact that the adder is found in some marshy places
in the east of England — an interesting variation of its
usual habit of rather avoiding damp spots. This is not
the case in the valley of the Trent itself, where the
adder is found to inhabit the sandhills mainly.

Tropidonotus natrix. — The ring snake is the most
common ophidian all over the Trent Province, except
in parts of Derbyshire, where it is less common than
the adder. As this county is of a very different
nature to the others, a different distribution of the
serpents is only to be expected. The usual
length of the ring snake in this province is from
2i to 3 feet.

250 BRITISH SERPENTS.

The small red viper occurs in Lincolnshire, and
probably in Leicestershire. Goronella austriaca is
unknown in the Trent Province.

IX. Mersey Province.

Vipera berus. — The adder is not common in this
area, which is not surprising when one considers
the immense population included in the province,
especially in the South and West Lancashire por-
tions. Even in Cheshire it is seldom met with, and
does not exceed an average of 18 inches.

Trojridonotus natrix. — Delamere Forest in Cheshire
holds a good many ring snakes, the average length
being 3 feet. This species is by far the most common
in the Mersey Province.

Neither the small red viper nor the smooth snake
occur, as far as known at present.

X. Humber Province.

Vipera bents. — The adder in Yorkshire exhibits
great variation, the size of the county being so great
as to allow of vastly different local conditions in
various localities. Thus the size is found ranging
from 15 to 27 inches, two species being probably
involved. In the south and east of the province
the adder is probably more common than the harm-
less species.

Tropidonotus natrix. — Great variation of size is
shown also in the ring snake here, and in North

COUNTY AND DISTRICT DISTRIBUTION. 251

Yorkshire it has the smallest average length of any-
where in England, while in some other parts of the
county it grows to 4 feet.

The small red viper may be represented in some
of the small adders of this province, but the smooth
snake is unrecorded.

XI. Tyne Province.

Vipera herns. — This is a province where the adder
is by far the most common of our serpents, except in
one locality in the extreme south of Durham. In all
other parts the adder predominates, some observers
even considering it the only species indigenous to the
province. It has the large average length of 2 feet.

Tropidonotus natrix. — The eastern slopes of the
Cheviots furnish what ring snakes are found in this
province ; at any rate the species is very rare in
other parts.

The small red viper is found in both counties of
the province, but the smooth snake is, as usual in
the northern counties, unrecorded.

XII. Lakes Province.

Vipera berus. — According to the biological system
of county classification, which is adopted in these
records, the Isle of Man comes in the Lakes Prov-
ince. But the report furnished of snakes in the
island states one thing only — namely, that there are
no snakes there at all, so that from an ophidian

252 BRITISH SERPENTS.

point of view the Isle of Man shares in the im-
munity likewise possessed by Ireland. The value of
this biological grouping of counties and localities is
well shown in this province, where a very different
state of things obtains from that which was noted
in South and Mid-Lancashire. There snakes were
rarely seen, civilisation having driven them elsewhere
or exterminated them locally ; but in North Lanca-
shire the contrast in the scenery is no less striking
than the animal distribution. The adder is the
common serpent of the province, and very large
specimens are taken, especially in Westmoreland.
The inland fringing Morecambe Bay is also a habitat
much frequented by the species.

253

CHAPTEE XX.

I. PENINSULA PROVINCE.

1. West Cornwall 3. South Devon.

with Scilly. 4. North Devon.

2. East Cornwall. 5. South Somerset.

6. North Somerset.

Cornwall.

" The adder is by far the most common and widely
distributed snake in this county. Many instances
occur of people and dogs (especially hounds) being
bitten by this species.

"In the two years 1898-1900 I killed six male
and five female adders. The males averaged 20 J
inches long, the females half an inch longer. The
largest male was 24i inches, the largest female 22 1-
inches, these being a pair taken together. The small-
est male was 13J inches, the smallest female ISh
inches, these two also being a pair. Of the eleven
adders killed there were three pairs : nine were
killed in the month of April, one in May, and one
in August.

254 BRITISH SERPENTS.

" The adders are often to be seen in April coiled
up together basking in the sun. They are found
chiefly on the cliffs, on the moors, and in the brakes ;
not being seen so frequently in the heather and ling
localities, though adders are often found at the Lizard
(i.e., the geographical Lizard).

"The grass or ring snake is not so common, and
the smooth snake unrecorded, in this county." — C. M.
Rogers, Perranwell, Cornwall.

Devonshire.

" I should certainly say that the adder was more
common than the ring snake in this county. Its
average length is 18 inches, but one has been killed
measuring 33 inches. The ring snake averages 30
inches in length, and one in the Torquay Natural
History Museum measures 3 feet 8 inches.

" The smooth snake is not known here." — Alex.
Somervail, Torquay Museum.

" The adder is the more common near the moors,
the ring snake in the more cultivated districts. The
adder averages about a foot, the ring snake about
30 inches, but it is not at all unusual to find ring
snakes measuring 3 feet. The smooth snake does
not occur, to my knowledge.

" The number of snakes seen, or their traces in the
dusty roads, varies very greatly from year to year :
the drier the summer the more the snakes get about."
— Edmund A. Elliot, M.R.C.S., Kingsbridge, Devon.

" Adders, ring snakes, and lizards are all plentiful

PENINSULA PROVINCE. 255

in this county. At birth the adder is 6 inches long,
the full-grown males being 24 inches, the adult females
as much as 27 inches. The ring snake is 7 inches
long at hatching, attaining a length of 3 feet 6 inches
when full grown. I have not found the smooth snake."
— H. P. Hearder, 26 Westwell Street, Plymouth.

Mid-Devon. — " There is a ^ood deal of difference
of opinion as to which is the more common, the adder
or the ring snake ; probably the latter is. Those who
live on the hills see the adder most, while those in
the valleys find the ring snake more common. The
adder averages just under 2 feet, and the ring snake
about 30 inches. The small red viper occurs." — Dr
Dale, Tiverton.

Dartmoor District. — "The adder is still very
plentiful here, and is far the most common species.
During the Easter holidays in 1899 no less than
nine were secured in the neighbourhood of this house
without being searched for. The adult adder measures
about 20 inches lon« here. In colouring there is
great variation. Of the nine mentioned, hardly two
were quite alike, though the dark -brown colouring
is commonest. The colour seems to depend chiefly
on locality. The adder found on the red and rich
land which is so valued in Devon is found to be
red, and is the same size as those found elsewhere.1

1 This is the most definite example of colour protection I have
heard of in British adders. — Author.

256 BKITISH SERPENTS.

"The ring snake is getting scarcer year by year.
The largest ones found are, as a rule, about 30 inches
long.

"The smooth snake does not occur in this neigh-
bourhood."— Rev. Gregory C. Bateman, Low Down,
R.S.O., Devon.

Somerset.

" The ring snake is the commonest snake in the
lowlands ; in the higher lands (Mendip) the adder is
the more frequent. We rarely find the adder in the
low-lying lands bordering the moors. On the slopes
both are met with, the ring snake being the more
numerous. On the top of Mendip, which is nearly
1000 feet up, one rarely finds the ring snake, while
the adder is common ; and I have come across them
many a time coiled up in the sun under the firs.
The full-grown adder averages 27 inches long, the
full-grown ring- snake 3 feet. The smooth snake does
not occur, as far as I know." — H. E. Balch, W. Laura
Place, Wells.

" In the neighbourhood of Glastonbury ring snakes
are plentiful, the largest I have measured being 3 feet
3 inches. Adders are met with among the peat-
cuttings and low-lying parts of Mid-Somerset. The
largest I have seen was 2 feet 2 inches. There are
a number of adders on the Quantock Hills : my
brother killed one there about 12 inches long, and
a labourer passing by told us that was about the

PENINSULA PROVINCE. 257

average size there, and that he had killed as many as
fourteen in one day. During flood-time in these low-
lying parts of Mid-Somerset the ring snakes and
adders take to the trees, and I know a willow-stump
on which a rabbit, a rat, and a snake were seen
seeking safety together." — Arthur Ballied, Midsomer
Norton, Somerset.

258

CHAPTEE XXL
II. CHANNEL PROVINCE.

7. North Wilts. 11. South Hants.

8. South Wilts. 12. North Hants.

9. Dorset. 13. West Sussex.
10. Isle op Wight. 14. East Sussex.

Wiltshire.

" Though T have lived all my life in North Wilts I
have never seen an adder. The ring snake, on the
other hand, is common." — Rev. Ed. H. Goddard, Clyffe
Vicarage, Wootton Bassett.

"Years ago, when I lived in Wiltshire, I knew the
ring snake to be very abundant in some localities." —
Kichard Howse, Museum Nat. Hist. Soc, Newxastle-
on-Tyne.

Dorsetshire.

" Ring snake. — In the district of Bloxworth it comes
up from the woods and heaths in considerable num-
bers every summer to deposit its eggs in fermenting

CHANNEL PROVINCE. 259

heaps of dead leaves and other vegetable refuse. It
appears to possess an instinctive knowledge of these
heaps, as at a distance of two or three fields I have
seen them emerging from the woods and making their
way in a direct line for them. The largest ring snake
I ever met with myself was on Bloxworth Heath, and
it measured exactly 4 feet 2 inches in length. I have
a variety found on Bloxworth Heath whieh I imagine
to be unique. It is of a uniform pale-whitish colour,
with a well-defined longitudinal central dorsal pale
yellow- brown band. No trace of the characteristic
yellow ring at the back of the head was visible.

" Smooth snake. — This snake was first discovered in
England by the late Mr Frederick Bond and myself,
between Tlingwood and Wimborne, in 1853. It was
only recorded as British in 1859. It is not infrequent
on the Dorsetshire and Hampshire heaths, where it is
often mistaken for the adder, and surfers accordingly.
It is of a browner hue than the common ring snake,
and so far bears a superficial resemblance to the adder,
but lacks the dark zigzag line of the latter, and is of
a more slender form. Its length is from 18 to 25
inches.

" Adder. — It is certainly not abundant, though
frequent in the Bloxworth district, and is found more
in the woodlands bordering the heaths than on the
heaths themselves. Its length is from 18 to 24
inches." — 'Reptiles of Dorset,' by Rev. 0. P. Cam-
bridge, M.A., F.R.S.

260 BRITISH SERPENTS.

Weymouth District. — " The ring snake is the most
common snake in the Weymouth district, though I
have found the adder frequently in other parts of the
county, restricted, however, to certain localities. I
have one specimen of the adder preserved which
measures 15 inches. Probably they are often larger,
perhaps 18 inches. I have two specimens of the ring
snake preserved measuring 26 and 31 inches respec-
tively. The smooth snake occurs occasionally on the
heaths." — Nelson M. Eichardson, Montevideo, nr.
Weymouth.

" During the last thirteen years I have caught over
150 adders and more than double that number of rine
snakes. I have been bitten four times by adders, and
have the marks of the fangs on my finger now after
two years. After the first two bites I did not suffer
much, though the part swelled up and throbbed, but
I sucked it well and applied ammonia.

" I have found the ring snake to be the most com-
mon, the average length being 30 inches, though of
course they do occur much larger, the females bein^
the longest. The adder is found up to 2 feet, not
often larger, and in this species also the female is the
larger. I have seen the smooth snake, but never caught
it, though they are caught in the New Forest, Hants.

" Two adders I had in captivity brought forth
young, one having eleven, the other nine young ones.
I brought six of the young up on milk and the minced
flesh of rats.

<
m

o

CHANNEL PROVINCE. 263

" I have observed that adders when caught usually
disgorge their last meal. I have never seen them
attempt to swallow their young.

" King snakes choose fresh cow-manure if available
to lay their eggs in, and they visit the eggs in the
evening. The eggs are laid in May or June, but I
caught five ring snakes in a manure-heap in July this
last summer (1900). When taken away, strange to
say all the eggs went bad, and not one of them came
out." — A. Old, 3 Byne Eoad, Sydenham, S.E.

Central Dorset. — " In this part of the county — a
place untouched at present by the newest forms of
civilisation, and nine miles from the nearest railway
station — both ring snakes and adders are plentiful,
and may be seen in numbers in the spring. In my
immediate neighbourhood there are large coverts, and
frequently, when shooting these for the last time at
the end of the winter, adders are killed in numbers.
On one occasion, two or three years ago, seven adders
were slain by the beaters in one morning at Kings-
grove Wood in the parish of Piddletrenthide. I was
present at the time, and besides these seven several
more were seen. Even more common is the ring
snake, and I know of one lane which is infested with
them in the spring-time. When riding down this lane
this year my horse kept on shying at the reptiles,
which were creeping away in all directions. On
another occasion, when shooting in the month of

264 BRITISH SERPENTS.

September, I saw a remarkable sight — viz., nine ring
snakes £0 in one after the other from some clover,
which lay well to the sun. A friend who was with
me at the time was jumping about in all directions to
avoid them. This happened on Bookham farm in this
parish. I have questioned my keeper, who is a native
of Central Dorset and worked for thirty years at one
place near here, and he has given me the following-
items from his own experience : —

" 1. He has killed about twenty ring snakes and
twenty adders in 1899.

" 2. He once killed three at one shot.

" 3. He killed two adders during the first week of
February 1900 (very early for them to be astir).

" 4. He has killed a ring snake 33 inches in length,
and found twenty-eight young ones.

" 5. He once found a ring snake in a bird's nest in
a hedge.

" 6. He killed nine slow-worms in one of my fields
when haymaking this year (1900).

" 7. He has seen specimens of small red vipers in
Melcourt Park and black adders at Doles Ash (both
places some three miles from here).1

" 8. He once found a ring snake in a flint.

" The adder averages from 18 to 23 inches here, and
the riiis snake from 30 to 36 inches. I have never
seen the smooth snake." — Eev. F. W. Brandreth, M.A.,
the Manor, Buckland Newton, Dorchester.

1 Cf. Es.^ex, Caernuirthen, and Northumberland, pp. 279, 311, 332.

CHANNEL PROVINCE. 265

Hampshire.

This is one of the few counties where all our
six British reptiles are found — in this respect like
Dorset.

" Vipera herns or Adder. — Universally distributed,
including the Isle of Wight, but most common on
light soils. The ground colour is most variable,
either brown, or red, or grey, or almost blue, or al-
most white. The country people declare that the red
viper is a different species, and the line down its back
is not black but brown, vetperfectly distinct. The pro-
portion of red vipers in the New Forest is said to be
about one in ten of the venomous species. An ex-
cellent observer in the island, the late Rev. C. A.
Bury, who said that he often counted seven or eight
adders in one walk in the spring, believed that vipers
are always red when young, and had never seen a
young one that did not answer the description of
the so-called red viper. Another variety of the
viper is almost black, the line only showing in cer-
tain lights, so that it is a safe rule to avoid black
snakes when you meet them. These black vipers
are found in the Forest and in the Isle of Wight.1
The Forest people tell me that ' adders is fattest in
March month,' which shows they have finished hiber-
nating at that time. In Davenport Adams' ' Isle of
Wight' we read of their bunching in winter. 'Near

1 Cf. Essex, Caermarthen, and Northumberland, pp. 279, 311, 332.

266 BRITISH SERPENTS.

a bushel ' were found at Alverstone, and after a gun
had been discharged into the heap, seventeen heads
were counted.

" Tropidonotus natrix or Ring Snake. — Universally
distributed, but said to be less common in the Isle
of Wight than the viper.

" Coronclla cmstriaca or Smooth Snake. — Locally dis-
tributed: found in the New Forest and in the north-east
of the county. Absent from the island. One was caught
in my garden on July 6, 1894. Mr G. B. Corbin, of
Ringwood, reported one from his neighbourhood in
August 1897. One was taken in August 1883 on
the hills between Yately and Camberley, on the
borders of Hants and Surrey. Its usual colour is
silvery-grey." — Rev. J. E. Kelsall, Milton, Lymington
(Proceedings of Hampshire Field Club, vol. iii., Part
III., 1898).

" In the area worked by the Portsmouth and Gos-
port Nat. Sci. Soc. (which extends from the Tichfield
river on the west northward until it reaches Wick-
ham, thence eastward following the boundary of the
Fareham district down to Langstone Harbour, and
round the shore to the Tichfield river again) the
adder is the most common snake found. In this
area the average length is from 18 to 20 inches, but
one measuring 22 inches was taken at Stokes Bay
in April 1882. Near the seashore there is much
common land covered with gorse and bracken, whilst
in the northern part of the district there are exten-

CHANNEL PROVINCE. 267

sive copses, the remains of the once large Forest of
Bere. Both of these places are, of course, very well
adapted for the shelter of adders.

" The ring snake grows usually to a length of 3 feet.
One female taken at Hilsea in 1885 measured 42 inches
and contained 22 eggs.

" The smooth snake does not occur in the area to
which these notes apply." — Charles Foran, Norman-
ton, South sea.

Hayling Island. — " Adders are common here,
but the grass snake I have never seen during a
residence of thirteen years, and I cannot learn from
labourers and keepers that it has ever been seen by
them. The adders are certainly larger than those I
have seen in Wilts." — A. May, L.R.C.P., Chandos,
Hayling Island, Hants.

Portsmouth Distbict. — " In the Portsmouth dis-
trict I have come to the conclusion that I have met
with as many adders as ring snakes, though formerly
I thought the latter species the more common. I
think both are fairly equally distributed throughout
the district. The largest adder I have measured was
21 inches, killed at Stokes Bay, in April 1883. In
that same year I obtained a female ring snake from
a man who had killed it on the Hilsea Lines (Earth-
works), Portsea Island, which measured 42 inches
and contained 22 eggs. I saw another quite as large

268 BRITISH SERPENTS.

in Stakes Wood some years later. Three feet is a
usual length here for this species." — W. Pearce,
East Cranbourne Road, Gosport.

Sussex.

" In the east part of the county the ring snake is
the most common snake, but near the sea the adder
becomes the more common. The ring snake averages
from 24 to 26 inches in length, the adder about 18
inches. Occasionally the ring snake attains a length
of 3 feet. I have not heard of the smooth snake. I
have taken several female specimens of adders in
young, all of which have been of a dull brownish-
yellow in colour. I have a specimen preserved
which is of a ruddy tint and about 16 inches long.
I kept both adders and ring snakes for some time,
and knew a good many localities for them near
Hastings and Lye, the above being the result of my
own observations." — L. B. Hall, 1 Quarry Place,
Hastings (now 7 Union Road, Tufnell Park, London).

" I think that the ring snake is diminishing in
numbers, perhaps owing to the ease with which it is
caught and killed. The adder, on the other hand,
seems to be on the increase in some localities, and,
on the whole, I have seen it the more frequently
of the two. It averages often about 13 inches,
though I have found it up to 18 inches in the
western part of the county. The ring snake is
generally about 28 inches long; the largest I have

CHANNEL PROVINCE. 269

seen measured 3 feet 2 inches. It is fairly common
in the central part of the county.

" The small red viper occurs in the fir-clad hills of
the extreme west of the county, being absent in the
eastern parts, where the adder is ash - coloured
(Brighton, Lewes, and Crowborough). The ring
snake is common throughout the Weald, confining
itself to well-watered land." — Benjamin Lomax, 4
Cleveland Eoad, Brighton.

South-East Sussex. — " In the course of ornitho-
logical rambles in the south-eastern part of the county
I have had many opportunities of observing our
snakes in their wild state, and I have also kept them
as pets, and so observed them also in captivity. In
the district referred to I consider the ring snake
common, and far more numerous than the adder. The
ring snake averages about 2 feet 9 inches and the
adder about 21 inches in length. The largest ring
snake I have seen in this neighbourhood was one
which was brought to me, and which measured a
trifle over 4 feet. These remarks apply to the S.E.
portion of the county only." — Walter Field, St Helens,
nr. Hastings.

St Leonards. — " In the district the ringed snake
is much more common than the adder, probably in
the proportion of seven to one. Its average length is
34 inches. Although this species is generally sup-

270 BRITISH SERPENTS.

posed not to bite, I had one specimen (2 feet 7 inches)
which I could never take out of her cage without an
attempt on her part to bite me — an attempt, moreover,
which was frequently very successful. I have at
present in captivity a ring snake which is so tame as
to readily take a frog from my hand whilst itself
being held in the other ; and this snake will also
come the whole length of a room to my whistle.
Shortly after I captured her she deposited 29 eggs,
none of which was I successful in hatching.

" The adder averages here about 20 inches. I have
no knowledge of the occurrence of the smooth snake
or the small red viper in the immediate locality." — A.
Cheshill, St Leonards.

Arundel District. — " In this district I should say
that the ring snake is more common than the adder,
though the latter is also pretty plentiful. In my
experience I should put the average length of the
harmless species at about 2 feet, and that of the
adder at about 21 inches, locally. I have never come
across the rare smooth snake here." — Leslie E. Lewis,
Binsted Rectory, Arundel, Sussex.

Eastbourne District. — " Speaking from personal
observation of the country within a fifteen-mile radius
of Eastbourne, I should say that the ring snake is
undoubtedly the most common species found. The

CHANNEL PROVINCE. 271

adder is, however, by no means uncommon, though
owing to its great timidity it is perhaps thought to be
rarer than is really the case.

" The adders of this locality are found ranging up
to 20 inches, or even to 2 feet (this district is on
chalk).

" The ring snakes are usually about 3 feet, and this
size and larger are frequently seen in the woods and
marshes. The largest I have taken here was 3 feet
9 inches, his cast slough being over 4 feet. This
specimen was among the gorse of a South Down
valley.

" I have never seen the smooth snake here, though
I have been on the look-out for it for years.

" I have hatched both adders and ring snakes in
my cages, and have been very much struck by the
difference in ground colour, distinctness of markings,
and vitality among individuals in the same litter,
more especially in the case of the adders." — H. G. F.
Spurrell, Clonsah, Eastbourne.

Chichester District. — "The ring snake is very
common in the lower-lying parts and the viper in
the sandy places. The former averages about 30
inches, at times reaching a length of from 43 to 46
inches. The adder varies from 18 to 24 inches. I
can get no information regarding the occurrence of
the smooth snake.

272 BRITISH SERPENTS.

" The ring snake is a pretty pet, and can be per-
fectly tamed. It is very interesting in its ways, being
most inquisitive, investigating everything minutely.
A capital swimmer, fond of a bath, a more timid
creature hardly exists, and few as harmless." — Joseph
Anderson, Alve Villa, Chichester.

273

CHAPTER XXII.
III. THAMES PROVINCE.

15. East Kent. 20. Herts.

16. West Kent. 21. Middlesex.

17. Surrey. 22. Berks.

18. South Essex. 23. Oxford.

19. North Essex. 24. Bucks.

Kent.

Dover District. — " I should say that the ring snake
is spread over a larger area — that is, its distribution is
more general — whilst the adder is more inclined to
affect certain suitable localities. Personally I have
come across more adders than ring snakes, probably
in the proportion of two to one. In this district we
should consider an adder over 24 inches a very large
one, and a ring snake over 36 inches would be very
exceptional. Last summer (1900) a neighbour of mine
killed a ring snake in his garden measuring 351 inches,
which he brought to me as being a large one." — W.
Jacob, Eythorne, nr. Dover.

s

274 BRITISH SERPENTS.

Abbey Wood District. — " In the neighbourhood of
Abbey Wood the ring snake is common, and averages
30 inches in length. I have seen specimens in my
own and in neighbours' gardens. When working
Chattenden Woods at Cliff Kent for entomological
purposes, I have disturbed a great number of ring
snakes, and I should say they averaged 3 feet in that
locality.

" When I lived at Abbey Wood no adders had been
seen there for some years. I am not aware of the
smooth snake being found.

" I found in a ring snake which had been killed and
brought to me a full-sized toad {Bufo vulgaris), and
another which was brought alive ejected portions of a
bird" — Arthur S. Poore, 47 Griffin Road, Plumstead.

" The ring snake is the commonest snake of the
county, averaging about 37 inches, though I have seen
them as large as 3 feet 9 inches — these latter very
rarely. The adder averages 23 inches, and I have
found them growing to a length of 2 feet 1 inch, but
that is not usual. The smooth snake does not occur,
to my knowledge." — Fred. Roberts, Tunbridge Wells.

" At a place on the chalk downs about three miles
from Dover adders are very numerous, and on a warm
spring morning I have seen dozens of them basking in
the sun. Near Farthing Common, about fifteen miles
from Dover, I have seen many adders. During the
late spring and early summer a great number of young
adders, about the size of earthworms, may be found in

THAMES PROVINCE. 275

open spaces in the woods around Dover, as well as
upon the grassy slepes of the downs; but most of these
must perish in some way, or the woods would soon
become infested." — W. Haydon, 8 Amberley Street,
Liverpool.

East Kent. — " The largest adder I have ever seen
was one that I took alive, some thirty -five years
ago, near Canterbury. It measured 27 inches." — W.
Whitaker, F.E.S. (Pres. Croydon Nat. Hist. Club).

Canterbury District. — " The ring snake or grass
snake is the most common ophidian around Canter-
bury, and it is to be found with ease in considerable
numbers in all the woods in the neighbourhood and
on the sunny banks. Its average length is from 30 to
36 inches, although many larger than this are taken.
I have myself taken one 5 feet 3 inches long, but
up to 40 inches is a more general length. Those
caught here are, as a rule, beautifully marked. The
snake-habitats of the district are Chartham Woods,
woods on the road between Stone House and Bekes-
bourne, Blean Woods, Whitehall, and on the banks
and hills.

" The viper is also fairly common, being found in
the Bekesbourne Woods and Chartham Woods, where
I have seen a good many in one afternoon. This
species here is mostly of a dark-brown colour on the
head only, fairly arrow-head shape, and black spotting

276 BRITISH SERPENTS.

not very well marked. Its bite is dangerous if not
properly treated. My brother was once bitten by one
just behind the nail on the thumb. He did little to
it, but ran to a farmhouse, where lie stayed exhausted
until fetched away in a state of collapse, and was a
week before being pronounced out of danger. His
whole arm swelled to double its natural size, and was
black and blue all over.

" In my experience the smooth snake is not to be
found here at all; at any rate I have never observed it,
or known any one to have seen one. Its distribution
seems to be an extremely local one." — A. Lander, Hon.
Sec. East Kent Nat. Hist. Soc, Canterbury.

Surrey.

" Personally I have seen more adders than ring
snakes in this county, but that observation may
be a local distribution. I have measured two as
large as 23J inches, but these were above the usual
length. I once took a full-grown slow-worm from
the stomach of an adder which was taken on a
heath near here." — Oswald H. Latter, Charterhouse,
Godalming, Surrey.

Farnham District. — " The adder is by far the
most common snake here, but I have not measured
specimens. The ring snake is hardly ever found
upon these heathlands, and although I have taken
them within ten or twelve miles of here, I have

THAMES PROVINCE. 277

never seen one nearer. The occurrences of the
smooth snake are as follows : —

" 1891. One killed by me in mistake for an adder,
which I still have preserved.

" 1898. One taken alive by me and sent to the
Zoological Gardens, one killed by accident, and a
cast skin of a third found by my children.

" 1899. One killed in mistake for a viper (a young
one).

" 1900. One taken alive and handled by myself,
and which I believe is still living." — Bryan Hook,
Churt, Farnham, Surrey.

Oxted District. — " On July 7, 1900, I captured
a large adder on Tatsfield Hill while collecting
caterpillars. In picking these off some low-growing
plants my fingers encountered the adder, and I
brought my butterfly-net into play and caught the
reptile in it. It measures 2 feet 2 inches in length
and 3J inches in girth. I also caught a sandy-grey-
coloured adder at the Warren, Folkestone." — M. G.
Palmer, Wilmer Museum, W. Norwood, S.E.

Sutton. — " Many years ago I knew Sutton to be
the happy hunting-ground of the adder. The Ben-
hill Wood afforded shelter to innumerable adders,
but Benhill Wood is now, I believe, Benhill town,
but still the chalk pits in the neighbourhood must
even now be their home. Many years ago a party

278 BRITISH SERPENTS.

of schoolboys paid a visit to one of these chalk pits
on a hot summer's day to collect shells, and came
across scores of adders. One of the party caught
one of the longest adders and tied it with a piece
of string round his big straw hat, and thus took it
home. Without any fear he proceeded to release
his captive, when it inconsiderately bit him on the
wrist. It was not long before the hand and fore-
arm began to swell and become painful. A doctor
was called in, and he prescribed some outward ap-
plication smelling strongly of ammonia. The swelling
soon gave way to the treatment, and in about a week
all effects had disappeared. I was that youngster."
— W. Haydon, 8 Amberley Street, Liverpool.

Essex.

" I do not think that either of our two common
serpents are so common as they were sixty years
ago, although even now there are many adders in
the woods and on the marshes near the coast. I
do not hear of so many sheep and cows being bitten
on the marshes as in my childhood. It is often
said (see the ' Field ' quite lately) that the adder
only occurs in dry sandy places. This may be true
in some localities, but it does not apply in the case
of our marshes near the ' sea-walls/ where they are
still frequent. I could not state the averages ex-
actly, as I have never measured any unless there
was something unusual in the size. We find the

THAMES PROVINCE. 279

colour varies here as elsewhere. I have seen some
on the marshes nearly black." — (Dr) Henry Laver,
Colchester (author of 'The Mammals, Eeptiles, and
Fishes of Essex ').

" The ring snake is fairly common in Epping Forest,
where the adder is less abundant. The latter is found
in the more northern parts, where the soil is more
sandy. The black form of the adder occurs. The
smooth snake does not occur, to my knowledge. Mr
E. Fitch, F.L.S., writes me: 'In some years adders
abound on our commons and on our sea - walls,
but they have been much rarer of late years. I
recorded the largest local ring snake in the " Essex
Naturalist " ; it measured 3 feet 3 inches, I think.
This is far the most common species in Essex.' Mr
Miller Christy says : ' I should say that the ring
snake is vastly more common in the county than
the adder, as the former is found in almost all parts,
the latter only, or mainly, in the marshes or in woody
or heathy localities, which are comparatively rare in
the county.' " — Wm. Cole, Buckhurst Hill, Essex.

Hertfordshire.

" The grass snake or ring snake is the most common
in this county, but is not often found. When it does
occur its length varies from 24 to 36 inches. The
adder is very seldom seen, and the smooth snake
never, as far as 1 am aware." — A. E. Gibbs, County
Museum, St Albans.

280 BRITISH SERPENTS.

This is another county from which it appears to
be very difficult to get any information about the
serpents. The reason doubtless is, as I have else-
where said, that the reptiles are scarce here. Indeed
Mr Percival Westell says in a letter to me, " I am
always rambling about in Herts, and find that both
the adder and the ring snake are exceedingly rare.
I never encounter either species." — Author.

Berkshire.

" The ring snake is the most common snake here.
The adder is also found, never over 2 feet long. I
have seen three specimens of Coronella kevis, the
smooth snake, from one locality (last in 1882)." — J.
W. Bevir, M.A, Wellington College.

"This summer a great many ring snakes were
caught by members of the school. In July a curious
variety of this species came under my notice. The
belly was coloured dull white, with one longitudinal
black line running from neck to tail. The snake was
a small one about 16 inches long. The back was a
dirty black colour. I have not seen any other like it
in this country." — Zoological Eeport, Wellington
College Naturalists' Soc, S. S. Flower, Director of
Museum, 1886.

"I have taken both ring snakes and adders at
Mortimer in this county, the former ranging from
12 to 34 inches, the adders from 12 to 24 inches.
Adders are plentiful at Pamber Forest, near Eeading,

THAMES PROVINCE. 281

where I have seen as many as a dozen in a day's fly-
catching. King snakes are common in almost all parts
of Berks. At Bear Wood last season (1900) I saw a
great number of them rolling about together near the
water, two of which I captured, measuring 32 and 34
inches long respectively. I find that the adders vary
very much in colour in the same districts. A friend
captured a specimen of the small red viper at Tylhurst
in this county two years ago, and I took one in the
Caversham Warren, Oxfordshire, in the year 1864." —
C. N. Allen, 102 Donnington Gardens, Beading.

" Adders are rare on the north side of the downs,
but on the south side, near Hermitage and Newbury,
they are met with more frequently. An under-keeper
tells me that he has not seen one during seventeen
years on the north side.

" We have many ring snakes, however, on this side
of the downs, the size, roughly speaking, being any-
thing up to 3 feet.

" The belief that the adder swallows her young is
prevalent here, as in so many other localities." —
Eleanor G. Hayden, Steventon, Berks.

Oxfordshire.

" Certainly the ringed snake is the most common —
roughly speaking, in the proportion of 100 to 1. I
am not aware of the occurrence of the smooth snake in
this county." — Lilian Veley (Hon. Sec. Nat. Hist. Soc),
20 Bradmore Boacl, Oxford.

282 BRITISH SERPENTS.

Buckinghamshire.

" Tlie ring snake is the most common, but does not
appear to grow to the size generally given in books.

" The adder is rare in this county, at anyrate in
South Bucks.

" Except at Burnham Beeches, I know of no neigh-
bourhood where snakes can be found with certainty —
a comparative rarity somewhat difficult to explain.
I have never seen an adder in South Bucks, and have
rarely heard of this species being captured." — M. D.
Hill, Eton College, Windsor.

283

CHAPTEE XXIII.

IV. OUSE PROVINCE.

25. East Suffolk.

26. West Suffolk.

27. East Norfolk.

28. West Norfolk.

29. Cambridge.

30. .Bedford.

31. Hunts.

32. Northampton.

Suffolk.

" In the Ipswich district neither the adder nor the
ring snake can be called common, though the adder is
seen the more frequently of the two. It rarely ex-
ceeds 24 inches in length. The ring snake when
found is between 24 and 30 inches. The smooth
snake does not occur, to my knowledge." — Gr. H.
Hewetson, Hon. Sec. Scientific Society, Ipswich (Notes
from Mr Miller and Mr F. Woolnough).

Norfolk.

" I think I may safely say that there is no record of
the occurrence of the smooth snake in Norfolk. The
specimen of the ring snake in Norwich Castle Museum
is 3 feet long, and Mr Fitt of Norwich has a fine pre-

284 BRITISH SERPENTS.

served specimen, about 4 feet, taken in Norfolk. The
Eev. M. C. Bird, of Stalham, writes to me : ' The viper
is more common in this part of Norfolk than the ring
snake.1 In fact, I have not seen one of the harm-
less species hereabouts at all. The average length of
some score of vipers I have measured is 24J inches
(adult), and I have seen a red variety, about 16 inches
long, at Stalham, which was killed in the neighbour-
hood in the summer of 1889. A marshman friend of
mine killed seven vipers in one day (April 10, 1900).
One he killed on a previous day contained 25 eggs,
and two killed the day before had 23 and 16 eggs
respectively. These vipers specially frequent the dry
marsh walls round the Broads, and are also fairly
plentiful on the marshes adjoining the sandhills on
the coast. They are much more conspicuous in
spring and early summer than later, but I killed
two as late as October 4 in 1900, when out shoot-
ing rabbits.' " — W. A. Nicholson (Hon. Sec. Norfolk
Nat. Soc), St Helen's Square, Norwich.

Note. — Mr Bird's letter is valuable from three points
of view : first, it records the small red viper in Nor-
folk ; second, the number of eggs found in the females
is unusually large ; and thirdly, it indicates a some-
what late date of commencing hibernation in that
locality, though it must be remembered that the
autumn of 1900 was very warm. — Author.

1 See the ' Field,' 15th and 22nd June 1901.

OUSE PROVINCE. 285

Cambridgeshire.

I have been unable to sret much information regard-
ing the Ophidia in this county ; but my friend Dr W.
S. Syme, of Gamlingay, says it is for a very good
reason — viz., that the reptiles are not there. He
tells me that both adders and ring snakes are quite
unknown in that part of Cambridgeshire, though
both species are found in the eastern or Fen dis-
trict. In the neighbourhood of Gamlingay he has
not heard of any one seeing either species during
the last twenty years. — Author.

" I once saw a ring snake at Wicken Fen which
was quite 36 if not 40 inches in length, the longest
I have ever observed." — Frank Bouskell, F.E.S.,
F.Pt.H.S., Market Bosworth.

" The ring snake is the most common in this county,
sometimes growing to a length of 4 feet. The adder
is very rarely seen." — Albert H. Waters, B.A. (Hon.
Sec. Pract. Nat. Hist. Soc.)

Bedfordshire.

" The adder is the most common, and this species is
rare and local, a few being taken from time to time* on
Kowney Warren, near ShefFord, and occasionally else-
where. Snakes are too rare in the county to give an
estimate of their average lengths, and I have but one
or two records of the ring snake being taken at all.

286 BRITISH SERPENTS.

The smooth snake does not occur, as far as I know."
— J. Steele Elliott, Hillcrest, Clent, Worcestershire.

Huntingdonshire.

The ring snake is the common snake of this county,
but I have been unable to obtain any reliable figures
as to its average length.

Captain J. A. Vipan tells me that the adder used
to occur in Homle Fen, but he has not seen one there
for a great many years, neither has he observed this
species in any other locality in the county. There is
no record of Coronella austriaca having occurred. —
Author.

Northamptonshire.

" The rin» snake is the most common snake in the
county, averaging 35 inches in length. Adders are
scarce, but used to be common at Brampton Wood,
near Desborough. The keeper there tells me that he
often killed them there when he first went to the
wood, which at that time had been allowed to grow
wild for some years ; but for the last six years he
has not seen one. I »ot a lar^e rins; snake from
Milton Park, Peterborough, on June 30, 1898, measur-
ing 45 inches, the largest I have seen. It was dropped
by a heron, which was flying over some trees near
their nesting- place. In this park ring snakes are
very common." — Charles East Wright, Woodside,
Kettering.

OUSE PROVINCE. 287

North Northampton. — " Between thirty and forty
years ago the adder was very plentiful in a large
wood in North Northamptonshire, near here, and is
still found there, but in very reduced numbers.
The ring snake is not common." — J. A. Vipan, Stib-
bington Hall, Wansford.

288

CHAPTER XXIV.
V. SEVERN PROVINCE.

33. East Gloucester. 37. Worcester.

34. West Gloucester. 38. Warwick.

35. Moxmouth. 39. Stafford.

36. Hereford. 40. Shropshire.

Gloucestershire.

" For more than twenty years I was a constant
observer of the reptiles of this county, and have
had from 70 to 80 ring snakes in captivity and
about a dozen adders. The ring snake is the more
common of the two, and averages from 2 feet to 2 feet
6 inches, though the old ones attain a greater length.
The largest I have seen, which was killed by a boy
near Stroud, measured 3 feet 10 inches when dead. I
have had them both in and out of the egg, and reared
one for its first year on tadpoles and young newts. I
have had other ring snakes from the same locality
measuring 3 feet 8 inches, 3 feet 7 inches, and 3 feet
6 inches, the two latter of which I captured on the
same day. One of these threw up the five and hones

SEVERN PROVINCE. 289

of an adult meadow-vole. I have often been bitten by
them, but have sustained no harm from their bites.

" The adder averages 21 inches in the males, 23
inches in the females. The biggest I ever had was a
giant 26J inches long, measured alive. I turned it
out where I found it." — Charles A. Witchell, Chorlton
Kings (author of ' Fauna of Gloucestershire ').
*

On January 17, 1888, Mr C. A. Witchell read a
paper on the " Keptilia and Batrachia of Gloucester-
shire," from which, by his permission, the following
extracts are taken : —

" I have no record of the smooth snake having been
seen wild in this county.

" The ringed snake varies in its ground colour in all
shades between warm red-brown and clear light-green,
and these different shades correspond with the length
of time elapsed since the last shedding of the skin, for
the brown snake becomes a green snake when this
event takes place.

" About midsummer the female snake lays her eggs,
from 4 to 27 in number, in — if possible — her favourite
nest, a manure-heap. I have never been able to hatch
out snakes' eggs in a cage.

" In confinement the snake likes to catch his own
dinner, and will seize newts swimming in a vessel of
water in his cage. One of my snakes ate 17 newts at
a meal; another devoured a gudgeon 6 inches long;
and a third, when coiled* round my hand, would catch

T

290 BRITISH SERPENTS.

sticklebacks in an aquarium. He lowered his head in
the water and opened his mouth, when the fish mis-
took his red jaws for a piece of meat, or perhaps a
worm, and coming near were captured. This snake
was a small one, but had no difficulty in disposing of
a stickleback, whether the spines of the fish, (which
are a quarter of an inch long) were erect or depressed.
The snake is said to eat toads, and undoubtedly does
so, but not, I believe, habitually. I have had but
one which would touch a toad. This snake was very
hungry and ate a little toad. About four days after-
wards the snake died ; and as there was a bright-green
mark on his stomach, I cut him open, and there was
the toad undigested, but a nauseous mess, dark green in
colour ; and all the tissues of the snake at this part,
from the intestines to the skin, were discoloured.

" The skin of this snake is generally cast entire, and
always exceeds the length of the reptile from which it
has been removed. I have always found the skins of
snakes which were captured in the fields to be more
brightly polished than those of snakes captured among
stones.

" The female does not incubate her eggs, but still
she appears to have some sort of feeling of protection
towards them ; for after any of my snakes had laid
eggs they were always singularly fierce and intract-
able, hissing violently when the litter in the cage was
disturbed, and one of them struck at my hand when
the eggs were removed.

SEVERN PROVINCE. 291

" The viper or adder is fairly plentiful on the Cottes-
wolds. It is generally about 2 feet in length. The
ground colour varies in all shades between slaty-white
and warm reel-brown. The viper is often found in
close proximity to the common snake. The food of
the viper consists principally of mice, but Dr Henry
Bird informs me that he has often found in the
stomachs of vipers dissected by him the remains of
the common black dew-snail (Arion). The viper may
be found a little later in the year than the ring snake,
and appears to be able to withstand a somewhat greater
degree of cold. The smell of the viper is peculiar, and
I often discover them in spring by smelling them at a
distance of some yards. Dr Bird informs me that the
light-coloured vipers are males and that the brown ones
are females. I have always found light-coloured vipers
near or in stone walls, and brown ones upon dead
leaves or the litter of woodland undergrowth. The
viper refuses food in confinement, but all of mine
drank water every day, though they would not touch
a mouse.

" With regard to the strength of the viper's poison,
I may mention the experience of Professor Eupert
Jones, who told me that he saw a very little viper,
about 6 inches long, crossing a road, and presented his
finger to it, which the reptile at once struck, inflicting
a painful wound. Mr Jones's hand swelled, and the
bite was, he said, as painful as the sting of a wasp." —
C. A. Witchell (as above).

292 BRITISH SERPENTS.

Bristol and District (part Gloucester, part Somer-
set).— " The ring snake is the commoner in damp places,
the adder in dry spots; on the whole, the ring snake is
more numerous. I have measured an adder 24 inches,
but the average is under that figure, the ring snake
growing to a length of 36 inches, but the majority
are smaller. I once found three good-sized frogs and
one toad in a ring snake, the unfortunate amphibians
having been swallowed hind-leg first." — H. J. Char-
bonnier, 15 Cranbrook Road, Tledland, Bristol.

" The ring snake is the most common snake in this
county, the average length being about 2 feet, but I
have often taken them up to 30 inches. The largest I
ever got was 36^ inches.

" The adder also occurs, the average length being
about 13 or 14 inches, though I have found them as
large as 24 inches.

" I have never seen the smooth snake." — Ed. L. T.
Austen, Wolford Fields, Shipton-on-Stour.

Monmouthshire.

In a county which shows the most diverse con-
ditions of cultivation and barren hills, populous
and lonely spots, it is only to be expected that
animal distribution will show great local variety,
and so it does. Both adders and ring snakes are
fairly common in their respective habitats, but, taken
over the whole county, the ring snake is the more

SEVEKN PKOVINCE. 293

numerous. Iu some places near Abergavenny it is
extremely common, and often grows to 3J or 4 feet.

In the extreme north of the county, from Mon-
mouth Cap to where the Monnow joins the Wye,
the adder is the common serpent — in some parts,
indeed, the only species; and here the average
length is unusually great, as was stated in the de-
tailed account of this area in -chap. xiv.

The small red viper occurs in the northern part,
but not the smooth snake. — Author.

Herefordshire.

I have many times heard the remark made by
Hereford farmers, " There are no snakes [i.e., ring
snakes] in Herefordshire, only adders." This, though
not absolutely true for the whole county, is true
for many parts of it. It applies particularly to that
part of Herefordshire which lies to the south of the
Wye, where in some places adders are common and
ring snakes almost unheard of. The same thing
applies to a part of the county near the Worcester-
shire boundary — at Bishopsfrome. The average size
of male adult adders in the county is 24 inches,
females 25J inches, these measurements being based
on a large series of adders I have measured during
the last five years (1895 to 1900). As showing how
adders escape observation unless carefully looked for,
1 may mention that a very good observer of birds
in the county was extremely surprised to hear that

294

BRITISH SERPENTS.

I had captured some adders in a wood close to his
house, as he had never seen any there, although he
had lived there many years. The belief that the
adder -mother swallows her young is prevalent

Fi<;. 47. — Male Adder (24 inches), Ewyas Harold,
Herefordshire.

throughout the county, and I must have had the
incident described to me by quite fifty people who
say they witnessed it. But I am still waiting for
the specimen with the young in the gullet.

But the ring- snake does occur in Hereford, more
especially in some of the large woods in the middle

SEVERN PROVINCE.

295

portion of the county, where very large ones — over
4 feet — are sometimes killed. It is also found,

Fig. 48.— Female Adder (26| inches), Herefordshire.

more numerous in some summers than in others, in
the neighbourhood of Ross. On Welsh Newton

296 BRITISH SERPENTS.

Common, approaching Symonds Yat, both adders and
ring snakes are found.

I have seen the small red viper twice on Garway
Hill in Herefordshire, but never Goronella austriaca.

The late head-keeper on the Stoke Edith Park
estate tells me that in that part of the county the
rinsj snake is more abundant than the adder, and
averages from 2 J to 3 feet. He once had a curious
experience here, which lie relates thus : " About
six years ago, in the month of April, I was going
my round, when I saw a very large ball of some-
thing rolling down a rough piece of stony ground
in the wood. On getting near it I shot at it, and,
to my surprise, found that it was a bunch of snakes.
I killed and wounded about thirty, and a large
number got away." These snakes had evidently
been hibernating en masse when the keeper came
across the bunch.

See also various notes in ' Transactions of the
Wool hope Field Naturalists' Club' (1898 to 1900).
— Author.

Whitchurch District. — " In the district of Whit-
church, near Ross, the green snake (Tropidonotus
natrix) is the most common, and though not nearly
so common as formerly, is still often met with. At
one time this species used to be found in numbers
together, especially when large manure-heaps were
turned over. Most of the adders I have seen have

SEVERN PROVINCE. 297

been in the woods, and averaged about 18 inches
long, though I have seen larger ones. They were
nearly always in old ' coal-plains,' or places where
charcoal had been made, and invariably on high
ground. I have had dogs bitten by adders in
October when shooting, but never knew an adder
attack anything unless trodden on or startled. I
surprised one once lying curled up on a ' ride ' at
Credenhill Park, and this one struck at me. I
killed the adder — a very long one. The reptile had
apparently just killed a shrew as I came upon it."
— John P. Brown, Hampton Park, Hereford.

" I have never seen Tropidonotus matrix in the
county, but it occurs at Whitchurch, Fownhope,
Stoke Edith, Cradley, and other places. One caught
at Clapham some years ago, which measured 5 \ feet
(Mr J. J. Walker, K.N., of Sheerness, being my
authority), is the largest I ever heard of. About
thirty years ago adders used to swarm in what was
then a young larch plantation on the Croft side of
Bircher Common." — Extract from a paper on British
Snakes, Woolhope Club Transactions, 1898-99, by
Mr T. Hutchinson, Hon. Sec.

Worcestershire.

" The ring snake is commonly distributed all over
the county, and has an average length of about 3
feet. The adder is more local in its occurrence,
being very common in Wyre Forest, where I fre-

298 BRITISH SERPENTS.

quently see it, at Ankerdiue Hill, at Knight wick,
and at Old Storridge, near Leigh Sinton, and prob-
ably in many other localities which I cannot speak
of from actual experience.

" The ring snake averages about 3 feet. I have
seen adders varying from 18 to 26 inches long, but
I should say the average length would ■ be from 22
to 24 inches. The smooth snake I have never heard
of in Worcestershire." — Wm. H. Edwards, Curator,
" Hastings " Museum, Worcester.

Warwickshire.

"The ring snake is the most common here, the
average length being from 30 to 32 inches. In cer-
tain localities this species seems fairly plentiful.
One of these places is Beoly, twelve miles from Bir-
mingham, where I took several this summer (1900),
and one last summer which measured 39 inches. I
have never been fortunate enough to take a specimen
of the adder myself in this county, but I am told it
is fairly common in Sutton Park, a few miles from
Birmingham. The only measurement I can find re-
corded of an adder is that of one taken in the spring
of 188-1 in this park, which was 23 inches in length.
There is no record of the smooth snake occurring.

" I have at the present time a large specimen of the
ring snake which laid sixteen eggs last August. The
first three of these were laid separately, and at inter-
vals of two or three days each, whilst the other thirteen

SEVERN PROVINCE. 299

were laid at one time, but separate from one another."
— B. J. Horton, Sparkbrook, Birmingham.

Wolverhampton District. — "The common ring
snake is the only species which occurs in this dis-
trict, and these I have seen in plantations, their
length being from 18 inches to 2 feet. These
snakes become common at Coalbrookdale, in Shrop-
shire, some eighteen- miles from here." — Wm.
Hutchinson, F.G.S., Wolverhampton.

Staffordshire.

" The ring snake is found generally in the county,
especially in the dry uncultivated woodland districts.
In some parts of the north of the county, especially
in the valley of the river Churnet, is this snake
common, one might almost say abundant, and may
be seen any sunny day in early summer and until
the end of September if the season is a warm one.
In winter the snakes are said to congregate in some
numbers amongst stones and in walls near the large
lime-kilns at Froghall, attracted by the warmth of
the large kiln- fires.

"The adder is found in the uncultivated mosses
and marshy grounds of Cannock Chase and Chartley
Park, WThitmore, and Wybunbury, but is not
common, and is becoming rarer as drainage takes
place. It is a useful animal to the farmer, destroy-
ing large numbers of mice and voles. After cast-

300 BRITISH SERPENTS.

ing its slough the ground colour of the body is
creamy -white, and with the black diagonal markings
is then an extremely handsome reptile.

"Adders are not uncommonly found in the Burnt
Woods near Eccleshill, the largest being about 2
feet in length. A friend of mine took 15 young
from a female adder a year or two ago." — John E.
B. Masefield, Bosehill, Cheadle, Staffordshire.

"The ring snake is most common in hedgerows
and on cultivated or meadow land ; the adder is
confined to heaths, as at Chartley Park and Cannock
Chase. Both species have become rarer of late years ;
but the adder is still not uncommon on Cannock
Chase, though getting rare at Chartley, where it
once abounded. The decrease of its numbers here
is specially marked since the park was drained.
The ring snake varies from 2 to 3 feet in the
county, the adder averaging, as far as I can judge,
from 20 to 22 inches."— G. H. Storer, F.Z.S., Cardigan
Villa, Blackpool Street, Burton-on-Trent.

Shropshire.

" Pang Snake. — This is the most abundant of the
reptiles in Shropshire, and is found pretty generally
throughout the county. It is also the largest British
reptile, occasionally reaching a length of 5 feet ;
such a size is, however, quite exceptional, and it
is more often found measuring between 30 and
36 inches.

SEVERN PROVINCE. 301

" Adder. — In Shropshire the adder is not nearly so
numerous as the ring snake. It is entirely absent
from the immediate neighbourhood of Shrewsbury,
the nearest places where it occurs being NessclirT
and Pirn Hills. It is fairly numerous in the
neighbourhood of Oswestry and Ellesmere, on Budge
Heath and Whixall Moss in the north, and on Titter-
stone Clee Hill and in the Forest of Wyre in the south.
The adder varies a good deal in its ground colour,
but is generally either of a dull brownish-grey or a
coppery-red hue. According to Eev. J. T. Lee, who
dissected a large number of specimens found near
his residence, Far Forest Vicarage, in the Wyre

*

Forest, the difference coincides with the sex, the
grey ones being males and the coppery ones
females." — ' Fauna of Shropshire,' by H. E. Forrest,
pp. 194, 200.

Worcestershire and Shropshire.

" I have frequently taken the adder in the Wyre
Forest. The largest specimen I took there was 20
inches long, and contained two mice or voles — one
full-grown, the other immature and partially digested.

" The ring snake I believe to be absent altogether
from the Forest proper. This species was, however,
frequently taken a few years ago close to Dudley,
and no doubt still occurs there. The exact local-
ity was between Dudley and Lower Gornal, in
Staffordshire.

302 BRITISH SERPENTS.

" In certain parts of Cannock Chase the adder is
still fairly abundant, and I have known several taken
in an afternoon. On April 22, 1894, five adders were
brought to me from that locality, three males and two
females, the latter 25 and 26 inches long respectively.
The female of 25 inches contained fifteen e^s. On
April 28, in the same year, I myself found several
adders there.

" On August 18, 1895, a ring snake was shown to
me which had been killed at Shatterford, in Wor-
cestershire, by a keeper. This is the only one that
had been seen in that place." — J. Steele Elliott,
Clent, Worcestershire.

Oswestry District. — " The adder is the most
common in this locality, having an average length
of 1 foot. The ring snake is rarely seen." — Geo.
Lees, Woodhill,, Oswestry.

303

CHAPTER XXV.
VI. SOUTH WALES PROVINCE.

41. Glamorgan. 43. Radnor. 45. Pembroke.

42. Brecon. 44. Caermarthex. 4(>. Cardigan.

Glamorganshire (East).

" I have seen more adders in one hour's walk in
the island of Arran than I have seen during a twenty-
seven years' residence in and regular walking in South
Glamorgan — in fact, I have only killed three in all
that time. I consider them very rare here. They
are only seen on the hilly districts, there averaging
from 19 to 21 inches long. The ring snake, on the
other hand, is common everywhere in the district,
averaging from 32 to 41 inches in length, being found
wherever there is a dunghill and some standing
water, especially in the Vale of Glamorgan. (The
slow-worm — Anguisfragilis — is always called an adder
here, and is fairly common. Before the Government
took possession of the island of Steep Holm in the
Bristol Channel, there was a very handsome cream-

304 BRITISH SERPENTS.

coloured variety to be found there, while on the Flat
Holm there was only the ordinary chocolate-coloured
one, like that found in the county elsewhere.) " l — John
Storrie (Assoc. Linn. Soc), 104 Frederick Street,
Cardiff.

Glamorganshire.

" I was born on a farm about half a mile to the
south of the town of Llantrisant (Newpark), a place
which was infested with snakes and vipers. From
my experience of these reptiles, extending over thirty
years, I have found that they exist in a greater
number on the limestone or ironstone measures im-
mediately adjoining the coal-beds on the South Crop,
and I believe it is so on the North Crop, near Aberdare,
Vaynor, &c, in North Glamorgan, and the borders of
Breconshire.

" It would seem to me that the snakes, &c, still
retain the locality of the submerged forests, where
they probably existed in a large state in prehistoric
times. The plants of this particular neighbourhood
differ somewhat from the plants actually growing
above the coal-beds — and which plants may be con-
ducive to animal life — upon which the snake (the

1 The above report was sent to me for this work shortly before
Mr Storrie's death. This sad event will be fresh in the minds of all
Glamorganshire naturalists. By his death the county has lost its
best local naturalist, and a man of wide learning in kindred sciences.
He was the author of a Fauna of Eastern Glamorgan, and an
Associate of the Linmean Society. — Author.

SOUTH WALES PROVINCE. 305

viper or adder especially) exists. The common viper
appears to me to have a peculiar liking for the soil
of the ironstone measures, the common ring snake
being more widely dispersed over coal-beds adjoining.

" A specimen of the common English snake killed
at an old disused lead-mine at Gwernefa, near Llan-
trisant, measured 5 feet 10 inches, and was the largest
English snake I have ever seen.

" I mention this particular one to show that the
ring snake does not travel far from its place of birth
— the snake had been seen for several years near the
same place previous to its being killed. The date
was the 10th of March 1885, the weather being fine
and bright, with occasional heavy snow-showers. On
the same morning two companions and myself killed
over eighty common snakes and adders, including
three of the small red viper, or, as it is locally known,
the blood adder.

" I have seen eight adders killed on the 8th of
February in different parts of the bank in one par-
ticular field, but no ring snakes were seen on that
morning.

" This would tend to show that the viper feeds
earlier in the season than the rin^ snake. The former
must also feed very rapidly after being aroused from
a torpid state, for I have seen them in the month
of May very plump and fat, and having every appear-
ance of being well fed, whereas when first seen early
in the season they appear very lean and whip-like.

u

306 BRITISH SERPENTS.

Again, with regard to the adder, I have followed
the young vipers, and have more than once seen
them disappear when 5 or 6 inches long down the
throat of the parent adder. When the young are in
danger the parent sets up a loud hissing, which at-
tracts the young, who seek refuge in the manner
before stated. I speak from actual experience. I
know the point is much discussed by naturalists, but
I have seen the mother adder killed with the young
alive in her pouch or throat to the number of four.

" 1. The most common snake would appear to be the
ring snake.

" 2. The average length of the adder would be 1
foot 8 inches.

" 3. The red viper occurs, but is very rare. I have
seen some twenty or thirty specimens from Bridgend
on the east to Pentyrch on the west of the county.

"4. I have known two instances of snake- bite,
neither of which was fatal. The viper's bite is very
poisonous. One of the injured was a child, aged eight
or nine years, bitten on the heel whilst bathing. The
other was an adult, bitten on the hand whilst fencing.
Both were ill for several weeks, but the bite did not
appear to have any particular after-effects ; and I
believe that, unless a person's constitution were in
a very bad or weak state, the bite of the English
adder or viper is seldom fatal.

" I have seen several small terriers and sheep-dogs
bitten by adders, but have never known a dog to die

SOUTH WALES PROVINCE. 307

from the effect of the bite. The dog- after being
bitten, gets very shaky for a time, and likes to mope
by himself in an out - of - the - way place until he
gets better, in a week or nine clays." — T. Iiees,
Llantrisant.

" The marshy spots around Llantrisant are famous
for snakes. I do not think that the coal, limestone,
or ironstone measures or the localities of submerged
forests have anything at all to do with snakes and
vipers.

" Snakes like wet ground and adders like a dry
soil. The smooth snake has not been found in
Glamorgan.

" The food of the common or ring snake consists
mainly of frogs, and snakes are found most numerous
in wet meadows and marshes or in the neighbourhood
of water, where they can easily get a supply of their
favourite food. They Lake to the water readily, and
I have frequently seen them swimming in the dykes
on the Grangetown Moors, where they used to exist in
considerable numbers. They dive well, and can stay
under water for ten minutes or more, and catch and
devour wTater-newts, of which they are very fond.

" Two snakes of this species, which I kept in
confinement for about three years, were exhibited,
amongst others, in my vivarium at the Cardiff Ex-
hibition of 1881. They measured after death 4 feet
0^ inch and 4 feet 2 inches respectively. The
longest I caught when sunning herself on a manure-

308 BRITISH SERPENTS.

heap near the Llanishen Viaduct, and the other in a
similar position not far from the Tan Yard on Penarth
Road. They were both females.

" Our snakes and adders, in common with others,
change their skins at more or less frequent intervals,
but not, as is often stated, at regular periods, or once
a-year, but sometimes as often as four or five times
a-year, according to circumstances. In this ' slough-
ing ' process the skin begins to peel around the edges
of the mouth, the old skin is thrust back over the
head, and the snake crawls out, leaving its old coat
turned inside out. I have frequently seen these
' sloughs ' collected and worn by men in the harvest-
fields inside their hats as a specific against headache.
The colours and markings are very bright and distinct
after a change of skin.

" Adders appear to me to differ in colour somewhat,
according to the soil upon which they are found.
Many of those caught at Leek with on the Lias lime-
stone are very light-coloured, especially after a recent
' sloughing,' and I have noticed a distinct reddish
tin^e to the adders which live about the old iron-
mines at Little Garth.

" I have kept a considerable number of snakes and
adders alive in my vivarium during the past twenty
years. Ring snakes are interesting, and rather tract-
able in confinement, but vipers are utterly untamable.

" As to the adder swallowing its young when danger
threatens them, we must still consider this as ' not

SOUTH WALES PROVINCE. 309

proven.' Adders are ovo-viviparous — that is, the eggs
are retained in the oviduct and hatched there, the
young, to the number of from 10 to 15, making their
advent alive, and as spiteful and vicious as their
parent.

" The fact of an adder being killed and live young
found inside does not prove that she swallowed them.

" I have several times had my dogs bitten by adders
in Monmouthshire, but in no instance did the bite
prove fatal, although the animals were very ill for
some time afterwards. In one case, where a Gordon
setter was bitten on the nose by a very large viper, I
thought the poor dog would have died on the spot.
He had to be carried home, and after being dosed
with ammonia, eventually recovered." — T. W. Proger
(author of chapter on Local Eeptilia in the Guide-
Book for British Association in Cardiff).

Brecon.

" The ring snake is by far the most common snake
here, and its average length is exceptional, being
probably four and a half fed. I have seen one
specimen which was 5 feet 9 inches in length.

" I have seen only one adder in ten years, but the
average length is about 21 inches." — W. W. Baldock
Fry, M.B., Builth, Breconshire.

Note. — The ring snake has a larger average length
in Brecon than anywhere I know of in this country,

310

BRITISH SERPENTS.

and the specimen alluded to above by Dr Baldock
Fry is the largest that I have any record of — ex-
cept that of Mr Bees, which was 5 feet 10 inches.
— Author.

Fig. 49. — Male and Female Adders, Cenarth, South Wales. •

Newcastle Emlyn District. — " The Newcastle
Emlyn district comprises considerable portions of
Caermarthen, Cardigan, and Pembrokeshire. I
should say that the adder has plenty of oppor-

SOUTH WALES PROVINCE. 311

tunities of attaining its majority. Ring snakes are
certainly seen in larger parties. I have never seen
more than one adder at a time, but some time ago
my brother and myself were lifting an ancestral
tombstone which had fallen. Underneath there were
ten ring snakes, the longest about 1 foot in length.

" The adder averages 18 to 24 inches in this
locality." — Frank Davies, Newcastle Emlyn.

Radnorshire, Caermarthen, Pembroke, and Car-
digan.

" I have been in Radnorshire for eighteen years,
but have never heard of or seen any snakes, though
the slow-worm is plentiful. From personal know-
ledge of the three other counties above mentioned,
I can say that the adder is plentiful in all of them.
Several times I have seen the result of their bites
on dou'S — considerable swelling for 5 inches or so
round the spot bitten — but I have never known of
death resulting. I once saw a wren's nest full of
young dead birds and an adder hanging from the
nest. In these latter three counties, also, the ring
snake is fairly common, of a grey-blue colour, and
generally about 3 feet long." — Rev. J. Herbert, Dis-
serth Rectory, Llandrindod, Radnorshire.

Cardiganshire.

" The adder is the common snake in this county.
Its average length is about 18 inches. This species

312 BRITISH SERPENTS.

is specially venomous where it occurs upon the peat-
bogs, where I was bitten by one in May 1892.

" I have never met with the ring snake in the
district, though it must doubtless occur, as it does
in Merionethshire. I have seen a specimen from
Towyn." — Prof. J. H. Salter, D.Sc, University
College, Aberystwith.

Aberystwith. — " Both the adder and the ring snake
are common all over this county, and there are some
of the latter species in my garden. I have the greatest
difficulty in preventing my gardeners from killing
them, as I cannot get them to believe in the harm-
less nature of this snake. Neither do they appreciate
the siood these snakes do in devouring the small black
slugs with which we are overrun about here.

" On the Borth Bog there are any amount of
adders, and they are darker in colour than the
Scotch adder. Many years ago, on the edge of the
bog, my gamekeeper came across a ball of them,
which he shot at, killing six. At the same place,
near Glandovey, I once killed an adder in the
kitchen. It was not safe to take any dogs on the
bog in the summer." — George W. Cosens, Bronpadarn,
nr. Aberystwith.

313

CHAPTEE XXVI.
VII. NORTH WALES PROVINCE.

47. Montgomery. 49. Carnarvon. 51. Flint.

48. Merioneth. 50. Denbigh. 52. Anglesey.

North Wales.

" In Montgomery the adder is rare, and in my
experience only occurs in that corner of the county
near Oswestry, on Golfa Hill ; near Welshpool ; and
on the Breidden Hills. It is said to occur on Long
Mountain.

"The ring snake, on the other hand, is generally
distributed, specimens of 2 feet 9 inches, 2 feet 5
inches, 2 feet 10 inches, and 3 feet 6 inches being
recorded.

" In Merioneth I have never seen the adder at
all, and doubt its occurrence. The ring snake is
common in the Towyn district, and fairly so in the
neighbourhood of Corwen, in both localities attain-
ing the usual length of 30 inches." — H. E. Forrest
(author of ' Fauna of Shropshire ').

314 BRITISH SERPENTS.

Montgomery.

Writing to me from Llanidloes, Dr Thomas Morris
says : " This town is the highest in Wales, and is
therefore very cold. It is situated about ten miles
from the foot of Plinlimin Mountain. I have resided
here for fifteen years and am always riding about
the country, but during all this time I have never
seen either a ring snake or an adder, nor have I
heard of others seeing any. I conclude, therefore,
that there are very few, if any, serpents in this
immediate neighbourhood." This is of interest, as
a little farther north, at Carno, in this county, Mr
H. E. Forrest tells me that a ring snake measuring
3 feet 2 inches was killed in 1900. — Author.

Merionethshire.

" In this county the ring snake is the most common,
averaging from 30 to 36 inches in length. The adder
averages from 12 to 13 inches." — D. Arthur Hughes,
M.R.C.S., Barmouth, North Wales.

" The common ring snake is the only species I
have seen in this part of the county (Corwen).
This is common between Corwen and Bala, its length
being usually about 2 feet. I have also seen this
species at Llangollen, in Denbighshire. I am told
that the adder occurs at Barmouth, but personally
I have never seen a specimen in Wales." — Thos.
Ruddy, The Gardens, Pale, Corwen.

NORTH WALES PROVINCE. 315

Carnarvon and Anglesey.

" I have seen adders in both these counties a good
many times, and though I once saw a grass snake
(Tropidonotus natrix) at Barmouth, I do not think
this species is common in North Wales. I have
never heard of the smooth snake in Wales at all."
— Chas. Oldham, Knutsford.

Denbigh.

" Both adders and ring snakes are fairly common
here, the latter predominating. I should estimate
the average length of the adder at 2 feet, that of
the ring snake 4 feet." — W. B. Paissell, M.B.,
Colwyn Bay, Denbigh.

"Both adders and ring snakes occur here, and both
species grow to considerable size. A ring snake in my
garden I estimated at about 5 feet. I have heard of
one 72 inches, which was killed in a cluster of rins
snakes — 17 altogether — on a warm day in March." —
W. B. Halhed, Brynderwen, nr. Llanrwst.

Denbigh and Flint.

" On the border of these two counties, between Mold
and Buthin, where I have resided for forty years, the
adder is fairly numerous. Our geological formation is
Upper Silurian mountain limestone and outcrops of
coal-measures. The adder is chiefly found on the

316 BRITISH SERPENTS.

limestone. Some years ago I captured one in a
lady's sunshade, coaxed it into a box, and sent it up
to the Zoo in London, where it lived about three
years. They average from 18 inches to a much
greater length. The common ring snake is here al-
most unknown. Where I used to shoot, south of
Abergele, the party used to kill three or four adders
uer day frequently." — B. G. Davies-Cooke.

Flintshire.

" In this county, on the mosses bordering upon
Shropshire, the adder is exceedingly numerous, and,
I am told, grows to a large size. Personally I have
never seen any over 2 feet there. The ring snake
occurs in the same district in fair numbers and
grows large." — H. E. Forrest, Shrewsbury.

Anglesey (district round Aberffraw).

" Mr E. Gosling states, in some notes of his in my
possession, that he has seen a few specimens of the
ring snake in this locality, and that the adder is
pretty common. The keeper at Maelog Lake Hotel
was bitten by an adder as he was putting his hand
into a hole in a stone wall : he nearly lost his life
in consequence, and was unable to do anything for
nearly a year." — H. E. Forrest, Shrewsbury.

NORTH WALES PROVINCE. 317

Wales (various districts).

" The adder is particularly abundant along the
sandhills north of Barmouth, but out west the ring
snake is comparatively rare. On the ' mosses ' in the
southern portion of Flintshire the adder is very
numerous, and I saw many there this last summer
(1900). One which I measured was 21 inches in
length." — H. E. Forrest, Shrewsbury.

318

CHAPTER XXVII.
VIIL TRENT PROVINCE.

53. South Lincoln. 55. Leicester with Rutland.

54. North Lincoln. 56. Nottingham.

57. Derby.

Lincolnshire.

" In this county both the adder and the ring snake
are found, but in different kinds of places. The ring
snake is the more common on the damp heaths and
peaty ground, while the adder frequents the high dry
heaths and woodlands. I have measured very few
adders, but the ring snake averages from 2 feet 6
inches to 3 feet 3 inches. My grandfather, Edward
Shaw Peacock, of Bottesford Moors, who died in 1861,
was an accurate man, and a good naturalist for his
day. He left some MS. notes, from which the fol-
lowing extracts are taken. The words in brackets are
mine.

" ' When Thos. L[ockwood] first began to warp
Nathanland [a well-known stretch of the common,

TRENT PROVINCE. 319

which still bears this name, though it is all arable
fields], he took in or embanked about [blank] acres
across the north end of the 114 belonging to my
fafther] and Mr Hall. There was a sandhill on it
on which grew great furze or whins. It was a cn-eat
place for snakes, as they were safe there [when the
other part of the common was flooded, and a great
deal of it was under water most of the winter before
the enclosure]. When the first tide was taken in
Tfhomas] L[ockwood] had several men walking on the
top of the banks to be ready to stop it if any water
came through [the recently made embankments].
When the water from the Trent had got amongst
the furze on the hill, the snakes left it and swam
to the bank where the men were, who killed them
as soon as they got out of the water. Old Thomas
Stocks, who was one of the men, told me more than
50 [were killed in this way], and he was always a
very punctual [i.e., accurate] man.' [The viper and
common grass snake are still found on the commons
close by. I have heard old men speak of ' the
wonderful sight' to see 'a flooding' before warping
became common. The fox, hare, rabbit, stoat, and
weasel, as well as the marsh and sand-common birds,
all attempted to escape to the banks at once, and
became an easy prey to the watchers with guns and
sticks.]

" The higher cultivation of Lincolnshire is fast de-
stroying our snakes. Year by year there is less and

320 BRITISH SERPENTS.

less ground left for them to inhabit. Zootica vivipara
can continue long after the ring snake and the adder
have gone. In the Trent Level the adder is found on
the sandhills and the ring snake on the intermediate
peaty soils, or rather this was the case until our
commons became very restricted in area. Scores of
intelligent and truthful labouring men have told me
incidents of the adder swallowing the young. In one
case the number of young mentioned was eleven. I
have no experience on the point, and therefore no
opinion. I greatly doubt having seen an adder of 18
inches long in the county." — Eev. Ed. Adrian Wood-
ruffe-Peacock, F.L.S., F.G.S., Vicar of Cadney, Brigg.

" The ring snake turns up now and again in all
parts of the county, but I have seen it plentifully,
especially on Scotton Common and Blyton Carrs. A
friend living near these localities writes to me, ' One
sunny morning in early spring the ring snakes were
lying on a hedge-bank in scores — the place was alive
with them.' The average length of this snake here is
about 3 feet or slightly over.

" The adder occurs not unusually on Scotton Com-
mon, and the same writer says, ' I should consider it
plentiful ; and on one of my rambles I brought one
home and placed it in a box with a sheet of glass over
it for observation. Next day I was much surprised to
find four young ones with it. Somehow or other one
of them made its escape. On the following spring I
was moving some stones near the greenhouse flue, and

TKENT PROVINCE. 321

there he was, reared up and hissing like an old one.'
The average length of the adder for the district may
be said to be 21 inches.

" I do not know of the smooth snake having occurred
in the county." — Arthur Smith (Hon. Sec. Grimsby
Nat. Soc), 5 Cavendish Street, Grimsby.

" The grass (or green snake, as it is called here) is
the common snake of this county, and I have seen
three lying together on a sunny bank. On April 30,
189iJ, eleven of these snakes and one adder were killed
by a keeper and some young men in Bracken Wood,
at Woodhall Spa, about five miles from here. Useless
slaughter ! ! A ring snake measuring 3 feet 8 inches
was recently killed at this same place. I have kept
this snake tame, and its only defence when disturbed
was inhaling air till it was puffed out and then emit-
ting the air charged with a foul smell. Its favourite
place in cold weather was under the fire-grate ; but
when a hot coal fell on it the reptile would rush out
hissing. I have seen one killed which contained 32
eggs. This specimen was over 3 feet long, but the
average length is about 2 feet in this locality.

" The adder is much less common, but is found on
a heath near. The average local length is 16 or 18
inches. I had a dog bitten by one when out shooting,
but recovery took place.

" Re colour variation. — The adder varies in colour,
adapting itself to its locality. On our sandy moor it
is a light-red or almost golden colour, with the line of

x

322 BRITISH SERPENTS.

black marks along the spine and the V-mark on the
head of a yellow colour. I have seen the adder on
the South Downs near Brighton, and should say that
the adders there are identical with our Lincolnshire
vipers. I think I have never seen one over 18 inches
in length. In Sutherlandshire, on the grey limestone
rocks, the adder is of a greenish-slate colour, with a
black line on the back and a large black V on the
head. In these northern adders the head is nearly an
inch broad, and the body as far as the rump much
larger than in Lincolnshire adders, the tail being
small. Lying on a rock these adders have a very
fiendish appearance.

"Note. — The flounder is a parallel case of colour
variation in fish, in deep or shallow water, the fish
being dark or light respectively on its upper side." —
Eev. J. Conway Dalter, Langton Bectory, Horncastle,
Lincolnshire.

Leicestershire.

"As an old rambler about this county, and especi-
ally about Char n wood Forest, I should say that the
adder was more common than the ring snake here.
I speak of the years between 1840 and 1870 ; but it
is quite possible that the relative frequency of the
two species is now the reverse, as is stated in Montagu
Browne's ' Vertebrates of Leicestershire ' (1889). I
have always had a firm belief that in very early days

TRENT PROVINCE. 323

I saw a female adder swallow her young in my
father's garden, at the edge of a shrubbery, but my
memory of the occurrence is too confused now to
be of use as evidence. But I know that at least
thirty years ago T fully believed that I had seen the
thing done." — F. T. Mott, Birstal Hill, Leicester.

" In this county the ring snake is the most com-
mon, and averages 30 inches in length.

" The adder here is very rare, and those I have
seen have been small, about 14 inches long." — Frank
Bouskell, F.E.S., F.R.H.S., Market Bosworth.

" The ring snake, the most common ophidian in
this county, has here an average length of from 27
to 30 inches. The adder grows to 18 inches." —
Montagu Browne, F.G.S., F.Z.S., Corporation Museum,
Leicester.

Rutland.

" The ring snake is the most common in this county,
and averages about 2 feet in length, I should say.
Adders are not common near here, nor do they grow
to any large size." — Reginald Haines, M.A., Upping-
ham, Rutland.

Nottingham (Retford District) and Lincoln.

" I have no secure evidence that the adder is found
in the Retford district at all.

" The ring snake is not at all common, and many
of the younger generation do not appear to have seen

324 BRITISH SERPENTS.

them. The older people have seen this species occa-
sionally.

" In this part of Lincoln I have records of the ring
snake from Littleboro', in this village (South Lever-
ton), and in Treswell Wood." — Eev. Alfred Thornley,
Vicarage, South Leverton.

Derbyshire.

" In the Bakewell district the adder is more often
seen than the ring snake, the average of the former
being about 22 inches, that of the latter about 30
inches. The smooth snake does not occur, to my
knowledge. In the summer of 1898, on a Field Club
day, we came across a very fine adder which on ex-
amination appeared to be quite blind, the result of
some kind of fungus growth over the eyes." 1 — Wm.
Boulsover, Bakewell, Derbyshire.

1 This was probably a case of canker. — Author.

325

CHAPTER XXVIIL
IX. MERSEY PROVINCE.

58. Cheshire. 60. West (i.e., Mid) Lan-

59. South Lancashire. cashire.

Cheshire.

" The ring snake is the most common, averaging 3
feet in adult state, but has been taken up to 4 feet.

" The adder is fairly common, the adult averaging
18 inches.

"The smooth snake does not occur, to my know-
ledge.

" I have kept all three of our snakes in captivity.
I have bred ring snakes, and witnessed the copulation
of these animals. The male becomes very active for
about half an hour before copulation, cutting all sorts
of fantastic capers, the female remaining quite pass-
ive. A female I had in captivity always laid her
eggs in the same spot in the cage, that spot being the
warmest, where she and the eggs got the morning,
noon, and afternoon sun. She always incubated her

326 BRITISH SERPENTS.

eggs in confinement, like the python in the Zoo,
instead of leaving them to the warmth of nature, as
ring snakes do in a state of nature. Why the change
of habit ? Was she aware of her changed conditions,
and hence took to protecting her eggs ? She laid eggs
to the number of 16 at a time.

" I have seen a large female ring snake swallow
four adult frogs at one meal ; and have often made
the snake disgorge frogs by stroking the snake's neck,
the frogs being none the worse for having been tern-
porarily swallowed.

" I have kept a viper under water for twenty-live
minutes — a long time for a reptile to be under water.

" A ring snake of mine swallowed a common toad
and then ejected it, and would never again touch
toads. I saw a young ring snake swallow a slow-
worm almost its own size, but I arrived in time to
release the slow-worm, the latter none the worse." —
Lin. Greening, Warrington.

" The ring snake or grass snake is the more com-
mon in this county, and full-grown adults attain a
length of about 33 inches.

" I have only met with a single specimen of the
adder during fifteen years or more. I have never
seen the small red variety of adder, though I have
seen quite marked varieties. Last year I saw a very
interesting variety from Bull ]>ay, Anglesey, where
this species is common." — K. Newstead, Grosvenor
Museum, Chester.

MERSEY PROVINCE. 327

Lancashire and Cheshire.

" The ring snake occurs occasionally about Whit-
tingham, near Preston, but is not so frequent as
formerly. I have not seen one over 22 inches long.
Its local name is ' lang worm ' (long worm). It also
occurs on Hale Moss, near Bowdon.

" The adder is common on Chat Moss ; near Patri-
croft (where I have frequently seen them bask-
ing at the foot of the railway banks) ; not infrequent
on the peaty heath-covered tops of the Fells ; Bleas-
dale Forest ; Parlic Pike ; Fairsnape, &c. The aver-
age length of those I have seen in Xorth Lancashire
would be about 13 inches. Since the introduction of
mowing-machines the ring snake and the slow-worm
have much decreased in numbers, and I have many
times seen them — especially the latter — snipped to
pieces in the machine." — E. Standen, Manchester
Museum, Owens College, Manchester.

Note. — A farmer in Monmouthshire told me that
he had cut up three adders in this way in mowing
one field of hay this summer (1900). — Author.

328

CHAPTER XXIX.
X. HUMBER PROVINCE.

61. South-east York. 63. South-west York.

62. North-east York. 64. Mid-west York.

65. North-west York.

Yorkshire.

Scarborough District. " Adders. — These are
common wherever the locality is suitable for them,
but they are gradually dying out from continuous
persecution. The general length of the males is 18
or 19 inches, that of the females 20 to 22 inches.
The largest female that I have measured was 25J
inches. Varieties are very scarce. I have seen
hundreds, but not until this last summer (1900)
have I seen any variation from the usual type. I
caught (and afterwards set at liberty again) a male
adder about 18 inches in length, of a bright brick-
red ground colour, with very black markings of the
ordinary pattern. It was on moorland. In those
I have dissected I have never found any other

HUMBER PROVINCE. 329

food than short-tailed field-voles, but I have known
(only once) an adder take a viviparous lizard
while in captivity. The local name is ag-worm, or
perhaps it should be spelt agg-worm.

" Ring Snake. — This does not occur anywhere in
the Scarborough district. I have two brought me
at different times, but they were both undoubtedly
escapes.

" Smooth Snake. — I am not aware of its occurrence
locally." — W. J. Clarke (Eecorder to Scar. Field
Nat. Soc.)

North Yorkshire and South Durham.

" The ring snake is the most common here, averag-
ing about 16 inches long, but one was taken near
Darlington in 1895 measuring 21 inches. This snake
frequents the lower lands. The adder, which is in-
variably found on the moors and fells, averages
about 22 inches." — George Best, Bondgate, Dar-
lington (Hon. Sec. Darlington and Teesdale Nat.
Field Club).

Yokk District. — " In my experience the adder is
most common in this district (York). I have seen
it frequently on Strensall Common, varying in
length from 15 to 27 inches. The ring snake is
not so often met with, but I have seen them about
3 feet in length." — Eobert Dutton, Phoenix House,
York.

330 BRITISH SERPENTS.

Eipon District. — " I have often met with adders
on the moors in this district when out collecting
insects, and have never seen a ring snake but
once. The adder averages 24 inches and grows to
26 inches in length." — C. Chapman, The Museum,
Eipon.

Yorkshire.

" The adder is the most common in the moorland
districts, the grass snake in the low-lvin" and wooded
portions of the county. The male adder averages 18
to 19 inches, the female about 23 inches. The largest
female I have seen was 28 inches. The grass snake
averages from 3 to 4 feet, but I have seen one 4 feet
6 inches long. The smooth snake has never occurred
in the county, to my knowledge.

" It is not generally known that during the day-
time grass snakes at times will coil themselves round
the stems of the great reed (Arundo Phragmitcs) and
other ditch-growing plants a foot or two above the
surface of the ground or water as the case may be.
A keeper in the Holderness district tells me that
he has frequently seen them in this position. I
have so often been told by men of known probity
and good sense that they have seen the young
adders disappear down the throat of the mother
that I am inclined to think there is really some-
thing in it." — Oxley Grabham, Pickering, Yorkshire.

HUMBER PROVINCE. 331

Wakefield District. — " Around Wakefield the
adder is the most common snake, and is found
averaging from 22 to 24 inches. Last year (1899)
this species was fairly common at Brock-o'-clale,
Wentbridge, some ten miles from Wakefield, and
adders were also seen at Newmillersdam; four miles
from Wakefield. A friend showed me the other
day specimens of adders he had taken at Strensil
Common in June 1881, May 1882, May 1894 (23J
inches), and June 1898, and also a ring snake 37 J
inches. The adult ring snake reaches 3 feet in the
district.

" Mr Hewitt, who captured these specimens, says
adders were very common in the year 1880, but
that of late years they have been seen more rarely."
— George Parkin, 15 York Street, Wakefield.

Halifax District. — " In this locality (as I am
informed by Mr E. Halliday) the ring snake is
fairly common, though he has never seen the adder
here. A ring snake captured at Norland Clough
in the summer of 1899 measured 30 inches, which
is about the usual length." — George Parkin, 15 York
Street, Wakefield.

332

CHAPTER XXX.

XI. TYNE PROVINCE.

66. Durham. 67. Northumberland, South.

68. Cheviotland, or Northumberland, North.

Northumberland and Durham.

"The adder is the most common snake here, and
when full grown averages over 2 feet in length.

"Examples of the red viper and the black viper
occur rarely.

" I do not know of the occurrence of the ring snake
in Northumberland, but I have seen a preserved
specimen found near Sunderland, in the county of
Durham. It was found in such an unlikely locality
that I have thought it must have been introduced,
and I do not look on this specimen as proving the
species to be indigenous in Durham. Although it
has been recorded in the 'Yorkshire Naturalist' as
occurring in South Durham, I feel very doubtful
about it. If it occurs at all, the most likely place

TYNE PROVINCE. 333

is in the south-eastern part of the county. I have
seen a cluster of the eggs of the ring snake sent here
from Northallerton in Yorkshire, and at the present
time (1900), from the evidence I have, I do not think
that this species occurs north of the Tees. The ring
snake and the adder are often confused by people
who see them, and I have never during fifty years
heard of any of the old genuine observers mention
the ring snake as being found in Northumberland.
It has often been brought north by pedestrians,
and often escapes, but no one ever saw a colony of
them in the north, and I have not heard of even
one in Northumberland. The adder is our reptile,
and is distributed generally over the moorland dis-
tricts, in the burns, and by the banks of rivers, but
never in numbers. One may travel over miles of
moorland a whole summer and not see one, although
they may be there; and sometimes sheep are bitten,
also pointer and setter dogs, the bite generally being
on the legs.

" My opinion is that the ring snake does not
occur here except accidentally, and that the adder
is generally but not abundantly distributed in these
counties."1 — Kichard Howse, M.A., Museum Nat. Hist.
Soc, Newcastle-on-Tyne.

1 Since sending me the above report — indeed shortly before his
death, which I regret to say took place in March 1901 — Mr Howse
informed me that the black adder also occurred in this district more
often than he at first supposed. (Compare with Rev. C. Davies's
report on Caermarthen, p. 248.)

334 BRITISH SERPENTS.

Northumberland and District.

"The ring snake is by no means so plentiful in
Northumberland as the common viper, but is oc-
casionally to be met with in different parts of the
county. It is perhaps more plentiful in the upper
reaches of Wooler water than in any other part of
the district, at least such is my experience. In the
deep, rocky, weird - looking ravine on the eastern
slopes of the Cheviots, known as the Glitters, I
have seldom failed to find individuals of this species,
stretched upon the clefts of precipitous rocks, clinging
to the branches of overhanging shrubs, or crawling
through the herbage on the steep and heathy bank-
sides, where formerly the raven and the peregrine
falcon used to build their nests, but where they now
no longer find a refuge and a home. Sometimes the
ring snake makes his appearance close to the village
of Wooler, and some time asjo a lame individual was
killed in Middleton plantation whilst engaged in
twisting itself round a branch of a tree. We have
met with examples of it at Chillingham, Crookham,
and some other half-dozen places in the county. On
one occasion I saw one killed near to Warkworth
Hermitage, a little below Warkworth Mills, on the
river Coquet. It is, perhaps, more plentiful in
Durham than in Northumberland, especially in the
western part of the county, and is frequently met
with on the Wear; and three or four years ago one

TYNE PROVINCE. 335

was captured in a house in Sunderland, having
taken up its residence in a 'hole in the wall. It is
not uncommon in various parts of Berwickshire and
Roxburghshire, especially on the sylvan bank of the
Teviot and the beautiful Jed and other tributaries
of the Tweed.

" The adder is common in many parts of Northum-
berland and Durham, and the writer has met with
it on different parts of Middleton and Belford estates,
as well as at Bewick, Hedgely, and Wooler. When
a lad 1 first became acquainted with this animal ' in
the flesh' in the summer of 1849 on Belford Moor,
where it was then very plentiful, and where several
examples, including a female and nine young ones,
were killed during the course of the summer. None
of these much exceeded 2 feet in length, but one
killed by myself in the coal wood, Belford, on Easter
Monday, 1850, measured over 2J feet, and was the
largest specimen I ever saw." — " J. A.," in the ' New-
castle Weekly Chronicle,' 1881.

Durham.

"The adder is the most common serpent in this
county. The species is common over the whole of
the Derwent valley, from Gibside to Blanchland,
the greater part of which district I have explored,
and where I have seen many fine specimens. About
five years ago I captured one on May 20, measuring
not less than two feet. This was very early in the

336 BRITISH SERPENTS.

season for an adder to be astir, and, curiously enough,
there had been a snowstorm on the previous night.
The average length of adders in this area I should
put at 18 inches.

" I have never met with the ring snake in the
district, nor do I believe that the species is so
common as some state." — W. Johnson, Burnoptield,
Newcastle-on -Tyne.

"The common ring or dunghill snake (as it is
sometimes called) is much more common than the
adder, with which it is often confounded, and is found
on dry and moist heaths and moors. It averages
from 24 to 30 inches.

" The adder or viper (called eclder or ether in
Durham) is rare, and found chiefly on stony ground,
especially on the western moors of the county, in
Teesdale, Weardale, and Derwentdale, averaging in
length from 20 to 24 inches.

" The smooth snake does not occur, to my know-
ledge."— J. W. Fawcett, Satley, Darlington.

337

CHAPTER XXXI.
XII. LAKES PROVINCE.

09. Westmoreland with 70. Cumberland.

North Lancashire. 71. Isle of Man.

The Lake District, or Cumberland, Westmore-
land, and Lancashire north of the Sands.

Ring Snake. — "In the extreme south-west of Lake-
land the grass snake is not uncommon. Mr W.
Duckworth assures me that he can find specimens
any sunny morning in the neighbourhood of Ulver-
stone, and he has sent me ova of this snake from
the district. Among the mountains this species be-
comes comparatively rare, but Mr Tom Duckworth
met with single specimens at Stanley Gill, Eskdale,
and at Holmrook, near Gosforth. In the Eden
valley, as in the north of Cumberland, this snake is
extremely local, if not rare. Mr Tom Duckworth
has met with specimens in the Newby Cross woods,
in which he also found eggs of Tropidonotus natrix.

Y

338 BKITISH SEEPENTS.

On single occasions he has seen specimens at New-
lands, near Carleton, and Black Moss Pool, near
Cotehill.

Vijjer. — " ' The mosses in the neighbourhood of
Morecambe Bay share with those which fringe the
Solway Firth the unenviable distinction of affording
tolerably safe asylum to large numbers of vipers.
I have rarely visited any of our flows on a hot
summer's day without coming across one or two
individuals of the present species basking in the
sunshine upon some heather -covered prominence.
The late Mr Kirk by captured great numbers of
vipers in the neighbourhood of Ulverstone, and
showed me some pretty sections of their teeth under
the microscope. His skill in capturing these animals
was very great. The occupation appeared to have
become his ruling passion.' — Rev. H. A. Macpher-
son, extract from ' Fauna of Lakeland.'

" The only local reptile which seems to show a
tendency in the direction of variation is the
common viper. Most of the Lakeland vipers are
grey or brown in ground colour, regardless of their
sex. The only instance at present known to me of
the capture of a red individual within our limits
relates to a viper which Joseph Boadle presented to
the Whitehaven Museum. Instead of being grey
and black, it is a dull ferruginous red, and the zig-
zag markings are a dark mahogany colour. This
animal has been caught near Rig House, Dean, West

LAKES PROVINCE. 339

Cumberland." — Rev. H. A. Macpherson, M.A., ' Fauna
of Lakeland/ p. lxxviii.

North of England.

" The viper is pretty common in Westmoreland,
Cumberland, and those parts of Lancashire included
in the Lake District. This is especially the case in
the low-lying lands in the neighbourhood of More-
cambe Bay and the Sol way Firth. The largest living
adder I have sent to me for inspection measured 28J
inches, and was found in the locality of Staveley in
the summer of 1890. I have records of adders
measuring 29 J, 29 h, and 31 inches. The average in
Lakeland I should put at about 17 inches.

" The ring snake is rather rare in Westmoreland,
but fairly common in suitable places in Cumberland
and in the Furness district." — G. W. Murdoch, Miln-
thorpe, Westmoreland.

Lake District.

"One Sunday in August 1897 Mr Clarke, who lias
charge of the wood above Chapel Hill, Langdale, told
me he had just killed a snake which he had seen
once before in the spring, but on that occasion it
eluded him. Although he had looked many times
in the interval for it, he had never seen it again till
this day on which he killed it. I walked up to his
cottage in the wood, and there he had an adder 19
inches long. Mr Clarke had been in charge of this

340 BRITISH SERPENTS.

wood for nine years, but this was the only snake
he had ever seen. For many years I have gone to
the Lake District two or three times a-year on
geology and botany bent, and I have never seen
either the adder or the ring snake, so I conclude
both are scarce." — W. Haydon, Liverpool.

Cumberland.

" The adder is the most common snake in this
county, being found in all parts, but especially
plentifully near the coast-line. Its average length
is 18 inches.

" The ring snake is very rare in Cumberland, being
quite unknown in the middle of the county. One or
two have been seen in the north-west, and twice I
have had eggs sent to me from Caldew Vallev. In
the very south of the county it is more common, but
when one crosses the Duddon and gets into the Fur-
ness (Lancashire) district it becomes very usual indeed
to find it, especially on the low- lying land in the
neighbourhood of Morecambe Bay. Its average
length in Cumberland may be put at 28 inches.

rt The smooth snake is not known here." — W. Duck-
worth, Beacon Side, Penrith.

North Lancashire.

" The adder is our most common snake here, averag-
ing from 24 inches to 30 inches, and I have seen one

LAKES PROVINCE. 341

just 3 feet long. I have lived in the district of Ulver-
ston since 1875, and have heard many wonderful
yarns as to vipers, or hag- worms as they are called
locally. In my own experience I have seen about a
dozen, all of which I have killed except the first I
saw, which was lying curled up with the head in the
middle. I came across him on a foot-road through a
wood, where he was enjoying a snooze, probably after
a meal. I happened to have a bit of dead wood in
my hand, and, in my anxiety to kill the ' beastie,'
aimed a blow at once instead of choosing a more
reliable weapon. The wood was so rotten that it
snapped in my hand and only the end fell harmlessly
on the head of the adder, who hissed angrily and
made off. They are most often seen in the early
warm spring days near old walls and places in which
they have been hibernating. I once saw the effect
of a bite on a sheep-dog, which had been bitten near
the nose, which quickly swelled up and looked very
painful. As far as I can recollect, the shepherd ap-
plied carbolic oil, and in a couple of days the canine
patient was well. One informant tells me that he
once saw an adder swimming across Windermere
Lake with his head just above the water and mak-
ing a hissing noise.1 Another friend rode over one
on his bicycle as the adder was crossing the main
road from Ulverston to Lakeside." — Eev. P. Hartley,
M.A., Colton Vicarage, Ulverston.

1 This was probably a ring snake.

342 BRITISH SERPENTS.

Lancashire.

"The adder is the most common snake in this
county, the average length being from 21 to 24 inches.
In this district it is specially found on Clougha Pike,
Holker Moss, and at Witherslack in the Mosses.
Gamekeepers state that they have had several dogs
killed through adder-bites on these Mosses." — Arthur
Stanley, Lancaster (Hon. Sec. Field Nat. Soc.)

Various Localities.

" The ring snake is the most common snake in
Delamere (Cheshire), the adder being seldom met
with. I once captured a ring snake 33 inches long
in Delamere Forest.

" On the bogland at Witherslack, near Grange-over-
Sands, I have often been cautioned by the old men of
the district to ' mind the add-worms,' which they said
were plentiful.

"The ring snake is still very plentiful near Harlech
and Aberdaron, on Cardigan Bay, and near the latter
place one day I watched a blackbird pursuing a good-
sized blindworni. I captured the blindworm in my
butterfly-net and placed it in a large bottle of cyanide
of potassium, and carried it in the bottle a mile and a
half. On taking it out of the bottle at the village inn
the reptile at once showed activity and drove several
farmers from the room as effectively as a rattlesnake
could have done." — Mr Eobinson, 43 St John Street,
Longsight, Manchester.

343

CHAPTEE XXXII.
SCOTLAND.

It is unnecessary in the case of Scotland to consider
the various biological provinces in detail, because, as
far as British serpents are concerned, there is practi-
cally only one species found over the whole of the
country, and that is the adder. The ring snake is
occasionally reported in the extreme south-east, in
Eoxburghshire and Berwickshire, but never commonly
even here. About 20 inches is a very usual length
for the adder everywhere, though large specimens are
taken now and then. The ophidian distribution in
Scotland is probably a matter of climate more than
anything else, and the adder has, among its other
characteristics, a greater capacity for standing cold
than the ring snake. Its period of hibernation does
not seem to be any longer in the northern clime, as
it is generally to be seen in Sutherland as soon even
as March, which is quite as early as most of the
southern counties in England. The black variety
of the adder is found in Scotland more frequently

344 BRITISH SERPENTS.

than in other parts of the country, and some are of
opinion that the species has a somewhat different
build from the English serpent. Comparatively
little attention has been paid to this subject, and
it offers a 2,ood field of investigation to Scottish
naturalists.

Resfardino- the size of adders in Scotland, the follow-
ing correspondence appeared in the ' Scotsman ' in
the summer of 1900, and is reproduced here by kind
permission of the editor : —

Size of the Adder.

Glasgow, June 20, 1900.

Sir, — A statement was current in the press two
weeks ago that an adder had been killed in Ross-shire
35 inches long. I have made inquiry regarding it, and
find that the animal in question was not measured,
the length being only guessed at. As at this season
of the year the adder is often seen in suitable
localities, I should like to be allowed to repeat,
what I have over and over again said, that no adder
has ever been killed in Scotland of the above dimen-
sions, and to challenge any one to produce a speci-
men of that length. Last year a correspondent made
the assertion that they were common in Ross-shire,
and frequently found a yard or more in length, but
since my former challenge no one has yet been pro-
duced. The maximum length is about 28 inches,
and any which are killed and found on measurement

SCOTLAND. 345

to be over 30 inches in length are well worth pres-
ervation and recording ; but till that is done I must,
like the majority of naturalists, remain sceptical of
the yard-long specimens so frequently spoken about.
— I am, &c, EoiN.

Chambers, 136 George Street,
Edinburgh, June 21, 1900.

Sir, — With reference to the challenge thrown out
by " Eoin ' in this morning's ' Scotsman,' to produce
an adder over 28 inches in length, I have to state
that in 1867, when driving with my father from
Callander to the Port of Menteith, we captured an
adder 36 inches in length. We preserved this adder
in spirits for many years, but ultimately my father
save the adder to the late Mr Jenner, of Easter
Duddingston, and I have no doubt that this adder
is still in the possession of his legatees. — I am, &c,

George L. Beattie.

The Inch. Edinburgh, June 21, 1900.
Sir, — It may interest your readers to know that
yesterday I found an adder sunning itself on a small
patch of grassy ground in a moorland district of
Argyleshire. I did not measure it, but thought it
was from 18 to 20 inches in length. After dis-

O

patching it with my stick, I proceeded to dissect
it with the view of ascertaining on what it had
been feeding, and was surprised to find no less than
three young larks almost fledged, evidently the con-

346 BRITISH SERPENTS.

tents of the same nest. Although, as is well known,
reptiles take a considerable time to " suck in " and
swallow their prey, the birds must have become its
victims at the same time, as the three were intact,
with no appearance of assimilation or digestion having
commenced. What surprises one is the remarkable
powers of distension of the mouth and throat which
makes it possible for an adder to swallow anything
approaching to the size of a lark.

It is now over twenty years since I recorded having
witnessed an adder attempting to drag a grouse chick
a few davs old into a hole. It had seized the chick
by the neck, and blood was squirting out at both
sides of the reptile's mouth, On another occasion,
when approaching a tuft of heather where a grey
hen was sitting on her eggs, I found the bird evidently
in great distress. On approaching she flew a short
distance, when I espied an adder killing a newly
hatched chick, while three others lay dead.

Where grouse are numerous on a moor it is easy
to see how an entire brood, when very young, may
be killed and devoured by an adder. Fortunately
reptiles do not require to feed often, or the destruction
to young game would be incalculable.

Should any of your readers, in view of " Eoin's ':
letter, record the measurements of adders, it would
be interesting, indeed, if they would also dissect them
and mention on what they had been feeding. — I am,
&c, Tom Speedy.

SCOTLAND. 347

Ardgay, June 21, 1900.

Sir, — Those who take an interest in these matters
may like to know that serpents, not adders, of from
3 feet upwards are known in the Highlands.

The report I sent you did not say that the 35-inch
snake was an adder. Any person of mediocre intel-
ligence or common-sense knows that adders seldom if
ever exceed 28 inches. The biggest I ever measured
was 27J inches exactly. The other long snakes I do
not know by name, but they exist. The biggest I
have heard of was 4 feet 4 inches, killed by a Donald
MacLeod, shepherd, Cearbhaig, near Cape Wrath, an
account of which was published in a London paper
at the time, but not by me. The information I got
as to the paragraph which appeared in your columns
was given by a gentleman holding a public office,
and who is not given to exaggeration. I have since,
however, interviewed the slayer of the serpents, and
he assures me that in his opinion the 35 inches re-
ported by me was under the mark. He had no tape-
line or foot-rule with him at the time, so his only
recourse was to measure with his boots, of which the
big snake exceeded three lengths. The man stands
about 6 feet in height. He tells me he has had
letters from Edinburgh, Glasgow, and other places,
to all of which he replied, giving full particulars as
to the size, colouring, &c, of the snake. Mr Murray's
full name, designation, and address were given at the
time. — I am, &c, Your Correspondent.

348 BRITISH SERPENTS.

53 Hanover Street, Edinburgh, June 22, 1900.
Sir, — Having the adder referred to by Mr George
Beattie in to-day's 'Scotsman' in my possession, I
shall be glad to show it to any one interested who
cares to call at my address here. — I am, &c.

Wm. T. Wood.

Joppa, June 22, 1900.

Sie, — More than once I have seen discussions as
to the size of adders, confining the extreme length
to about 26 or 28 inches. Doubtless there are not
many larger in the present time, but Mr Beattie's
letter in your issue of to-day, stating that he had
caught one in 1867 near Callander 36 inches long,
confirms my memory of one which, though not
measured at the time, so far as I remember, I have
always considered was from 33 to 36 inches in length.
When a boy in 1849 I was driving from Haddington
to Duns across the Lammermoors, and approaching
near Longformacus, found sunning itself at the side
of the road what looked a large reptile. The groom
lashed it well with the butt -end of his whip until
it seemed dead. We then got it thrown into the
back of the dogcart, fastening the door. Arriving
at Duns, we soon found from its movements that
the adder was alive, and opened the door cautiously.
Several people had collected. It had raised itself
until its head and neck were stretched along the top
of the machine and its tail part along the bottom.

SCOTLAND. 349

Its hissing was easily heard ; but it was soon out
on the hard causeway and despatched quickly. I
was young, and glad to get away from it, and don't
know what was done with it. It was not likely
to be preserved, at any rate. The box part of the
dogcart was large and deep, constructed for carrying
large parcels. — I am, &c, E. E. Porteous.

Glasgow, Junt 27, 1900.

Sir, — There are some discrepancies in "Your
Correspondent's ': letter. He says the report did
not say that the snake originally referred to was
an adder. In those reports which I saw it was
called an adder, and the " slayer of the serpents,"
with whom I communicated, distinctly affirms that
it was, so that the whole point at issue was the
length. As both he and " Your Correspondent " says
it was not measured, except by the rough-and-ready
one with the " slayer's " boots, we have no accurate
evidence as to the reptile's length. The other snakes
which " Your Correspondent ': says " are known in
the Highlands" have yet to be identified, and all the
statements which from time to time have appeared
have on investigation been found to be untrust-
worthy. There are only three species of snakes found
in the British Isles — the adder or viper ( Vipera herus),
the ringed snake (Tropidonotus natrix), and the smooth
snake (Coronella austriaca). The adder is our only
Highland snake, and as the second named, which is

350 BRITISH SERPENTS.

absolutely harmless, is the only one of the three
named which grows to 3 feet or more in length, it
may have travelled to the North ; but true evidence
of that fact has yet to be given, and it is a curious
circumstance that all the large serpents killed in the
North are lost or cannot be produced for identifica-
tion by competent authorities.

I am glad to hear that the serpent which Mr
Beattie referred to is in existence, and as Mr Wood
has kindly offered to show it to any one, perhaps
those interested may see whether it measures as has
been alleged. I will take an early opportunity to do
so myself personally.

Mr Porteous's experience is that of many others
reported — it was not measured at the time, and he,
after fifty years, " considered that it was 35 or 36
inches in length." Here, in this case, although he
says it was an adder, the creature was neither meas-
ured nor preserved. No ; snakes have been seen often
in the Highlands of gigantic and grotesque shapes,
but I am afraid to suggest the cause ! — I am, &c,

Eoin.

Glasgow, July 27, 1900.

Sir, — I am very pleased indeed to see the letter of
my venerable friend the Kev. Dr Stewart ("Nether
Lochaber ") in a recent issue of your paper on the
above subject, which to a certain extent confirms
some former statements of mine regarding the adder

SCOTLAND. 351

in the Highlands. I think I am safe in saying that
there is no man living better acquainted with the
natural history of our Highlands than Dr Stewart,
and I would be pleased if he would give expression
to his experience and opinion on the dimensions to
which the adder grows in Scotland. Eeverting to
the former correspondence on that subject, I have
since then, through the kindness of Mr Wood, the
present owner, examined the "36-inch adder" for-
merly referred to by Mr Beattie, and fear that the
latter gentleman's memory has for once been faulty.
The reptile is hermetically sealed in a glass jar, and
from its appearance I take it to be about 27 inches
long. Mr Wood is unwilling to have the jar broken,
and no perfectly accurate measurement can therefore
be taken in its present situation. It has also been
submitted to an expert in bottled objects, who after
measurement stated it to be 28 inches long; but on
being asked to be as generous as possible in his
measurements, said it might be 30 inches, but both
of us agreed independently of each other that it
could not possibly be 36 inches long. If the owner
will allow the jar to be broken and the reptile ac-
curately measured, I am willing to have it suitably
remounted for him at my own expense, and if it
measures 36 inches, as Mr Beattie alleged, will give
a guinea to any Edinburgh or Glasgow charity which
he may care to name ; but if it does not come up to
the above dimensions, then I leave it to him to say

352 BRITISH SERPENTS.

whether he should not come under a .similar obliga-
tion. I think that is a fair and reasonable challenge,
and one which will settle the question so far as this
individual specimen is concerned, and I only ask that
as a condition I be represented at the post-mortem.

The question put by Mr Farrow as to the adder
swallowing its young in times of any approaching
danger is too debatable a subject to open up in your
columns. All I would like to say on the matter is
that I personally do not believe in the statement,
and experiments and investigations on that subject
have hitherto been negative, although the opinion is
common in many parts of the country.

It might interest Mr Farrow to know that while the
blindworm is common in most parts of the Highlands,
it is, or was at one time, particularly so in Ailsa Craig,
an isolated rock in our firth about eight miles from
the mainland, where it grew to a large size, some
being 18 inches long. They had abundant food in
the large black slug, which is numerous on the Craig;
but the accidental introduction of the rat from a ship-
wrecked vessel reduced their numbers considerably,
and I do not think the slow-worms are now quite
so plentiful. They are such useful creatures to the
farmer and agriculturist that I am always pained to
see them so often killed and mangled in our glens
from ignorant prejudice as to their nature. For over
thirty years I have kept and bred them in confine-
ment, and always found them gentle, harmless pets.

SCOTLAND. 353

The young are particularly handsome little things
in their first coats of golden yellow with a dark
stripe down their backs. To those who might care
to keep these pretty little lizards, I may say that they
are easily kept in such receptacles as a fern-case or
an inverted propagating-glass, with a supply of water
for drinking purposes, and they may be fed on worms
or slugs. The little white slug so much detested by
florists and gardeners is a particularly favourite morsel
to them. — I am, &c, EoiN.

Nether Lochaber, July 31, 1900.

Sir, — In the ' Scotsman ' of yesterday your corre-
spondent " Eoin ' appeals to me to say my say as to
the dimensions to which the adder grows in Scotland,
and I hasten to comply, for the subject is in many
respects an interesting one.

The usual size of the ophidian in question is
from 18 to 22 inches. A 24-inch adder is a very
large one, and anything beyond 24 inches is ex-
tremely rare. The largest I ever saw — and I have
in my day seen hundreds of them — was sent to me
many years ago from Iona by the Eev. Mr Eitchie,
the present minister of the parish of Creich in the
Presbytery of Dornoch. Mr Eitchie was then a
divinity student. This Iona adder measured 27J
inches in length, and a larger one, it is my opinion,
was never seen in Scotland.

The bottled adder in the possession of Mr Wood

z

354 BRITISH SERPENTS.

may be 28 inches in length ; and if it is, it is well
worth preservation as an exceptionally large speci-
men. Honestly measured, however, I question if it
will be found to be quite so large as my Iona speci-
men. In any case " Eoin's " guinea is perfectly safe.
If the owner of the bottled snake agrees to his pro-
posal, I am confident that, far from measuring 36
inches, the specimen in question will not even
measure 30 inches ; and I shall be surprised to
hear that it is of equal length with that sent to
me from Iona.

It will be of some interest, perhaps, if I state that
although got in Iona, and sent to me from Iona, the
adder does not occur in that sacred isle. Adamnan
tells us that St Columba banished all noxious animals
from Iona, just as St Patrick banished " all the ver-
min " from Ireland. The way in which Mr Eitchie
got the adder which he was so kind as send on to me
was this. Walking on a beautifully bright and calm
summer evening along the silvery strand that borders
the narrow sound that separates Iona from the island
of Mull, which abounds in adders, he noticed some
creature swimming fast towards the shore. When it
landed it rested for a little on the warm white sand,
which we may suppose was grateful to it after swim-
ming across the sound. It then wriggled up until it
reached the adjoining grass-land — the soil proper of
the sacred isle — into which it had not crept more
than twice its own length when it suddenly stopped

SCOTLAND. 355

wriggling and was dead ! The good people of Ion a
were surely not to blame if, discarding the suggestion
that the reptile had died from exhaustion after its
long swim, they rather attributed its sudden death
to St Columba's blessing of their island, which for
ever rendered its soil inimical to any poisonous
creature that ventured to invade it. — I am, &c,

Alexander Stewart, LL.D.

An excellent account of the " Reptiles and Batrach-
ians of the Edinburgh District'' was read on March
21, 1894, by Mr Wm. Evans, F.B.S.E., before the
Royal Physical Society of Edinburgh. The author
has sent me this paper with his kind permission to
quote it, and accordingly I have made the following
extracts from it, and from some further notes he has
added since then : —

« TwpidoTwtus natrix {Ringed Snake). — Several
authors refer to this species as an inhabitant of Scot-
land, but their statements are for the most part of
a very general character ; and, so far as I can dis-
cover, no instance of the actual capture of a specimen
in a wild state is on record." [Then follow quotations
from other writers.] " After carefully considering the
above evidence, I have come to the conclusion that,
although probably at one time a native of the Low-
lands of Scotland (including the Lothians), the ringed
snake does not now exist there as an indigenous
animal. As an escape, or an introduced species, it

356 BRITISH SERPENTS.

'may, no doubt, now and again manage to establish
itself in a way, but only, I fear, for a comparatively
brief period at the best.

" Two examples, which we may be sure were
escapes or their direct descendants, have been re-
cently captured within the suburbs of Edinburgh —
one on a footpath by a wall near Haymarket in July
1892, and the other in a villa garden at the Grange
in September 1893. The first was a variety of the
common snake, the second a typical specimen. (Other
specimens have since occurred in the city.)

" The Adder. — The adder or viper is confined to the
outskirts of our district, and even there it is very
local, and far from common till we reach the highland
country beyond Stirling on the one hand, or proceed
well into the Lammermoors on the other. I killed
two a number of years ago near Johnscleugh in East
Lothian. No doubt the adder still exists in a few
localities at the foot of the Pentlands, and also
towards the Moorfoot Hills. But its numbers must
be very limited, for I have wandered a great deal
all over the ground during the last thirty years
without seeing a trace of one. I have, however, been
able to trace them on both sides of the Pentlands.
Mr Thomas Gray, Braidwood, Temple, informs me
that in his young days they were not uncommon
in certain localities in the southern or moorland
portion of Mid-Calder parish. Crosswoodhill Moss
was a favourite habitat."

SCOTLAND. 357

Mr Evans then mentions that he has obtained
information of the occurrence of adders at the follow-
ing places : Harperrig, Middlerig, Harburnhead farm,
and " one was killed on the road near Crosswoodhill
toll five or six years ago."

" In the Bathgate district I have reason to believe
adders were at one time not uncommon, but I have
not heard of any recent occurrence there. . . .

" On the south side of the Pentlands we know that
the adder inhabited Harlaw Muir in the beginning of
the present century. On the adjoining extensive
moor of Auchencorth I have been told it still exists.
A few miles nearer West Linton it has been noted
by Mr T. G. Laidlaw, but very rarely, the only
example he has actually seen being a dead one lying
on the road near Coaly burn, about twenty years
ago. . . .

" In Peeblesshire the viper or adder — we are told
in Chambers's History of that county — was then
(1864) common. . . .

" One about 24 inches long was killed in Minch-
moor in 1892, and a large example in the schoolhouse
garden at Tweedsmuir in 1892. In the parish of
Temple, in the southern portion of Mid- Lothian,
and towards the foot of the Moorfoot Hills, it
would appear still to linger in one or two suitable
spots. . . .

" Throughout the greater part of the Lammermoors
adders are still fairly common. They were unusually

358 BRITISH SERPENTS.

numerous in Lauderdale in 1864 (' Scotsman ' and
' Zoologist ').... Mr James Caverhill says, ' The
country round about Crichness is full of " ether."
On a certain rocky face he could undertake to kill
a dozen in a suitable day. Taking the country gener-
ally, a shepherd might kill twenty to thirty in a
season.' . . .

" Dr Hardy says in reference to the Border counties,
' At Caldra shepherd's house, at foot of Spartleton,
adders are numerous. Occurs in Greywacke Crags.
The Dye Water, apparently to near its head as well
as its tributaries, full of adders.' ...

" As regards tiie north side of the Forth, I have
no actual record for Fife, though I have been told
that adders used to be seen on a moor in the western
part of the county. In the detached portion of
Perthshire immediately to the west of Fife Mr J. J.
Dalgleish informs me that many were killed in 1869
on a piece of moss of three or four acres which was
being levelled. Since then he has not heard of any
in that quarter. In the more highland part of the
valley beyond Stirling they are still to be met with
in many spots, but, except in a few localities, not
plentifully. . . . Between Callander and Port-o'-
Menteith the moors round about Loch Eusky are a
favourite habitat, where a few are killed every year.
The only example of the reddish - brown variety I
have been able to hear of was killed a few years
ago in a ploughed field a mile or two from Callander."

SCOTLAND. 359

The above copious extracts are from Mr Evans's
paper, in addition to which he has sent me the
following notes : —

"Adders are still common in the neighbourhood
of Aberfoyle, S.-W. Perthshire, where I met with
quite a number in April and May in 1896. I
measured a few as follows : female 20 inches ; male
20J inches ; female 22 inches (the two last killed
at one blow); female 20J inches. In May 1898 a
specimen said to be 26 inches in length was captured
by the members of the Scottish Natural History
Society on Auchencorth Moor." — William Evans,
F.R.S.E., 38 Morningside Park, Edinburgh.

" The adder occurs more or less in all the western
and south-western counties of Scotland, both on the
mainland and on the islands. It is, I believe, be-
coming more numerous in unfrequented places, but
on the islands which are pretty well populated it
is scarcer, and in some probably quite extinct. I
should say the adder is very numerous in Argyll-
shire and Dumbartonshire and in Arran, common
in Stirlingshire, Kenfrew, and Ayr, occasional in
Bute and Lanarkshire. This species, however, is
so exceedingly shy that unless one devoted an
entire hot summer to it no reliable knowledge of
its numbers and habits could be got, and this no-
body has done. The adder frequently swims across
straits and creeks in Loch Lomond, going from

360 BRITISH SERPENTS.

island to island, and is thus one of the three
wonders of that lake —

' Waves without wind,
Fish without fins,
And a floating island.'

The ring snake does not exist anywhere in Scotland,
to my knowledge, at any rate in the West." — Alfred
Brown, Luss, Dumbartonshire.

Mr Thomas Scott, F.L.S. (Aberdeen), tells me that
he has a specimen of an adder 14f inches long which
was killed in an open drain near East Tarbert, and he
heard at the time that the species was not uncommon
there. He has also heard of adders being killed on
the moors behind Greenock. The slow-worm he has
taken on Ailsa Craig.

The unusual occurrence of an adder being found
active in the month of December is reported to me by
Mr J. H. Browne, of Longformacus, Berwickshire, in
which parish the reptile was captured by a shepherd.
It was in Christmas week 1900, and the adder meas-
ured 26 inches. The shepherd's dog drew his master's
attention to it. Mr Browne tells me that the average
size of adders in the Longformacus district is about
22 inches. He adds that the species is found all over
the Lammermoor Hills and on the Duns estate. He
mentions that they vary in colour from gold to black.
— Author.

SCOTLAND. 361

Ayrshire and Arran.

" I have never heard of a ring snake in this district.
I once killed an adder on Auchentibber Moss, near
here, but have not heard of any in recent years. I
also killed one in Glen Sannox in Arran, where adders
are still common. I did not measure either of these,
but they were not large. In a farmhouse where I
stayed on the west side of Arran I was told that the
woman there had been bitten on the leg by an adder,
and that the limb became ' swollen and black.' Her
husband also told me that one day when he was
taking down a rick of hay he found it ' full of adders '
(they call them 'serpents' there). The farmer added
that his method of killing them was to put the heel
of his boot on the reptile's head, when ' they aye twist
their tail roon ma leg.' " — J. Smith, Moukredding,
Kilwinning, Ayrshire.

Stirling.

" The adder is fairly common in this county, and
averages 20 inches in length. I have not heard of
the ring snake being found, nor do I know of the
smooth snake being recorded." — David B. Morris,
Stirling, KB.

Perthshire.

'; The adder is common in this district : I have seen
as many as live in a single day's excursion. This was

362 BRITISH SERPENTS.

in the Sma' Glen. One or two on a dav's walking on
the moors is quite a usual experience. The largest
specimen I have in the museum measures about 2
feet. Neither the ring snake nor the smooth snake
occur, to my knowledge. The slow-worm is found
occasionally. The adder averages 18 to 20 inches." —
Alex. M. Rodger, Curator to Museum, Tay Street,
Perth.

Sutherlandshire.

"Adders are common and large in this county. I
have more than once seen them basking on a sunny
rock, and as I crept by, on a deer-stalk, one has
sprung at my face, but fortunately missed me. They
are deadly-looking creatures in this locality." — J.
Conway Dalter, Langton Rectory, Lincolnshire.

Inverness.

" Our only Scottish snake is the adder or viper, and
this species is more common in the northern than the
southern counties. Its usual length is from 18 to 22
inches, although considerably larger specimens are
sometimes taken. This measurement applies also to
Argyll (and is also true of Scotland at large)." — Alex.
Stewart, LL.D., F.S.A., Nether Lochaber.

" The adder is common in nearly all suitable places
in Scotland, and is particularly so in Mull and Arran
Its average length is from 18 to 20 inches, but in

SCOTLAND. 363

Mull, Arran, and Ross-shire specimens have been
taken as long as 27 and 28 inches." — J. Macknaught
Campbell, Kelvingrove Museum, Glasgow.

Mid- Lothian.

" The adder is the most common ophidian in this
county, but is not frequently seen — perhaps more
often on the Pentland Hills than elsewhere. Its
average length in the county is 24 inches. The ring
snake does not occur, and the smooth snake is not
recorded. I have seen fourteen adders in different
parts of Scotland, the smallest measuring 22 inches,
the largest 27 inches. The smallest was captured on
the Ochil Hills near Dollar, and the largest at Zenga,
in the island of Mull."— A. B. Steele, 41 Regent
Street, Portobello.

Aberdeenshire.

" The adder is the only snake of this county, and
is locally termed the grey adder. It is found in fair
abundance, growing to a length of 24 inches." — John
Davidson, Marischal College, Aberdeen.

364

CHAPTER XXXIII.

TABLE OF AVERAGE LENGTHS OF ADDERS AND
RING SNAKES IN COUNTIES AND DISTRICTS.

The following table of the average lengths of the
ring snake and adder in the various biological
provinces has been prepared from the mass of
correspondence in my possession relating to the
local distribution of British serpents. The name
of the observer in each case is appended : —

TROPIDONOTUS NATRIX, or RING SNAKE.

I. Peninsula Province.

Inches.

Cornwall — Delabole

36 to 42

Author.

Devon — Central

about 30

Dr Dale.

Torquay

30

Alex. Somervail.

Kingsbridge

30

Ed. A. Elliot, M.R.C.S

Dartmoor

30

Rev. Gregory Bateman.

Somerset

36

H. E. Baleh.

II. Channel Prov

INCE.

Dorset — Wareb am

30

Rev. O. P. Cambridge.

Central

30 to 39

Rev. F. W. Brandreth.

LENGTHS OF ADDERS AND RING SNAKES.

365

II. Channel Province— continued.

Generally

Central
Hants

Portsmouth
Sussex— East

South-east

Central

St Leonards
Do.
Do.

Arundel

Inches.

30

A. Old.

30 to 40

Author.

24 to 30

W. Dale, F.S.A.,

36

Chas. Foran.

24 to 26

L. B. Hall.

33

Walter Field.

28

Benjamin Lomax.

34

A. Cheshill.

up to 36

H. G. F. Spurrell

30

Jos. Anderson.

24

Leslie E. Lewis.

F.G.S.

III. Thames Province.

Kent— Dover

34

W. Jacob.

Abbey Wood

30

Arthur Poore.

Tunbridge Wells

37

F. Roberts.

Surrey

36

Author.

Essex

up

to 39

E. A. Fitch, F.L.S,

Berks

36

Eleanor G. Hayden

Reading

34

C. N. Allen.

Bucks

30

M. D. Hill.

IV. Ouse Province.

Suffolk

24 to 30

H. Miller.

Norfolk

30

Author.

Cambridge

up to 48

Albert H. Waters, B.A.

Northampton

35

C. E. Wright.

V.

Severn Province.

Gloucester

24 to 30

C. A. Witchell.

Do.

24 to 30

L. T. Austen.

Do. Bristol district

24 to 30

H. Charbonnier.

Monmouth — North

36

Author.

Hereford

24 to 30

Author.

Worcester

36

Wm. H. Edwards.

Warwick

30 to 32

B. J. Horton.

Stafford

30

W. Gregory.

Do.

36

J. R. B. Masefield.

Shropshire

30

H. E. Forrest.

Wolverhampton

district

24

Wm. Hutchinson, F.G.S

366

BRITISH SERPENTS.

VI. South Wales Province.

Newcastle Emlyn district
Glamorgan — East
Brecon

Inches.
24 to 30
32 to 41
54

Frank Davies.
John Storrie, A.L.S.
Dr Baldock Fry.

Merioneth
(See table by H. E. Forrest.)

VII. North Wales Province.

30 to 36 D. Arthur Hughes.

VIII. Trent Province.

Lincoln

Do.

Leicester

Do.
Rutland
Derby

30 to 39

36

27 to 30

30

24

30

Rev. E. A. Woodruffe-

Peacock.
Arthur Smith.
Montagu Browne, F.Z.S.
Frank Bouskell, F.E.S.
Reginald Haines, M.A.
W. Boulsover.

Cheshire
Do.

IX. Mersey Province.

to 33
to 36

R. Newstead.
Lin. Greening.

X. Humber Province.

Yorkshire — North
York
Ripon
Wakefield
Generally

16
36

26
36

36 to 48

G. Best.
R. Dutton.
C. Chapman.
George Parkin.
Oxley Grabham.

Durham

XL Tyne Province.

24 to 30 J. W. Fawcett.

XII. Lakes Province.

Lancashire — Holker Moss
Cumberland

Isle of Man

up to 42

28

Arthur Stanley.
W. Duckworth.

j ophidians ) p
( absent i

M. C. Kermode.

LENGTHS OF ADDERS AND KING SNAKES.

367

VIP ERA BERUS, or ADDER.

I. Peninsula Province.

Inches.

Cornwall— Perranwell I ™ale,2°i. \ C.Rogers

( female 20 t '

Devon — Torquay
Central
Kingsbridge
Dartmoor

Generally

Somerset— Wells

female 20f

18

under 24

12

20
f male 24

\ female to 27

up to 27

Alex. Somervail.
Dr Dale.

Ed. Elliot, M.R.C.S.
Rev. Gregory Batemau.

| H. P. Hearder.
H. E. Balch.

II. Channel Province.

Dorset

up to 24

Weymouth

14 to 18

Wareham

18 to 24

Central

14 to 24

Do.

/ male to 23

I female to 26

Hants

18 to 20

Portsmouth

18 to 20

Gosport district

21

Sussex— St Leonards

20

East

18

Do.

13 to 18

South-east

21

Do.

24

Do.

20 to 24

Arundel

21

A. Old.

Nelson Richardson.
Rev. O. P. Cambridge.
Rev. F. W. Brandreth.

- Author.

W. Dale, F.S.A.
C. Foran.
W. Pearce.
A. Cheshill.
L. B. Hall.
Ben. Lomax.
Walter Field.
Jos. Anderson.
H. G. F. Spurrell.
Leslie H. Lewis.

III. Thames Province.

Kent — Tunbridge Wells

23

Fred. Roberts.

Dover

22 to 24

W. Jacob.

Surrey

up to 23^

Oswald Latter,

Berks — Wellington

up to 24

J. Bevir.

Do.

18 to 24

C. N. Allen.

368

BRITISH SERPENTS.

Suffolk
Norfolk— N.R

IV. Ouse Province.
Inches,
to 24 H. Miller.

( male to 24
I female to 26 J

Rev. M. Bird.

V. Severn Province.

Gloucester

( male 21
I female 23

j-C. A. Witchell.

Do.

14

L. T. Austen.

Do. Bristol district

under 24

H. Charbonnier.

Monmouth — North

( male 241
1 female 25

> Author.

Hereford — South

( male 24A
1 female 25

> Author.

Do. Bishopsfrome

24

Adelaide C. Browne.

Stafford

18 to 24

J. R. B. Masefield.

Do.

20 to 22

G. H. Storer, F.Z.S.

Shropshire

18 to 24

H. E. Forrest.

VI.

South Wales Province.

Glamorgan — East

19 to 21

John Storrie, A.L.S.

Do.

20

T. Rees.

Brecon

21

W. Baldock Fry, M.B

' Caermarthen

. . .

-

Pembroke — Newcastle
Emlyn district

' 1 18 to 24

Frank Davies.

Cardigan

18

Prof. J. H. Salter.

VII. North Wales Province.

The following table is a summary of information in the
possession of Mr H. E. Forrest, collected in the preparation
of a book on the fauna of North Wales : —

County and
District.

Adder.
not observed

Montgomery
Llanerfyl
Guilstield
Llansansffraid occurs in dry years

Ring Snake.

very numerous
plentiful
plentiful
rather scarce

Observer.

J. Fort.

Rev. C. Harington.

P. A. Beck.

G. Dumville Lees.

LENGTHS OF ADDERS AND RING SNAKES.

369

VII. North Wales Province— continued.

County and
District.

Adder.

Ring Snake.

Observer.

Merioneth-

Barmouth

less common

common

J. C. Rawlings.

Rug

not observed

fairly common

Hon. C. B. Wynn.

Towyn

not observed

frequently seen

R. Robinson.

Carnarvon —

Bangor

fairly plentiful

fairly plentiful

G. Assheton Smith.

Clynnog

common

E. W. Badger.

Llandudno

. .

not common

A. Moore.

Denbigh —

Colwyn Bay

not common

fairly common

W. B. Russell.

Do.

sparingly distributed

not abundant

R. Newstead.

Llanrwst

plentiful

abundant up to 4 J ft.

B. W. Haifa ed.

Flint-

Mold

fairly common

not observed

B. Davies-Cooke.

Anglesey

abundant in places

generally distributed

R. Newstead.

Aberffraw

fairly common

a few seen

E. Gosling.

Merioneth

12-13 in.

. .

D. Artliur Hughes.

Denbigh

IS in.

. .

W. B. Halfaed.

Do.

to 24 in.

, ,

W.B. Russell. M.B.

Lincoln

Do.
Leicester

Do.
Derby

VIII. Trent Province.
Inches.
21 Arthur Smith.

16 to 18 Rev. J. Conway Dalter.

14

18
22

Frank Bouskell, F.E.S.
Montagu BroAvne, F.Z.S.
W. Boulsover.

IX. Mersey Province.

Cheshire

18

Lin. Greening.

X. Humber Province.

Yorkshire

York
Scarborough

North

Wakefield

Ripon

male 18 to 19 )A ,

Oxley
em ale up to 2-3 )

15 to 27 R. Dutton

Grabham.

male 18 to 19

female 20 to

22

22 to 24

24

2 A

> 1
22 J

W. J. Clarke.

George Best.
George Parkin
C. Chapman.

370

BRITISH SERPENTS.

XI. Tyne Province.
Inches.

Durham 20 to 24
Durham and Northum- ) 94

berland S
Durham 18

J. W. Fawcett.
Richard Howse, M.A.

W. Johnson.

XII. Lakes

Provj

[NCE.

Lancashire — North

Lancaster
Cumberland

24

21 to 24

18

Rev. P. Hartley.
Arthur Stanley.
W. Duckworth.

XIII. TO

XVIII. Provinces

of Scotland.

Scotland — generally

Aberdeen

Inverness

Mid-Lothian

Stirling

Perthshire

18 to 20

24

18 to 22

24

20

18 to 20

J. M'Knaught Campbell

J. Davidson.

Alex. Stewart, LL.D.

A. B. Steele.

David B. Morris.

Alex. M. Rodger.

In the case of English counties which are not men-
tioned in the foregoing table, a reference to the local
distribution will show that the Ophidia are so few in
these counties that it is impossible to get reliable
figures. In the remaining parts of Scotland the aver-
age is much the same as that stated in the districts
mentioned.

371

APPENDIX.

The following pages are intended to be filled up by the
field naturalist as specimens come under his observation,
thus providing a permanent record of the relative fre-
quency and average lengths of the various species in the
locality referred to, and a means of comparison with the
observations of others.

(The author would be grateful if observers would com-
municate to him the result of their observations from time
to time.)

372

BRITISH SERPENTS.

VIP ERA BERUS, or ADDER.

Locality.

Sex.

Length.

Observer.

APPENDIX.

373

VIP ERA BERUS, or ADDER.

Locality.

Sex.

Length.

Observer.

374

BRITISH SERPENTS.

TROPIDONOTVS NATRIX, or RING SNAKE.

Locality,

Sex.

Length.

Observer.

APPENDIX.

375

TR0P1D0N0TUS NATR7X, or RING SNAKE.

Locality.

Sex.

Length.

Observer.

376

BRITISH SERPENTS.

CORONELLA AUSTRIACA, or SMOOTH SXAKE.

Locality.

Sex.

Length.

Observer.

INDEX.

The names of counties, districts, and localities will be found under the heading
" County Distribution."

The detailed references to the three species of British snakes will he found under tin
respective headings "Adder," "Ring Snake," and "Smooth Snake."

g. = quoted or quotation.

Abergavenny, 14.
Adder—

age, 118.

anatomy, 96.

antidotes, 139-142, 225.

attitudes, 137-139, 221.

average length, 76.

bite, 126-141.

black, 248.

climate, 112.

colour variation, 94, 9f), 109-125,
321, 301, 291.

description, 76-80.

development, 153-163.

dissections, 101, 103, 105, 107.
149, 151.

distribution, 75, 237.

effect of venom, 126-136. '

eggs, 151-155.

embryos, 155-160.

enemies, 167.

fangs, 97, 98.

fat, 139.

food, 84-92, 113.

frequency, 240.

gland, 98.

gullet, 100, 101, 103.

habits, 83.

haunts, 82.

head, 96.

head plates, 96, 97.

Adder —
heart, 102, 105, 107.
heredity, 112.
hibernation, 60-67.
incidents, 221-232.
jaws, 97.

jumping, 138, 221.
keel-backed, 24.
liver, 102, 105, 107.
local distribution, 237.
locality. 113.
male and female, 245.
markings, 77-81.
measurements, 76, 77, 367.
Monnow Valley, 84.
number of young, 145-153.
objections to theory, 167-173.
oesophagus, 100.
oviducts, 151.

pairing,

143.

pancreas, 102.
pathological, 123.
poison-gland, 98.
preserving specimens, 21 S.
remedies for bite, 139-142.
reproduction, 143-163.
respiration, 108.
sexes, 92-94, 117.
shape, 81.
side-markings, 80.
size, 76, 77.

378

INDEX.

Adder —

sloughing, 67-74, 163.

statements, 176-193.

sub-candal scales, 94.

swallowing young, 164-193.

symptoms of bite, 127-135.

synonyms, 9.

tail, 94, 82.

throat, 95.

time of birth, 144.

timidity, 83.

tongue, 99, 100.

treatment of bite, 136.

Tyrrell's experiments, 191, 192.

venom, 65, 66, 127.

ventral scales, 94.

V-markings, 79.

white, 123.

windpipe, 99.
Add-worra, 342.
^Estivation, 60.
Ag-worm, 329.
Alligators, 7.
Alps, 5.
America, 3.
Anatomy of adder, 96.

ring snake, 22-25.
smooth snake, 44, 47, 57.
Anguis fragilis, 7 , 10.
Appendix, 371.

Archbishop of Canterbury, 222.
Australia, 4, 39.
Autumn, 27, 144.
Average lengths, 364-370.

Baldry, Mr, q., 55-57.

Belgium, 44.

Bell, Dr, q., 53, 60.

Berks, 44, 53, 55.

Berus, 9.

Bevir, Mr, q., 53, 222.

Biological sheet, 234.

Blackmore, Dr, q., 51, 52.

Bladder, 23.

Blind-worm, 10.

Bloxworth Heath, 48, 49, 242, 258.

Bluebottle flies, 50.

Blunt-tailed snake, 17, 18.

Bond, Mr, q. , 48.

Bournemouth, 48, 55.

Bray, 38-40.

British Isles, 3.

British species, 5, 10.

"Brasher "Mills, 223-226.

Bundle of eggs, 36.

Cambridge, Rev. O. P., q., 47.

Cases of adder-bite, 128-135.

Cast-off slough, 55.

Cefncaeau, 29-33, 37.

Chelonia, 7.

Chloroform, 51.

Churt, 55.

Class Reptilia, 3, 7.

Classification, 7, 28.

Climate, 5, 60, 112.

Cold, 60, 61.

Colour of ring snake, 14.

smooth snake, 44, 57.
Colour variation, 109-125.
Coluber duvifrisiensis, 53, 59.
ferrugineus, 59.
murorum, 28.
natrix, 28.
torquatus, 28.
Colubridse, 28.
Colubrines, 28.
Common snake, 28.
Continent, 43.
Cooke, M. C, q., 21.
Coronella austriaca, 7, 10, 43-59.
austriacus, 59.
Icevis, 10, 48-59.
< Country Life ' q. , 38.
County distribution —

Abbey Wood, 274.

Aberdaron, 342.

Aberdeen, 363.

Aberffraw, 316.

Aberfoyle, 359.

Abergele, 317.

Aberystwith, 312.

Ailsa Craig, 352, 360.

Anglesea, 315, 316, 326.

Ankerdine Hill, 299.

Argyleshire, 345, 359.

Arran, 359, 361, 362.

Arundel, 270.

Auchencorth Moss, 357.

Auchentibber Moss, 361.

Ayr, 359, 361.

Bakewell, 324.

Bala, 314.

Barmouth, 314, 315.

Bathgate, 357.

Bedfordshire, 285.

Belford, 335.

Berkshire, 280, 281.

Berwick, 335, 343.

Beverley, 249.

Bewick, 335.

INDEX.

379

County distribution —
Bircher Common, 297.
Black Moss Pool, 338.
Blanchland, 335.
Bleasdale Forest, 327.
Blyton Carrs, 320.
Bowdon, 327.
Brecon, 309.
Breidden Hills, 313.
Brighton, 322.
Bristol, 292.
Buckland Newton, 264.
Bucks, 282.
Bull Bay, 326.
Bute, 359.

Caermarthen, 247, 310.
Caldew Valley, 340.
Callander, 345, 348, 358.
Cambridgeshire, 285.
Cannock Chase, 298, 302.
Canterbury, 275.
Cape Wrath, 347.
Cardigan, 247, 310.
Carleton, 338.
Carnarvon, 315.
Carno, 314.
Cenarth, 248.
Channel Province, 241.
Chartley Park, 298.
Chat Moss, 327.
Cheshire, 250, 325, 327.
Cheviots, 251, 334.
Chichester, 271.
Chillingham, 334.
Churnett Valley, 244.
Clougha Pike, 342.
Coalbrookdale, 300.
Coalyburn, 357.

Comparison of counties, 237-363.
Coquet, 334.
Cornwall, 240, 241, 253.
Corwen, 313.
Cotehill, 338.
Cotteswold, 291.
Cradley, 297.
Crichness, 358.
Crookham, 334.
Crosswoodhill Moss, 356.
Cumberland, 210, 337-340.
Darlington, 329.
Dartmoor, 255.
Dean, 244, 247, 338.
Delamere Forest, 250, 342.
Denbigh, 315, 316.
Derbyshire, 249, 324.

County distribution —
Derwent, 335.
Derwentdale, 336.
Devon, 209, 241, 254.
Dorset, 208, 241, 242, 258-264.
Dover, 177, 242, 273.
Duddon, 340.
Dudley, 301.
Dumbarton, 359.
Duns, 348.

Durham, 251 , 332-336.
Dye Water, 358.
Eastbourne, 270.
East Tarbert, 360.
Ecclesbourne, 209.
Eccleshill, 298.
Edinburgh, 356.
Ellesmere, 301.
Epping Forest, 279.
Eskdale, 337. .

Essex, 278, 279.
Eythorne, 177.
Fairlight Glen, 209.
Fairsnape, 327.
Farnham, 276, 277.
Fells, 327.
Flintshire, 315, 316.
Forest of Dean, 244, 247.
Forest of Wyre, 247.
Fownhope, 297.
Furness, 340.

Garway, 115, 195-204, 296.
Gibside, 335.
Glamorgan, 303, 304.
Glen Sannox, 361.
Glitters, 334.

Gloucestershire, 244, 288-292.
Golfa Hill, 313.
Gosforth, 337.
Graig, 115, 195-204.
Greenock, 360.
Greywacke, 358.
Guernsey, 240.
Gwernefa, 305.
Hale Moss, 327.
Halifax, 331.
Hampshire, 265-268.
Harburnhead, 357.
Harlaw Muir, 357.
Harlech, 342.
Harperrig, 357.
Hastings, 209, 268.
Hayling Island, 267.
Hedgelev, 335.
Herefordshire, 240, 293-297.

380

INDEX.

County distribution —
Herts, 209, 279.
Highlands, 349.
Holderness, 330.
Holker Moss. 342.
Holme Fen, 286.
Holmrook, 337.

Humber Province, 250, 328-331.
Huntingdon, 286.
Inverness, 362.
Iona, 353-355.
Ipswich, 283.
Isle of Man, 240, 251.
Isle of Wight, 241, 265.
Jed, 335.
Jura, 76.
Kent, 273-276.
Kentchurch, 195.
Kettering, 286.
Kilwinning, 361.
Knightwick, 299.
Lake District, 209, 337-340.
Lakes Province, 251, 337-342.
Lammermoor, 348, 356, 357.
Lanark, 359.
Lancashire, 250, 327.
Langdale, 339.
Leckwith, 308.
Leicestershire, 250, 322.
Lincolnshire, 249, 250, 318-322.
Llangollen, 314.
Llanrwst, 315.
Llantrisant, 304, 307.
Loch Lomond, 359.
Loch Rusky, 358.
Longformacus, 348.
Lye, 268.
Mendip, 256.
Merioneth, 312.
Mersey Province, 250, 325-327.
Middlerig, 357.
Middleton, 334.
Mid-Lothian, 357.
Midsomer Norton, 257.
Minchmoor, 357.
Mold, 316.

Monmouthshire, 292, 309.
Montgomery, 313, 314.
Moorfoot Hills, 356, 357.
Morecambe Bay, 252, 338.
Mull, 354, 362.
Nesscliff, 301.
Newbv Cross, 337.
Newcastle Emlvn, 114, 310.
New Forest, 241, 260, 265.

County distribution —
Newlands, 338.
Norfolk, 283.
Norland Clough, 331.
Northallerton, 333.
Northampton, 286, 287.
Northumberland, 332-335.
North Wales Province, 248, 313-

317.
Nottingham, 323.
Ochil Hills, 363.
Old Storridge, 299.
Oswestry, 301, 313.
Ouse Province, 243, 283-287.
Oxford, 281.
Oxted, 277.
Parlic Pike, 327.
Patricroft, 327.
Pembroke, 247, 310, 311.
Peninsula Province, 240, 241, 253.
Pentlands, 356, 363.
Perthshire, 358, 361.
Pirn Hills. 301.
Port of Menteith, 345.
Portsmouth, 266, 267.
Preston, 327.
Quantock Hills, 256.
Radnor, 311.
Renfrew, 359.
Retford, 323.
Ringwood, 266.
Ripon, 330.
Ross, 295.
Ross-shire, 344.
Roxburgh, 335, 343.
Rudge Heath, 301.
Ruthin, 316.
Rutland, 323.
St Leonards, 269.
Sark, 240.
Scarborough, 328.
Scotland, 240, 343-363.
Scotton Common, 249, 320.
Severn Province, 244, 288-302.
Shipton-on-Stour, 292.
Shrewsbury, 301.
Shropshire, 300, 301.
Sol way Firth, 339.
Somerset, 209, 241, 256.
South Leverton, 324.
Southsea, 267.
South Wales, 247, 303-312.
Spartleton, 358.
Staffordshire, 299, 300.
Stalham, 284.

INDEX.

381

County distribution —

Stirling, 356, 359, 361.

Stoke Edith, 296.

Strensall Common, 329, 331.

Suffolk, 283.

Sunderland, 332, 335.

Surrey, 243, 276-278.

Sussex, 241, 268-272.

Sutherlandshire, 362.

Sutton, 277.

Teesdale, 329, 336.

Temple, 356, 357.

Teviot, 335.

Thames Province, 242, 273-282.

Titterstone Clee Hill, 301.

Trent Level, 320.

Trent Province, 249, 318.

Treswell Wood, 324.

Tunbrid^e Wells, 274.

Tweed, 335, 357.

Tweedsnmir, 357.

TVne Province, 251, 332-336.

Ulverston, 337, 341.

Vaynor, 304.

Wakefield, 331.

Wales, 303-317.

Wansford, 287.

Wark worth, 334.

Warwickshire, 298, 299.

Weardale, 336.

Wellington, 280.

Wentbridge, 331.

Westmoreland, 252, 337-339.

Weymouth, 260.

Whitchurch, 296.

Whitmore, 298.

Whittingham, 327.

Whixall Moss, 301.

Wicken Fen, 285.

Wiltshire, 241, 258.

Windermere, 341.

Witherslack, 342.

Wolverhampton, 299.

Woodhall Spa, 321.

Wooler, 334.

Wootton Bassett, 258.

Worcestershire, 297, 301.

Wybunbury, 298.

Wyre Forest, 247, 299, 301.

York, 329.

Yorkshire, 250, 328-331.

Zenga, 363.
County Wicklow, 38, 40.
Crocodilia, 7.
Cumbrian mountains, 11.

Delgany, 38, 39, 41.
Description of adder, 76-81.

ring snake, 13, 14.
smooth snake, 44.
Diet, 19, 52, 83-91.
Dissections, 101, 103, 105, 107, 149,

150.
Distension of throat, 25.
Distribution of adder, 75.

of ring snake, 11.

of smooth snake, 43.

(general), 3, 4.
Dorchester, 53.
Dorset, 44, 47, 48, 61, 208.
Dumfries, 53, 59.

Edder, 336.

Eggs, 21, 22, 26, 27, 34-36, 39, 41,

151-155, 337.
Embryos, 6, 22, 74, 156-162.
England, 5, 58.
Epiglottis, 23.
Europe, 5, 13, 43, 44.
Evidence, 42, 176-193.
Eye, 23.
Eyelids, 23, 25.
Eye-scale, 68.

Fagots, 22.

Fangs, 57, 97, 98.

February, 61.

Female, 44, 92-95, 118.

Fertility, 26.

Fish, 20, 114.

Food of adder, 83-91.

ring snake, 18-20, 24.

smooth snake, 47, 51, 56.
Forked tongue, 52.
Fragilis, 10.
France, 44.
Frequency, 26.
Fruit-trees, 40, 41.

Garway Hill, 61, 115, 127, 195.
Glamorgan, 25, 63.
Gloucestershire, 11.
Gothenburg, 44.
Graig, 61, 115, 195-204.
Grass snake, 28.
Green snake, 28.
Gullet, 100-103, 167-170, 178.
Gwern Efa, 63.

Habitat, 48, 52.
Habits, 25, 47, 82.

332

INDEX.

Hag-worm, 341.
Hants, 14, 48, 53, 55.
Harmless, 8, 23, 53.
Hatching, 22.
Haunts, 18, 56, 81-83.
Heads of species, 4.
Hedge snake, 28.
Herefordshire, 12.
Hibernation, 47-60.
Historical, 47.
Hodson, Sir R., q., 40.
Hollybrook, 38-40.
Hook, Mr B., q., 54, 55.
Hopley, Miss, q., 21, 170.
House, snakes in, 33, 221.

Ireland, 5, 13, 23, 38-42.
Isle of Man, 240, 251.
Isle of Wight, 241, 265.
Italy, 44.

Jawbones, 25.
Jaws, 24, 97.
Jura, 76.

Keel, 24.
Keel-backed, 24.
Kent, 64.
Kentclmrch Court, 12.

Labial plates, 47, 80.
Lacerta agilis, 7, 51.
vivipara, 7-
Lacertilia, 7.
Laurel-bush, 40.
Length of tail, 93.
Literature, 59.
Liver, 102, 107.
Lizard, 5, 7, 10, 47, 51, 56.
Llanelly, 29-37.
Llantrisant, 63.
Londesborough, Lord, 14.
Lungs, 25, 107.

Malta, 54.

Manure-heaps, 22, 27.

Markings, 13, 14, 44, 77-80.

Marshy, 18.

Maxwell, SirH., 61.

Measurements, 76, 77.

Membrane, 22, 26.

Mexico, 4.

Mice, 20, 83, 84.

Monmouthshire, 14.

Momiow Valley, 12, 61, 62, 194-205.

' Morning Leader ' q. , 29, 177.

Moselle river, 44.

Motion of snakes, 138, 139.

Mull, 76.

Muscular, 25.

Natrix, 9, 28.
Negative points, 23.
New Forest, 14, 61.
Newpark, 25, 304.
Newts, 20, 84, 88, 92.
New Zealand, 5, 7.
Non-poisonous, 23.
North America, 5.
Nose, 23.

Number of eggs, 21.
Number of young, 145.

Obituary, 304, 333.
Odour, 25, 47, 52.
Opel, Dr, 44, 52, 63.
Ophidia, 7, 10, 23, 27.
Order, 7, 27.

' Outlook 'q., 39, 53, 222.
Oviparous, 21.
Ovo-viviparous, 153.

Pairing, 143.

Parallel spots, 14.

Parley Heath, 48.

Pets, 27.

Pigeon's egg, 22.

Plague of snakes, 29-37.

Plates of heads, 23, 24, 44, 47.

Poison, effect of, 126. ■

Poison-gland, 98.

Poole, 53.

Proof of theory, 175.

Quarry, 18, 31, 32, 34, 36, 63.

Rabbit-holes, 63.
Rattlesnake, 193.
Red viper, 206-213, 265.
Reinden Wood, 64.
Reptilia, 4.
Respiration, 65.
Ring Snake —

anatomy, 22.

classification, 28.

description, 13.

distribution, 11.

eggs, 21, 22, 27, 36.

food, 18, 274, 288, 290.

habits, 19-22.

INDEX.

383

Ring Snake —

haunts, 18.

hibernation, 62.

incubating, 325.

in Ireland, 38.

in motion, 261.

measurements, 14, 364.

plague of, 29.

reproduction, 21.

sloughing, 60.

synonyms, 28.

tail, 12, 17, 18.
Russell, Hon. A., 48.

St Patrick, 5, 38, 39.
Sanddizard, 7.
Sauropsida, 6.
Scales, 18, 23, 47, 96.
Scharff, Dr, q., 40.
'Science Gossip,' 55, 59.
Serj)ents, 7.
Shrewsbury, 17.
Sicily, 44.
Silesia, 69.
Sloughing, 60, 67-74.
Slow-worm, 7, 51, 52, 83, 87, 89.
Small red viper, 9, 206-213.
Smooth Snake —

colour, 57, 58.

description, 44.

disposition, 52.

distribution, 43, 53, 55.

feeding, 56.

food, 51.

habits, 47.

haunts, 56.

hibernation, 63.

historical, 47-49.

illustrations, 45, 58.

literature, 59.

odour, 47, 52.

plates, 47.

reproduction, 47.

sloughing, 66.

synonyms, 59.
Snake, 10.
Snakes in Ireland, 38-42.

Squirrels, 26.
Steel-blue, 58.
Sternum, 23.
Stoats, 26.
Stradling, Dr, 128.
Superstition, 74, 140, 141.
Swallowing food, 19, 57, 87, 91.
young, 164-193.

Tear-ducts, 23.
Temporary hairs, 67.
tooth, 22.
Terminology, 9.
Thompson, Dr, q., 41.
Toads, 20.
Tongue, 25.
Tortoises, 7.

Tropidonotus natrix, 9-42.
Types, 6.

Venom, 126.
Ventral scales, 24, 94.

surface, 14, 24.
Viper, red, 9.
Vipera berus, 7, 75-193.

communis, 9.
Virulence of poison, 65, 66, 128-135.
Viviparous, 47.
Voles, 20, 84.

Wales, 5.
Warmth, 63.
Water. 18.
Water snake, 28.
Water-voles, 84, 87.
'Western Mail' q., 30.
Wimborne, 48.
Windpipe, 99.

Yellow collar, 12-14.
Yorkshire, 250, 328-331.

Zacholus austriacus, 59.
Zoological Gardens, 55, 59.
'Zoologist' q., 44, 48, 49, 51, 52,
59.

PRINTED BY WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS

Crown 8vo, with 74- Illustrations and a Map.

Price 6s. net.

A SKETCH OF

THE NATURAL HISTORY

(VERTEBRATES)

OF THE

BRITISH ISLANDS

WITH A

CONCISE BIBLIOGRAPHY OF POPULAE WORKS RELATING TO

THE BRITISH FAUNA

AND A LIST OF

FIELD CLUBS AND NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETIES
IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

BY

F. G. AFLALO, F.RG.S., F.Z.S.

AUTHOR OF 'A SKETCH OF THE NATURAL HISTORY OF AUSTRALIA,' ETC.

"A volume which every student with a real love for natural history ought to
tind most useful. "—Bod and Gun.

WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS
EDINBURGH AND LONDON

SPECIMEN ILLUSTRATION

From 'A Sketch of the Natural History {Vertebrates)
of the British Isles.'

w

O

o

t

c

w

BOOKS FOR NATURALISTS.

By "A SON OF THE MARSHES."
Cheap Uniform Edition. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d. each.

WITH THE WOODLANDERS AND BY THE TIDE.
Edited by J. A. OWEN.

"Delightful papers on rural life and the ways of the shore by the
masterly observer of both." — Times.

"An indescribable charm lurks in every page of this entertaining
work." — Daily Telegraph.

ON SURREY HILLS.

"Charming descriptive powers, added to an enthusiast's love of
nature, could not fail to produce a delightful volume."— Land and
Water.

WITHIN AN HOUR OF LONDON TOWN:

Among Wild Birds and their Haunts. Edited by J. A.
OWEN.

" It is a charming volume, full of the life and breath of the wild
country. " — Times.

ANNALS OF A FISHING VILLAGE.
Edited by J. A. OWEN.

' ' No one who takes up the story of ' Den's ' delightful life, and has
been introduced to 'Scoot' and 'Winder,' to 'Titlark' and 'Genus,'
will put the book down again until they have, witli much regret, finished
its last page." — Guardian.

FROM SPRING TO FALL; or, WHEN LIFE STIRS.
Edited by J. A. OWEN.

"A delightful country companion, not only as a record of a specialist's
observation, but as particularly stimulating to amateur naturalist studies."
— Bookman.

WILLIAM BLACKWOOD & SONS, Edinburgh and London.

NEW AND CHEAPER EDITION.

NORFOLK BROADS AND RIVERS;

OR,

THE WATERWAYS, LAGOONS, AND DECOYS
OF EAST ANGLIA.

Br G. CHRISTOPHER DA VIES.

Illustrated with Seven Full-page Plates. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.

"Mr Davies lias made the Broads (or river lagoons) his special
study and pleasure for many years past, and he writes of them both
with the fulness of knowledge and with the contagious enthusiasm of
the devoted amateur Altogether, as a pleasant and well-diversi-
fied jumble of sport, science, and picturesque description, Mr Davies's
book may be confidently recommended either for East Anglia, for
angling, or for light and breezy writing." — Pall Mall Gazette.

"Mr Davies gives us a succession of charming pictures of the
Broads, all tinged with personal adventure ; in fact, he describes
them with all the living details that make up the varied ' Life on
the Broads.'"— Field.

"A charming description of the inland seas of Norfolk and their
inhabitants, human and other, from the pen of Mr Davies. The
author describes his yachting adventures with such piquancy and
verve that we find ourselves mentally resolving to devote our next
autumn holidays to sailing the Broads instead of climbing the Alps."
— Westminster JRcview.

"His book is full of pleasant reading, even for those to whom

nature has denied all love for fishing and amateur yachting

It will be welcomed everywhere by all who can relish healthy writ-
ing upon healthy topics." — Spectator.

" It is doubtless the handsomest as well as the most interesting of
all descriptions of the Broads, and will preserve the memory of a
paradise for naturalists and sportsmen." — Land and Water.

WILLIAM BLACKWOOD & SONS, Edinburgh and London.

Catalogue

of

Messrs Blackwood & Sons*

Publications

PERIODS OF EUROPEAN LITERATURE: A Complete and

Continuous History of the Subject. Edited by Professor SAINTS-
BURY. In 12 crown 8vo vols., each 5s. net.

II. THE FLOURISHING OF ROMANCE AND THE RISE OF
ALLEGORY. (12th and 13th Centuries.) By GEORGE SAINTS-
BURY, M.A., Hon. LL.D., Aberdeen, Professor of Rhetoric and
English Literature in Edinburgh University.

III. THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY. By F. J. Snbll.

IV. THE TRANSITION PERIOD. By G. Gregory Smith.

V. THE EARLIER RENAISSANCE. By The Editor. [In the press.
VI. THE LATER RENAISSANCE. By David Hannay.
VIII. THE AUGUSTAN AGES. By Oliver Elton.
XI. THE ROMANTIC TRIUMPH. By T. S. Omond.

The other Volumes are ; —

I. The Dark Ages . . Prof. W. P. Ker.
VII. The First Half of the Seventeenth

Century . Prof. H. J. C. Grierson.
IX. The Mid - Eighteenth

Century . . J. Hepburn Millar.

X. The Romantic Revolt

Prof. C. E. Vaughan.
XII. The Later Nineteenth

Century The Editor.

PHILOSOPHICAL CLASSICS

Edited by WILLIAM KNIGHT,
in the University of St Andrews.

Descartes,
Butler
Berkeley,
Fichte, .
Kant,
Hamilton,
Hegel, .
Leibniz,

. . . Prof. Mahaffy.

. . Rev. W. L. Collins.
Prof. Campbell Fraser.

. . . Prof. Adamson.

. . . Prof. Wallace.

. . . . Prof. Veitch.

, The Master of Balliol.

. John Theodore Merz.

FOR ENGLISH READERS.

LL.D., Professor of Moral Philosophy
Re-issue in Shilling Volumes.

Vico, Prof. Flint.

Hobbes, . Prof. Groom Robertson.

Hume, Prof. Knight ) A

Spinoza, .... Principal Caird J
Bacon : Part I., . . Prof . Nichol \ <, f
Bacon: Part II., . . Prof. Nichol j™1"'
Locke, . Prof. Campbell Fraser Oct.

FOREIGN CLASSICS FOR ENGLISH READERS. Edited by

Mrs OLIPHANT. Cheap Re-issue. In limp cloth, fcap. 8vo, price Is.

each.

Dante, by the Editor. — Voltaire,
by General Sir E. B. Hamley, K.C.B.
— Pascal, by Principal Tulloch. — Pe-
trarch, by Henry Reeve, C.B. — Goethe,
by A. Hayward, Q.C.— Moliere, by the
Editor and F. Tarver, M.A. — Montaigne,
by Rev. W. L. Collins. — Rabelais, by Sir
Walter Besant. — Calderon, by E. J.
Hasell.— Saint Simon, by C. W. Collins.

Cervantes, by the Editor. — Corneille
and Racine, by Henry M. Trollope. —
Madame de Sevigne, by Miss Thackeray.

— La Fontaine, and other French
Fabulists, by Rev. W. Lucas Collins,
M.A. — Schiller, by James Sime, M.A.

— Tasso, by E. J. Hasell. — Rousseau,
by Henry Grey Graham. — Alfred de
Musset, by C. F. Oliphant.

ANCIENT CLASSICS FOR ENGLISH READERS. Edited by

the Rev. W. LUCAS COLLINS, M.A. Cheap Re-issue. In limp cloth,
fcap. 8vo, price Is. each.

Contents of the Series. — Homer: Iliad,
by the Editor. — Homer: Odyssey, by the
Editor. — Herodotus, by G. C. Swayne.—
C<esar, by Anthony Trollope.— Virgil, by
the Editor. — Horace, by Sir Theodore
Martin. — JSschylus, by Bishop Copleston.
— Xenophon, by Sir Alex. Grant. — Cicero,
by the Editor.— Sophocles, by C. W. Col-
lins.— Pliny, by Rev. A. Church and W. J.
Brodribb. — Euripides, by W. B. Donne. —
Juvenal, by E. Walford. — Aristophanes,
by the Editor.— Hesiod and Theognis, by

J. Davies.-— Plautus and Terence, by the
Editor. — Tacitus, by W. B. Donne.—
Lucian, by the Editor.— Plato, by C. W.
Collins. — Greek Anthology, by Lord
Neaves.— Livy, by the Editor.— Ovid, by
Rev. A. Church. — Catullus, Tibullus,
and Propertius, by J. Davies. — Demos-
thenes, by W. J. Brodribb. — Aristotle,
by Sir Alex. Grant.— Thucydides, by the
Editor.— Lucretius, by W. E. Mallock.—
Pindar, by Rev. F. D. Morice.

(JATALOGUE

QW

MESSES BLACKWOOD & SONS'

PUBLICATIONS.

ALISON.

History of Europe. By Sir Archibald Alison, Bart., D.C.L.

1. From the Commencement of the French Revolution to

the Battle of Waterloo.

Library Edition, 14 vols., with Portraits. Demy 8vo, £10, 10s.
Another Edition, in 20 vols, crown 8vo, £6.
People's Edition. 13 vols, crown 8vo, £2, lis.

2. Continuation to the Accession of Louis Napoleon.

Library Edition, 8 vols. 8vo, £6, 7s. 6d.
People's Edition, 8 vols, crown 8vo 34s.

Epitome of Alison's History of Europe. Thirtieth Thou-
sand, 7s. 6d.

Atlas to Alison's History of Europe. By A. Keith Johnston.

Library Edition, demy 4to, £3, 3a.
People's Edition, 31s. 6d.

Life of John Duke of Marlborough. With some Account of

his Contemporaries, and of the War of the Succession. Third Edition, 2 vols.
8vo. Portraits and Maps, 30s.

Essays : Historical, Political, and Miscellaneous. 3 vols.

demy 8vo, 45s.

ACROSS FRANCE IN A CARAVAN : Being some Account

of a Journey from Bordeaux to Genoa in the " Escargot," taken in the Winter
1889-90. By the Author of ' A Day of my Life at Eton.' With fifty Illustrations
by John Wallace, after Sketches by the Author, and a Map. Cheap Edition,
demy 8vo, 7s. 6d.

ACTA SANCTORUM HIBERNI^E ; Ex Codice Salmanticensi.

Nunc primum integre edita opera Garoli de Smedt et Josephi de Backer, e
Soc. Jesu, Hagiographorum Bollandianorum ; Auctore et Sumptus Largiente
Joanne Patricio Marchione Botkae. In One handsome 4to Volume, bound in
half roxburghe, £2, 2s. ; in paper cover, 31s. 6d.

AFLALO. A Sketch of the Natural History (Vertebrates) of

the British Islands. By F. G. Aflalo, F.R.G.S., F.Z.S., Author of 'A Sketch
of the Natural History of Australia, &c. With numerous Illustrations by Lodge
and Bennett. Crown 8vo. 6s. -net

AFRICANDER - ENGLISH, ENGLISH - AFRICANDER. A

Handy Vocabulary for the use of English-Speaking people in South Africa. In
1 vol. small Svo. [In the press.

AIRMAN. Manures and the Principles of Manuring. ±Sy C M.

Airman, D.Sc, F.R.S.E., &c, Professor of Chemistry, Glasgow Veterinary
College ; Examiner in Chemistry, University of Glasgow, &c. Crown 8vo, 6s. 6d.

List of Books Published by

AIKMAN. Farmyard Manure : Its Nature, Composition, and

Treatment. Crown Svo, Is. 6d.

ALMOND. Christ the Protestant ; and other Sermons. By

Hely Hutchinson Almond, M.A. Oxon., Hon. LL.D. Glasgow ; Head-master of
Loretto School. Crown Svo, 5s.

ANCIENT CLASSICS FOR ENGLISH READERS. Edited

by Rev. W. Lucas Collins, M.A. Price Is. each. For List of Vols. seep. 2.

AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A CHILD. Crown 8vo, 6s.

AYTOUN .

Lays of the Scottish Cavaliers, and other Poems. By W.

Edmondstoune Attoun, D.C.L., Professor of Rhetoric and Belles-Lettres in the
University of Edinburgh. New Edition. Fcap. 8vo, 3s. 6d,
Cheap Edition. Is. Cloth.. Is. 3d.

An Illustrated Edition of the Lays of the Scottish Cavaliers.

From designs by Sir Noel Paton. Cheaper Edition. Small 4to, 10s. 6d.

Bothwell : a Poem. Third Edition. Fcap., 7s. 6d.

Poems and Ballads of Goethe. Translated by Professor

Aytoun and Sir Theodore Martin, K.C.B. Third Edition. Fcap., 6s.

Memoir of William E. Aytoun, D.C.L. By Sir Theodore

Martin, K.C.B, With Portrait. Post Svo, 12s.

BARBOUR. Thoughts from the Writings of R. W. Barbour.

Pott Svo, limp leather, 2s. 6d. net.

BEDFORD & COLLINS. Annals of the Free Foresters, from

1856 to the Present Day. By W. K. R. Bedford, W. E. W. Collins, and other
Contributors. With 55 Portraits and 59 other Illustrations. Demy 8vo, 21s. net

BELLESHEIM. History of the Catholic Church of Scotland.

From the Introduction of Christianity to the Present Day. By Alphons Bel-
lesheim, D.D., Canon of Aix-la-Chapelle. Translated, with Notes and Additions,
by D. Oswald Hunter Blair, O.S.B., Monk of Fort Augustus. Cheap Edition.
Complete in 4 vols, demy 8vo, with Maps. Price 21s. net.

BENTINCE. Racing Life of Lord George Cavendish Bentinck,

M.P., and other Reminiscences. By John Kent, Private Trainer to the Good-
wood Stable. Edited by the Hon. Francis Lawley. With Twenty-three full-
page Plates, and Facsimile Letter. Third Edition. Demy 8vo, 25s.

BLACKIE. John Stuart Blackie : A Biography. By Anna M.

Stoddart.

Popular Edition. With Portrait. Crown 8vo, 6s.

BLACKWOOD.

Annals of a Publishing House. William Blackwood and his

Sons ; Their Magazine and Friends. By Mrs Oliphant. With Four Portraits.
Third Edition. Demy Svo. Vols. I. and II. £2. 2s.

Annals of a Publishing House. Vol. III. John Blackwood.

By his Daughter Mrs Gerald Porter. With 2 Portraits and View of Strath-
tyrum. Demy 8vo, 21s. Cheap Edition. Demy Svo, 7s. Gd.

Blackwood's Magazine, from Commencement in 1817 to

March 1901. Nos. 1 to 1025, forming 168 Volumes.

Tales from Blackwood. First Series. Price One Shilling each,

in Paper Cover. Sold separately at all Railway Bookstalls.

They may also be had bound in 12 vols., cloth, 18s. Half calf, richly gilt, 30s.
Or the 12 vols, in G, roxburghe, 21s. Half red morocco, 28s.

Tales from Blackwood. Second Series. Complete in Twenty -

four Shilling Parts. Handsomely bound in 12 vols., cloth, 30s. In leather back,
roxburghe style, 37s. 6d. Half calf, gilt, 52s. 6d. Half morocco, 55s.

Tales from Blackwood. Third Series. Complete in Twelve

Shilling Parts. Handsomely bound in G vols., cloth, 15s.; and in 12 vols, cloth,
18s. The 6 vols, in roxburghe, 21s. Half calf, 25s. Half morocco, 28s.

William Blackwood & Sons.

BLACKWOOD.

Travel, Adventure, and Sport. From ' Blackwood's Magazine.

Uniform with 'Tales from Blackwood.' In Twelve Parts, each price Is. Hand-
somely bonnd in 6 vols., cloth, 15s. And in half calf. 25s.

New Educational Series. See separate Educational Catalogue.
New Uniform Series of Novels (Copyright).

Crown 8vo, cloth. Price 3s. 6d. each. Now ready :—
Wenderholme. By P. 6. Hamerton. I Marmorne. By P. G. Hamerton.

The Story of Marqredel. By D. Storrar Reata. By B. D. Gerard.
Meldrum. ! Blgoar my Neighbour. By the Same.

Miss Marjoribanks. By Mrs Oliphant.
The Perpetual Ourate, and The Rector

By the Same.
Salem Ohapel, and The Doctor's Family.

By the Same.
A Sensitive Plant. By E. D. Gerard.
Lady Lee's Widowhood. By General Sir

B. B. Hamley.
Katie Stewart, and other Stories. By Mrs

Oliphant.
Valentine and his Brother. By the Same.
Sons and Daughters. By the Same.

The Waters of Hercules. By the Same.

Fair to See. By L. W. M. Lockhart.

Mine is Thine. By the Same.

Doubles and Quits. By the Same.

Altiora Peto. By Laurence Oliphant.

Piccadilly. By the Same. With Illustra-
tions.

Lady Baby. By D. Gerard.

The Blacksmith of Voe. By Paul Cushing.

My Trivial Life and Misfortune. By A
Plain Woman.

Poor Nellie. By the Same.

Standard Novels. Uniform in size and binding. Each

complete in one Volume.

FLORIN SERIES, Illustrated

Tom Cringle's Log. By Michael Scott.
The Cruise of the Midge. By the Same.
Cyril Thornton. By Captain Hamilton.
Annals of the Parish. By John Gait.
The Provost, &c. By the Same.
Sir Andrew Wylie. By the Same
The Entail. By the Same.
Miss Molly. By Beatrice May Butt.
Reginald Dalton. By J. G. Lockhart.

Boards. Bound in Cloth, 2s. 6d.

Pen Owen. By Dean Hook.

Adam Blair. By J. G. Lockhart.

Lady Lee's Widowhood. By General Sir K.

B. Hamley.
Salem Chapel. By Mrs Oliphant.
The Perpetial Curate. By the Same.
Miss Marjoribanks. By the Same,
John : A Love Story. By the Same.

SHILLING SERIES, Illustrated Cover. Bound in Cloth, Is. 6d.

The Reotor, and The Doctor's Family.

By Mrs Oliphant.
The Life of Mansik Wauch. By D. M.

Moir.
Peninsular Scenes and Sketches. By

F. Hardman.

Sir Frizzle Pumpkin, Nights at Mess.

&c.
The Subaltern.

Life in the Far West. By G. F. Ruxton.
Valerius: A Roman Story. By J. G.

Lockhart.

BON GAULTIER'S BOOK OF BALLADS. Fifteenth Edi-

tion. With Illustrations by Doyle, Leech, and Crowquill. Fcap. 8vo, 5s.

BOWHILL. Questions and Answers in the Theory and Practice

of Military Topography. By Major J. H. Bowhill. Crown 8vo, 4s. 6d. net.
Portfolio containing 34 working plans and diagrams, 3s. f>d. net.

BOYD. Our Stolen Summer. The Record of a Roundabout

Tour. By Mary Stuart Boyd. With 170 Illustrations by A. S. Boyd. Large
demv 8vo, 18s.

BRADDON. Thirty Years of Shikar. By Sir Edward Braddon,

K.C.M.G. With Illustrations by G. D. Giles, and Map of Oudh Forest Tracts
and Nepal Terai. Demy 8vo, 18s.

BROWN, The Forester : A Practical Treatise on the Planting

and Tending of Forest-trees and the General Management of Woodlands. By
James Brown, LL.D. Sixth Edition, Enlarged. Edited by John Nisbet, D.ffic,
Author of ' British Forest Trees,' &c. In 2 vols, royal 8vo, with 350 Illustra-
tions 42s. not.

BROWN. A Manual of Botany, Anatomical and Physiological.

For the Use of Students. By Robert Brown, M.A., Ph.D. Crown 8vo, with
numerous Illustrations, 12s. 6d.

List of Books Published by

BRUCE.

In Clover and Heather. Poems by Wallace Bruce. New

and Enlarged Edition. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.

A limited number of Copies of the first Edition, on large hand-made paper, 12s. 6d.

Here's a Hand Addresses and Poems. Crown 8vo, 5s.

Large Pacer Edition, limited to 100 copies, price 21s.

BURBIDGE.

Domestic Floriculture, Window Gardening, and Floral Decora-
tions. Being Practical Directions for the Propagation, Culture, and Arrangement
of Plants and Flowers as Domestic Ornaments. By F. W. Burbidge. Second
Edition. Crown 8vo with numerous Illustrations, 7s. 6d.

Cultivated Plants : Their Propagation and Improvement.

Including Natural and Artificial Hybridisation, Praising from Seed Cuttings,
and Layers, Grafting and Budding, as applied to the Familips and Genera in
Cultivation. Crown 8vo, with numerous Illustrations, l?s. C<3

BURKE. The Flowering of the Almond Tree, and other Poems.

By Christian Burke. Pott 4to, 5s.

BURROWS.

The History of the Foreign Policy of Great Britain. By

Montagu Burrows, Chichele Professor of Modern History in the University of
Oxford; Captain R.N. ; F.S.A., &c. ; "OflScier de l'In3truction Publique,"
France. New Edition, revised. Crown Svo, 6s.

BURTON.

The History of Scotland : From Agricola's Invasion to the

Extinction of the last Jacobite Insurrection. By John Hill Burton, D.C.L.,
Historiographer- Royal for Scotland. Cheaper Edition. In 8 vols. Crown Svo,
3s. fid. each.

The Book-Hunter. A New Edition, with specially designed

Title-page and Cover by Joseph Brown. Printed on antique laid paper. Post
Svo, 3s. 6d.

The Scot Abroad. Uniform with 'The Book -Hunter.' Post

Svo, 3s. 6d.

BUTE.

The Roman Breviary : Reformed by Order of the Holy

(Ecumenical Council of Trent ; Published by Order of Pope St Pius V. ; and
Revised by Clement VIII. and Urban VIII. ; together with the Offices since
granted. Translated out of Latin into English by John, Marquess of Bute,
K.T. New Edition, Revised and Enlarged. In 4 vols, crown Svo, and in 1 vol.
crown 4to. [In the press.

The Altus of St Columba. With a Prose Paraphrase and

Notes. By John, Marquess of Bute, K.T. In paper cover, 2s. 6d.

BUTE, MACPHAIL, and LONSDALE. The Arms of the

Royal and Parliamentary Burghs of Scotland. By John, Marquess of Bute,
K.T., J. R. N. Macphail, and H. W. Lonsdale. With 131 Engravings on
wood, and 11 other Illustrations. Crown 4to. £2. 2s. net.

BUTE, STEVENSON, and LONSDALE. The Arms of the

Baronial and Police Burghs of Scotland. By John, Marquess of Bute, K.T.,
J. H. Stevenson, and H. W. Lonsdale. With numerous Illustrations. In 1
vol. crown 4to. [In the press.

BUTLER.

The Ancient Church and Parish of Abernethy, Perthshire.

An Historical Study. By Rev. D. Butler, M.A., Minister of the Parish. With
13 Collotype Plates and a Map. Crown 4to, 25s. net.

John Wesley and George Whitefield in Scotland; or, The

Influence of the Oxford Methodists on Scottish Religion. Crown Svo, 5s.

Henry Scougal and the Oxford Methodists ; or, The Influence

of a Religious Teacher of the Scottish Church. Fcap. 8vo, 2s. 6d.

William Blackwood & Sons.

BUTT.

Theatricals : An Interlude. By Beatrice May Butt. Crown

8vo, 6s.

Miss Molly. Cheap Edition, 2s.

Eugenie. Crown 8vo, 6s. 6d.

Elizabeth, and other Sketches. Crown 8vo, 6s.

Delicia. New Edition. Crown 8vo, 2s. 6d,

CADELL. Sir John Cope and the Rebellion of 1745. By the

late General Sir Robert Cadell, K.C.B., Royal (Madras) Artillery. With 2
Maps. Crown 4to, 12s. fid. net.

CAFFYN. Seventy-One not Out, the Reminiscences of William

Caffyn, Member of the All England and United Elevens, of the Surrey County
Eleven, of the Anglo-American Team of 1S59, and of the Anglo-Australian Teams
of 1861 and 1863. Edited by "Mid- On." With numerous Illustrations.
Second Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.

CAIRO. Sermons. By John Caird, D.D., Principal of the

University of Glasgow. Seventeenth Thousand. Fcap. 8vo, 5s.

CALDWELL. Schopenhauer's System in its Philosophical Sig-
nificance (the Shaw Fellowship Lectures, 1893). By William Caldwell, M.A.,
D.Sc, Professor of Moral and Social Philosophy, Northwestern University,
U.S.A. ; formerly Assistant to the Professor of Logic and Metaphysics, Edin.,
and Examiner in Philosophy in the University ot St Andrews. Demy 8vo,
10s. 6d. net.

CALL WELL.

The Effect of Maritime Command on Land Campaigns since

Waterloo. By Major C. E. Callwell, R.A. With Plans. Post 8vo, 6s. net.

Tactics of To-day. Crown 8vo, 2s. 6d. net.
CAMPBELL. Balmerino and its Abbey. A Parish History

With Notices of the Adjacent District. By James Campbell, D.D., F.S.A. Scot.,
Minister of Balmerino ; Author of ' A History of the Celtic Church in Scotland.'
A New Edition. With an Appendix of Illustrative Documents, a Map of the
Parish, and upwards of 40 Illustrations. Demy 8vo, 30s. net.

capes:

From Door to Door. By Bernard Capes. Crown 8vo, 6s.

Our Lady of Darkness. Crown 8vo, 6s.

The Adventures of the Comte de la Muette during the Keign

of Terror. Crown 8vo, 6s.

CHARTERIS. Canonicity ; or, Early Testimonies to the Exist-
ence and Use of the Books of the New Testament. Based on Kirchhoffer's
'Quellensammlung.' Edited by A. H. Charteris, D.D., Professor of Biblical
Criticism in the University of Edinburgh. 8vo, 18s.

CHESNEY. The Dilemma. By General Sir George Chesney,

K.C.B. A New Edition. Crown 8vo, 2s.

CHRISTISON. Early Fortifications in Scotland : Motes, Camps,

and Forts. Being the Rhind Lectures in Archaeology for 1894. By David
Christison, M.D., F.R.C.P.E., Secretary of the Society of Antiquaries of Scot-
land. With 379 Plans and Illustrations and 3 Maps. Fcap. 4to, 21s. net.

CHURCH AND FAITH. Being Essays on the Teaching of the

Church of England. By Dr Wace, Dean Farrar, Dr Wright, Rev. R. E.
Bartlett, Principal Drdry, Canon Meyrick, Professor Moule, Chancellor
Smith, Montague Barlow, Sir Richard Temple, Bart., E. H. Blakeney, and
J. T. Tomlinson. With Introduction by the Lord Bishop of Hereford. Second
Edition. Post Svo, 7s. 6d. net.

8 List of Books Published by

CHURCH SERVICE SOCIETY.

A Book of Common Order : being Forms of Worship issued

by the Church Service Society. Seventh Edition, carefully revised. In 1 vol.
crown 8vo, cloth, 3s. 6d. ; French morocco, 5s. Also in 2 vols, crown 8vo,
clcth, 4s. ; French morocco, 6s. 6d.

Daily Offices for Morning and Evening Prayer throughout

the Week. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.

Order of Divine Service for Children. Issued by the Church

Service Society. With Scottish Hymnal. Cloth, 3d.

CLIFFORD. Bush-Whacking, and other Sketches. By Hugh

Clifford, C.M.G., Author of 'In Court and Kampong,' 'Studies in Brown
Humanity,' &c. Crown 8vo, 6s.

CLOUSTON. The Lunatic at Large. By J. Storer Clotjston.

Fourth Impression. Crown 8vo, 6s. Cheap Edition, 6d.

COLLINS.

A Scholar of his College. By W. E. W. Collins. Crown

8vo, 6s.

The Don and the Undergraduate. A Tale of St Hilary's

College, Oxford. Second Impression. Crown 8vo, 6s.

COLQUHOUN. The Moor and the Loch. Containing Minute

Instructions in all Highland Sports, with Wanderings over Crag and Corrie,
Flood and Fell. By John Colquhoun. Cheap Edition. With Illustration*.
Demy 8vo, 10s. 6d.

CONDER.

The Bible and the East. By Lieut. - Col. C. R. Conder,

R.E., LL.D., D.C.L., M.R.A.S., Author of 'Tent Work in Palestine,' &c. With
Illustrations and a Map. Crown 8vo, 5s.

The Hittites and their Language. With Illustrations and

Map. Post 8vo, 7s. 6d.

The Hebrew Tragedy. Crown 8vo, 3s.
CONRAD. Lord Jim. A Tale. By Joseph Conrad, Author of

' The Nigger of the Narcissus,' ' An Outcast of the Islands,' ' Tales of Unrest,' &c.
Second Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.

CONSTABLE. Marrables' Magnificent Idea. By F. C. Con-
stable, Author of ' The Curse of Intellect,' &c. Crown 8vo, 6s.

CORNFORD. R. L. Stevenson. "Modern English Writers."

By L. Cope Cornford. Second Edition. Crown 8vo, 2s. 6d.

COUNTY HISTORIES OF SCOTLAND. In demy 8vo vol-
umes of about 350 pp. each. With Maps. Price 7s. 6d. net.
Prehistoric Scotland and its Place in European Civilisation.

Being a General Introduction to the "County Histories of Scotland." By
Robert Munro, M.A., M.D., Author of 'Prehistoric Problems,' 'The Lake-
Dwellings of Europe,' &c. With numerous Illustrations.

Fife and Kinross. By ^Eneas J. G. Mackay, LL.D., Sheriff

of these Counties. •

Dumfries and Galloway. By Sir Herbert Maxwell, Bart.,

M.P. Second Edition.

Moray and Nairn. By Charles Rampini, LL.D., Sheriff

of Dumfries and Galloway.

Inverness. By J. Cameron Lees, D.D.

Roxburgh, Selkirk, and Peebles. By Sir George Douglas,

Bart.

Aberdeen and Banff. By William Watt, Editor of Aberdeen

1 Daily Free Press."

Edinburgh and Linlithgow. By William Kirk Dickson,

Advocate. Un the press,

William Blackwood & Sons.

CRAIK. A Century of Scottish History. From the Days before

the '45 to those within living Memory. By Sir Henry Craik, K.C.B., M.A.
(Oxon.), Hon. LL.D. (Glasgow). 2 vols, demy Svo, 30s. net.

CRAWFORD. Saracinesca. By F. Marion Crawford, Author

of 'Mr Isaacs,' &c, &c. Crown Svo. 3s. 6d. People's Edition, 6d.

CRAWFORD.

The Doctrine of Holy Scripture respecting the Atonement.

By the late Thomas J. Crawford, D.D., Professor of Divinity in the University
of Edinburgh. Fifth Edition. 8vo, 12s.

The Fatherhood of God, Considered in its General and Special

Aspects. Third Edition, Revised and Enlarged. 8vo, 9s.

The Preaching of the Cross, and other Sermons. 8vo, 7s. 6d.
The Mysteries of Christianity. Crown Svo, 7s. 6d.
CROSS. Impressions of Dante, and of the New World ; with a

Few Words on Bimetallism. By J. W. Cross, Editor of ' George Eliot's Life, as
related in her Letters and Journals. ' Post 8vo, 6s.

CUMBERLAND. Sport on the Pamirs and Turkistan Steppes.

By Major C. S. Cumberland. With Map and Frontispiece. Demy 8vo, 10s. Cd.

CURSE OF INTELLECT. Third Edition. Fcap. Svo, 2s. 6d. net.
CUSHING. The Blacksmith of Voe. By Paul Gushing, Author

of ' The Bull i' th' Thorn,' ' Cut with his own Diamond.' Cheap Edition. Crown
8vo, 3s. 6d.

DAVIES. Norfolk Broads and Rivers ; or, The Waterways,

Lagoons, and Decoys of East Anglia. By G. Christopher Davies. Illustrated
with Seven full-page Plates New and Cheaper Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.

DESCARTES. The Method, Meditations, and Principles of Philo-
sophy of Descartes. Translated from the Original French and Latin. With a
New Introductory Essay, Historical and Critical, on the Cartesian Philosophy.
By Professor Veitch, LL.D., Glasgow University. Eleventh Edition, fis. 6d.

DICKSON. Life of Major- General Sir Robert Murdoch Smith,

K.C.M.G., Royal Engineers. By his Son-in-law, William Kirk Dickson. With
Portraits and other Illustrations. In 1 vol. demy Svo. [In the press.

DOUGLAS.

The Ethics of John Stuart Mill. By Charles Douglas,

M.A., D.Sc, M.P., late Lecturer in Moral Philosophy, and Assistant to the Pro-
fessor of Moral Philosophy in the University of Edinburgh. Post 8vo, 6s. net.

John Stuart Mill : A Study of his Philosophy. Crown 8vo,

4s. 6d. net.

DRUMMOND. A King's Pawn. A Romance. By Hamilton

Drummond, Author of 'A Man of His Age,' 'For the Religion,' &c. Crown
Svo, 6s.

DZIEWICKI. Entombed in Flesh. By M. H. Dziewicki.

Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.

ELIOT.

George Eliot's Life, Related in Her Letters and Journals.

Arranged and Edited by her husband, J. W. Cross. With Portrait and other
Illustrations. Third Edition. 3 vols, post 8vo, 42s.

George Eliot's Life. With Portrait and other Illustrations.

New Edition, in one volume. Crown 8vo, 7s. 6d.

10

List of Books Published by

ELIOT.

Works of George Eliot (Library Edition). 10 volumes, small

demy 8vo. With Photogravure Frontispieces, from Drawings by William
Hatherell, R.I., Edgar Bundy, R.I., Byam Shaw, R.I., A. A. Van Anrooy, Maurice
Greiffenhagen, Claude A. Shepperson, R.I., E. J. Sullivan, and Max Cowper.
Gilt top, 10s. 6d. net each volume.

The following is the order of publication : —

Adam Bede. [Ready.

The Mill on the Floss. [Read)/.

Romola. [Ready.

Scenes of Clerical Life. [July.

Silas Marner; Brother Jacob;
The Lifted Veil. [August.

Felix Holt, the Radical. [September.

Middlemarch. [October.

Daniel Deronda. [November.

Jubal ; The Spanish Gypsy. [December.

Essays ; Theophrastus Such. [December.

Silas Marner ; Brother Jacob ;

The Lifted Veil. 560 pp. [August.
Middlemarch. 2 vols. 664

and 630 pp.
Daniel Deronda. 2

616 and 636 pp.

vols.

[September.

21

or

[October.

volumes,

in roxburghe

Novels by George Eliot (Warwick Edition). 10 volumes, cloth,

limp, gilt top, 2s. net per volume ; leather, limp, gilt top, 2s. 6d. net per volume ;
leather, gilt top, with book-marker, 3s. net per volume.

The Volumes will be published in the following order : —
Adam Bede. S26 pp. [Beady.

The Mill on the Floss. S28 pp. [Ready.
Felix Holt, the Radical.

718 pp. [Ready.

Romola. 900 pp. [Ready.

Scenes of Clerical Life. 624 pp. [July.

Works of George Eliot (Standard Edition).

crown 8vo. In buckram cloth, gilt top, 2s. 6d. per vol.

binding, 3s. 6d. per vol.

Adam Bede. 2 vols. — The Mill on the Floss. 2 vols. — Felix Holt, the
Radical. 2 vols. — Romola. 2 vols. — Scenes of Clerical Life. 2 vols. —
Middlemarch. 3 vols. — Daniel Deronda. 3 vols. — Silas Marner. 1 vol.
— Jural. 1 vol.— The Spanish Gipsy. 1 vol.— Essays. 1 vol.— Theophras-
tus Such. 1 vol.

Life and Works of George Eliot (Cabinet Edition). 24

volumes, crown 8vo, price £6. Also to be had handsomely bound in half and full
calf. The Volumes are sold separately, bound in cloth, price 5s. each.

Novels by George Eliot. New Cheap Edition. Printed on

fine laid paper, and uniformly bound.

Adam Bede. 3s. 6d.— The Mill on the Floss. 3s. 6d.— Scenes of Clerical Life.
3s.— Silas Marnar : the Weavsr of Raveloe. 2s. 6d.— Felix Holt, the Radical.
38. 6d.— Romola. 3s. 6d.— Middlemarch. 7s. 6d.— Daniel Deronda. 7s. 6d.

Essays. New Edition. Crown 8vo, 5s.
Impressions of Theophrastus Such. New Edition.

8vo, 5s.

The Spanish Gypsy. New Edition.
The Legend of Jubal, and other

New Edition. Crown 8vo. 5s.

Silas Marner. New Edition, with Illustrations by Reginald

Birch. Crown 8vo, 6s.

Scenes of Clerical Life. Pocket Edition, 3 vols, pott 8vo,

Is. net each ; bound in leather, Is. 6d. net each. Illustrated Edition, with 20
Illustrations by H. R. Millar, crown 8vo, 2s. 6d. Popular Edition, royal 8vo,
in paper cover, price 6d.

Adam Bede. Pocket Edition. In 3 vols, pott 8vo, 3s. net ;

bound in leather, 4s. 6d. net. Popular Edition, royal 8vo, in paper cover,
price 6d. New Edition, crown Svo, paper cover, Is.; crown Svo, with Illus-
trations, cloth, 2s.

Crown

Crown 8vo, 5s.
Poems, Old and

New.

Popular Edition. Pioyal 8vo, in paper

Selected

The Mill on the Floss.

cover, price 6d.

Wise, Witty, and Tender Sayings, in Prose and Verse.

from the Works of George Eliot. New Edition. Fcap. 8vo, 3a. 6d.

ELTON. The Augustan Ages. " Periods of European Litera-
ture." By Oliver Elton, B.A., Lecturer in English Literature, Owen's College,
Manchester. Crown 8vo, 5s. net.

William Blackwood & Sons, II

FAHIE. A History of Wireless Telegraphy. 1838-1900. By

J. J. Fahie, Member of the Institution of Electrical Engineers, London, and of
the Societe Internationale des Electriciens, Paris; Author of 'A History of
Electric Telegraphy to the Year 1837,' &c. With Illustrations. New Edition,
Revised to date. Crown 8vo, 6s.

FAITHS OF THE WOULD, The. A Concise History of the

Great Religious Systems of the World. By various Authors. Crown 8vo, 5s.

FALKNER. The Lost Stradivarius. By J. Meade Falkner,

Author of ' M>-onfieet ' &c. Second Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.

FAYRER. Recollections of My Life. By Surgeon-General Sir

Joseph Fayrer, Bart., K.C.S.I., LL.D., M.D., F.R.S., Q.H.P., &c. ; Honorary
Physician to the Prince of Wales, Physician in Ordinary to the Duke of Edin-
burgh, &c. With Portraits and other Illustrations. Demy Svo, 21s.

FERGUSSON. Scots Poems. By Robert Fergusson. With

Photogravure Portrait. Pott 8vo, gilt top, bound in cloth, Is. net.

FERRIER.

Philosophical Works of the iate James F. Ferrier, B.A.

Oxon., Professor of Moral Philosophy and Political Economy, St Andrews.
New Edition. Edited by Sir Alexander Grant, Bart., D.C.L., and Professor
Lushington. 3 vols, crown 8vo, 34s. 6d.

Institutes of Metaphysic. Third Edition. 10s. 6d.

Lectures on the Early Greek Philosophy. 4th Edition. 10s. 6d.

Philosophical Remains, including the Lectures on Early

Greek Philosophy. New Edition. 2 vols. 24s.

FLINT.

Historical Philosophy in France and French Belgium and

Switzerland. By Robert Flint, Corresponding Member of the Institute of
France, Hon. Member of the Royal Society of Palermo, Professor in the Univer-
sity of Edinburgh, &c. 8vo, 21s.

Agnosticism. Being the Croall Lecture for 1887-88. [in the press.
Theism. Being the Baird Lecture for 1876. Ninth Edition,

Revised. Crown 8vo, 7s. 6d.

Anti-Theistic Theories. Being the Baird Lecture for 1877.

Fifth Edition. Crown 8vo, 10s. 6d.

Sermons and Addresses. Demy 8vo, 7s. 6d.
FORD.

'Postle Farm. By George Ford. Crown 8vo, 6s.

The Larramys. Second Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.
FORD. A History of Cambridge University Cricket Club. By

W. J. Ford, Author of 'A History of Middlesex County Cricket,' &c. With
Illustrations. In 1 vol. demy Svo. [In the press.

FOREIGN CLASSICS FOR ENGLISH READERS. Edited

bv Mrs Oliphant. Price Is. each. ffm List of Volumes, see vage 2.

FORREST. Sepoy Generals: Wellington to Roberts. By G.

W. Forrest, CLE., India Office. With Portraits. In 1 vol. demy Svo.

[In the press.

FRANCILLON. Gods and Heroes ; or, The Kingdom of Jupiter.

By R. E. Francillon. With 8 Illustrations. Crown 8vo, 5s.

FRANCIS. Among the Untrodden Ways. By M. E. Francis

(Mrs Francis Blundell), Author of ' In a North Country Village,' ' A Daughter of
the* Soil.' ' Friew* and Fustian,' &c. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.

FRANKLIN. My Brilliant Career. By Miles Franklin.

Crown Svo, 6s.

FRASEK. Philosophy of Theism. Being the Gifford Lectures

delivered before the University of Edinburgh in 1894-96. By Alexander
Campbell Fraser, D.C.L. Oxford; Emeritus Professor of Logic and Meta-
physics in the University of Edinburgh. Second Edition, Revised. Post 8vo,
6s. 6d. net.

12 List of Books Published by

FREEMAN. Lieut. - Colonel Thomas Arthur Freeman. A

Memoir. With Portraits and other Illustrations. In 1 vol. small 4to.

[In the press.

FRENCH COOKERY FOR ENGLISH HOMES. Third Im-

pression. Crown Svo, limp cloth, 2s. 6d. Also in limp leather, 3s.

FULTON. The Sovereignty of the Sea. A Historical Account

of the Claims to the Exclusive Dominion of the British Seas and of the Evolution
of the Territorial Waters, with special reference to the Rights of Fishing. By
T. Wemyss Fulton, M.D., F.R.S.E., &c, &c, Scientific Superintendent of
Fisheries. With numerous Illustrations and Maps. In 1 vol. demy Svo.

[In the press.

GALT. Novels by John Galt. With General Introduction and

Prefatory Notes by S. R. Crockett. The Text Revised and Edited by D.
Storrar Meldrum, Author of ' The Story of Margredel. ' With Photogravure
Illustrations from Drawings by John Wallace. Fcap. 8vo, 3s. net each vol.
Annals of the Parish, and The Ayrshire Legatees. 2 vols.— Sir Andrew
Wylie. 2 vols.— The Entail; or, The Lairds of Grippy. 2 vols.— The Pro-
vost, and The Last of the Lairds. 2 vols.

See also Standard Novels, p. 5.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.
Scottish Hymnal, With Appendix Incorporated. Published

for use in Churches by Authority of the General Assembly. 1. Large type,
cloth, red edges, 2s. 6d.; French morocco, 4s. 2. Bourgeois type, limp cloth, Is.;
French morocco, 2s. 3. Nonpareil type, cloth, red edges, 6d.; French morocco,
Is. 4d. 4. Paper covers, 3d. 5. Sunday-School Edition, paper covers, Id.,
cloth, 2d. No. 1, bound with the Psalms and Paraphrases, French morocco, 8s.
No. 2, bound with the Psalms and Parapnrases, cloth, 2s.; French morocco, 3s.

Prayers for Social and Family Worship. Prepared by a

Special Committee of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. Entirely
New Edition. Revised and Enlarged. Fcap. 8vo, red edges, 2s.

Prayers for Family Worship. A Selection of Four Weeks'

Prayers. New Edition. Authorised by the General Assembly of the Church of
Scotland. Fcap. 8vo, red edges, Is. 6d.

One Hundred Prayers. Prepared by the Committee on Aids

to Devotion. *l6mo, cloth limp, 6d.

Morning and Evening Prayers for Affixing to Bibles. Prepared

by the Committee on Aids to Devotion. Id. for 6, or Is. per 100.

Prayers for Soldiers and Sailors. Prepared by the Committee

on Aids to Devotion. Thirtieth Thousand. 16mo, cloth limp. 2d. net.

GERARD.

Reata : What's in a Name. By E. D. Gerard, Cheap

Edition. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.

Beggar my Neighbour. Cheap Edition. Crown Svo, 3s. 6d.
The Waters of Hercules Cheap Edition. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.
A Sensitive Plant. Crown 8vo 3s. 6d.

GERARD.

The Extermination of Love : A Fragmentary Study in Erotics.

By E. Gerard (Madame de Laszowska). Crown 8vo, 6s.

A Foreigner. An Anglo-German Study. Crown Svo, 6s.
The Land beyond the Forest. Facts, Figures, and Fancies

from Transylvania. With Maps and Illustrations 2 vols, post 8vo, 25s.

Bis : Some Tales Retold. Crown 8vo, 6s.
A Secret Mission. 2 vols, crown 8vo5 17s.
An Electric Shock, and other Stories. Crown 8vo, 6s.

William Blackwood & Sons. 13

GERARD.

One Year. By Dorothea Gerard (Madame Longard de

Longgarde). Crown Svo, 6s.

The Impediment. Crown 8vo, 6s.
A Forgotten Sin. Crown 8vo, 6s.

A Spotless Reputation. Third Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.
The Wrong Man. Second Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.
Lady Baby. Cheap Edition. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.
Recha. Second Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.
The Rich Miss Riddell. Second Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.
GERARD. Stonyhurst Latin Grammar. By Rev. John Gerard.

Second Edition. Fcap. 8vo, 3s.

GLEIG. The Subaltern. By Chaplain-General G. R. Gleig.

A New Edition. Crown Svo, 2s.

GOODALL. Association Football. By John Goodall. Edited

by S. Archibald de Bear. With Diagrams. Fcap. 8vo, Is.

GORDON GUMMING.

At Home in Fiji. By C. F. Gordon Cumming. Fourth

Edition, post 8vo. With Illustrations and Map. 7s. 6d.

A Lady's Cruise in a French Man-of-War. New and Cheaper

Edition. 8vo. With Illustrations and Map. 12s. 6d.

Fire-Fountains. The Kingdom of Hawaii : Its Volcanoes,

and the History of its Missions. With Map and Illustrations. 2 vols. 8vo, 25s.

Wanderings in China. Cheap Edition. 8vo, with Illustra-
tions, 6s.

Granite Crags : The Yo-semite" Region of California. Illus-
trated with 8 Engravings. New and Cheaper Edition. 8vo, 8s. 6d.

GRAHAM. Manual of the Elections (Scot.) (Corrupt and Illegal

Practices) Act, 1890. With Analysis, Relative Act of Sederunt, Appendix con-
taining the Corrupt Practices Acts of 1883 and 1885, and Copious Index. By J.
Edward Graham, Advocate. 8vo, 4s. 6d.

GRAHAM. Harlaw of Sendle. By John W. Graham, Author

of'Neaera.' Crown Svo, 6s.

GRAND.

A Domestic Experiment. By Sarah Grand, Author of

' The Heavenly Twins,' ' Ideala : A Study from Life.' Crown 8vo, 6s.

Singularly Deluded. Crown 8vo, 6s.
GRANT. Bush-Life in Queensland, By A. C. Grant. New

Edition. Crown 8vo 6s.

GRAY. Old Creeds and New Beliefs. By W. H. Gray, D.D.,

Edinburgh. Crown Svo, 5s.

GRIER.

In Furthest Ind. The Narrative of Mr -Edward Carlyon of

Ellswether, in the County of Northampton, and late of the Honourable East India
Company's Service, Gentleman. Wrote by his own hand in the year of grace 1697.
Edited, with a few Explanatory Notes, by Sydney C. Grier. Post Svo, 6s.

His Excellency's English Governess. Second Edition. Crown

8vo, 6s.

An Uncrowned King : A Romance of High Politics. Second

Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.

Peace with Honour. Second Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.

A Crowned Queen: The Romance of a Minister of State.

Crown 8vo, 6s.

Like Another Helen. Second Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.

14 List of Books Published by

GRIER.

The Kings of the East : A Romance of the near Future.

Second Impression. Crown 8vo, 6s.

The Warden of the Marches. Crown 8vo, 6s.
GROOT.

A Lotus Flower. By J. Morgan-de-Groot. Crown 8vo, 6s.
Even If. Crown 8vo, 6s.

HALDANE. How we Escaped from Pretoria. By Captain

Aylmer Haldane, D.S.O., 2nd Battalion Gordon Highlanders. With Three
Portraits and Two Plans of the Staats Model School, Pretoria. Seventh Impres-
sion. Crown Svo, Is.

HALIBURTON. Horace in Homespun. By Hugh Haliburton.

A New Edition, containing additional Poems. With 2(3 Illustrations by A. S.
Boyd. Post Svo, 6s. net.

HAMERTON.

Wenderholme : A Story of Lancashire and Yorkshire Life.

By P. G. Hamerton, Author of 'A Painter's Camp.' New Edition. Crown
8vo, 3s. 6d.

Marmorne. New Edition. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.
HAMILTON.

Lectures on Metaphysics. By Sir William Hamilton,

Bart., Professor of Logic and Metaphysics in the University of Edinburgh.
Edited by the Rev. H. L. Mansel, B.D., LL.D., Dean of St Paul's; and John
Veitch, M.A., LL.D., Professor of Logic and Rhotoric, Glasgow. Seventh
Edition. 2 vols. 8vo, 24s.

Lectures on Logic. Edited by the Same. Third Edition,

Revised. 2 vols., 24s.

Discussions on Philosophy and Literature, Education and

University Reform. Third Edition. 8vo, 21s.

Memoir of Sir William Hamilton, Bart., Professor of Logic

and Metaphysics in the University of Edinburgh. By Professor Veitch, of the
University of Glasgow. 8vo, with Portrait, I8s.

Sir William Hamilton : The Man and his Philosophy. Two

Lectures delivered before the Edinburgh Philosophical Institution, January and
February 1883. By Professor Veitch. Crown 8vc, 2p.

HAMLEY.

The Operations of War Explained and Illustrated. By

General Sir Edward Bruce Hamley, K.C.B., K.C.M.G. Second Edition of
Fifth Edition. With Maps and Plans. 4to, 30s. Also in 2 parts: Part I.,
10s. 6d. ; Part II., 21s.

National Defence ; Articles and Speeches. Cheap Edition.

Post Svo, 2s. 6d.

Shakespeare's Funeral, and other Papers. Post Svo, 7s. 6d.
Thomas Carlyle : An Essay. Second Edition. Crown 8vo,

2s. 6d.

On Outposts. Second Edition. Svo, 2s.

Wellington's Career ; A Military and Political Summary.

Crown 8vo, 2s.

Lady Lee's Widowhood. New Edition. Crown 8vo, 2s.
Our Poor Relations. A Philozoic Essay. With Illustrations,

chiefly by Ernest Griset. Crown Svo, cloth gilt, 3s. 6d.

HANNAY. The Later Renaissance. ' Periods of European

Literature.' By David Hannay. Crown Svo, 5s. net.

HARDMAN. Peninsular Scenes. By Frederick Hardmak.

A New Edition. Crown 8vo, 2s.

William Blackwood & Sons. 15

HARRADEN.

Ships that Pass in the Night. By Beatrice Harraden.

Twentieth Edition. Crown Svo, 3s. 6d.

The Fowler. Third Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.

In Varying Moods : Short Stories. Thirteenth Edition.

Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.

Hilda Strafford, and The Remittance Man. Two Californian

Stories. Eleventh Edition. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.

Untold Tales of the Past. With 40 Illustrations by H. R Millar.

Square crown 8vo, gilt top, 6s.

HARRIS.

From Batum to Baghdad, vid Tiflis, Tabriz, and Persian

Kurdistan. By Walter B. Harris, P.R.G.S., Author of 'The Land of an
African Sultan; Travels in Morocco," &c. With numerous Illustrations and 2
Maps. Demy 8vo, 12s.

Tafilet. The Narrative of a Journey of Exploration to the

Atlas Mountains and the Oases of the North-West Sahara. With Illustrations
by Maurice Romberg from Sketches and Photographs by the Author, and Two
Maps. Demy 8vo, 12s.

A Journey through the Yemen, and some General Remarks

upon that Country. With 3 Maps and numerous Illustrations by Forestier and
Wallace from Sketches and Photographs taken by the Author. Demy Svo, 16s.

HAY. The Works of the Right Rev. Dr George Hay, Bishop of

Edinburgh. Edited under the Supervision of the Right Rev. Bishop Strain.
With Memoir and Fortrait of the Author. 5 vols, crown 8vo, bound in extra
cloth, £1, Is. The following Volumes may be had separately — viz. :

The Devout Christian Instructed in the Law of Christ from the Written

Word. 2 vols., 8s.~ The Pious Christian Instructed in the Nature and Practice

of the Principal Exercises of Piety. 1 vol., 3s.

HEMANS.

The Poetical Works of Mrs Hemans. Copyright Edition.

Royal 8vo, with Engravings, cloth, gilt edges, 7s. 6d.

Select Poems of Mrs Hemans. Fcap., cloth, gilt edges, 3s.
HENDERSON. The Young Estate Manager's Guide. By

Richard Henderson, Member (by Examination) of the Royal Agricultural
Society of England, the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, and
the Surveyors' Institution. With an Introduction by R. Patrick Wright,
P.R.S.E., Professor of Agriculture, Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical
College. With Plans and Diagrams. Crown 8vo, 5s.

HENSMAN. A History of Rhodesia. Compiled from Official

Sources. By Howard Hensman. With a Map. Crown Svo, 6s.

HEWISON. The Isle of Bute in the Olden Time. With Illus-

trations, Maps, and Plans. By James King Hewison, M.A., F.S.A. (Scot.),
Minister of Rothesay. Vol. I., Celtic Saints and Heroes. Crown 4to, 15s. net.
Vol. II., The Royal Stewards and the Brandanes. Crown 4to, 15s. net.

HOME PRAYERS. By Ministers of the Church of Scotland

and Members of the Church Service Society. Second Edition. Fcap. 8vo, 3s.

HORNBY. Admiral of the Fleet Sir Geoffrey Phipps Hornby,

G.C.B. A Biography. By Mrs Fred. Egerton. With Three Portraits. Demy
8vo 16s.

HUEFFER. The Cinque Ports. A Historical and Descriptive

Record. By F. Madox Hueffer. With Fourteen Photogravure Plates and
Nineteen Page and Text Illustrations from Drawings by William Hyde. Hand-
somely bound in art canvas, gilt top, with special design in gold on side board by
Mr Hyde. Royal 4to, £3, 3s. net.

HURD. The British Fleet : Is it Sufficient and Efficient ? By

Archibald S. Hurd. With an Introduction by Admiral the Hon. Sir Edmund
R. Fremantle, G.C.B., C.M.G. Second Impression. Is.

16 List of Books Published by

HUTCHINSON. Hints on the Game of Golf. By Horace G.

Hutchinson. Ninth Edition, Enlarged. Fcap. 8vo cloth, Is.

HUTTON. Frederick Uvedale. By Edward Hutton. Crown

Svo, 6s.

HYSLOP. The Elements of Ethics. By James H. Hyslop,

Ph.D., Instructor in Ethics, Columbia College, New York, Author of *Uhe
Elements of Logic.' Post 8vo, 7s. 6d. net.

IDDESLEIGH. Life, Letters, and Diaries of Sir Stafford North-
cote, First Earl of Iddesleigh. By Andrew Lang. With Three Portraits and a
View of Pynes. Third Edition. 2 vols, post 8vo, 31s. 6d.

Popular Edition. With Portrait and View of Pynes. Post 8vo, 7s. 6d.

JAMES. Modern Strategy. By Captain Walter H. James,

late R.E., P.S.C. With Plans. In 1 vol. royal Svo. [In the press.

JEBB.

A Strange Career. The Life and Adventures of John

Gladwyn Jebb. By his Widow. With an Introduction by H. Rider Haggard,
and an Electrogravure Portrait of Mr Jebb. Third Edition. Demy 8vo, 10s. 6d.
Cheap Edition. With Illustrations by John Wallace. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.

Some Unconventional People. By Mrs Gladwyn Jebb,

Author of 'Life and Adventures of J. G. Jebb.' With Illustrations. Cheap
Edition. Paper covers, Is.

JOHNSTON.

The Chemistry of Common Life. By Professor J. F. W.

Johnston. New Edition, Revised. By Arthur Herbert Church, M.A. Oxon.;
Author of ' Food : its Sources, Constituents, and Uses,' &c. With Maps and 102
Engravings. Crown 8vo, 7s. 6d.

Elements of Agricultural. Chemistry. An entirely New

Edition from the Edition by Sir Charles A Cameron, M.D.j F.R.C.S.I., &c.
Revised and brought down to date by C. M. Aikman, M.A., B.Sc, F.R.S.E.,
Professor of Chemistry, Glasgow Veterinary College. 17th Edition. Crown 8vo,
6s. 6d.

Catechism of Agricultural Chemistry. An entirely New

Edition from the Edition by Sir Charles A. Cameron. Revised and Enlarged
by C. M. Aikman, M.A., &c. 95th Thousand. With numerous Illustrations.
Crown 8vo, Is.

JOHNSTON. Agricultural Holdings (Scotland) Acts, 1883 to

1900 ; and the Ground Game Act, 1880. With Notes, and Summary of Procedure,
&c. By Christopher N. Johnston, M.A., Advocate. Fifth Edition. Demy
Svo, 6s. net.

JOKAI. Timar's Two Worlds. By Maurus Jokai. Authorised

Translation by Mrs Hegan Kennard. Cheap Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.

JONES. The Prison - House. A Romance. By Jane Jones.

Second Impression. Crown 8vo, 6s.

KENNEDY. Hurrah for the Life of a Sailor ! Fifty Years in the

Royal Navy. By Admiral Sir William Kennedy, K.C.B., Author of 'Sport,
Travel, and Adventure in Newfoundland and the West Indies.' With Illustrations
froin Sketches by the Author. Fifth ImpressioD. Demy Svo, 12s. 6d.

KINGLAKE.

History of the Invasion of the Crimea. By A. W. Kinglake.

With an Index to the Complete Work. Complete in 9 vols., crown Svo. Cheap
reissue at 3s. 6d. each. The volumes will be issued monthly, begvtmmg in March.

Abridged Edition for Military Students. Revised by

Lieut. -Col. Sir George Sydenham Clarke, K.C.M.G., R.E. Demy 8vo, 15s. net.

Atlas to accompany above. Folio, 9s. net.

William Blackzvood & Sons. 17

KINGLAKE.

History of the Invasion of the Crimea. Demy 8vo. Vol. VI.

Winter Troubles. With a Map, 16s. Vols. VII. and VIII. From the Morrow of
Inkerman to the Death of Lord Raglan With an Index to the Whole Work.
With Maps and Plans. 28s

Eothen. A New Edition, uniform with the Cabinet Edition

of the ' History of the Invasion of the Crimea.' 6s.

Cheaper Edition. With Portrait and Biographical Sketch ot the Author.
Crown Svo, 3s. 6d. Popular Edition, in paper cover, Is. net

KINNEAR. Our House of Commons : Its Realities and

Romance. By Alfred Kinnear, Author of 'To Modder River with Methuen,'
'Three Months of Home Rule,' &c. Second Edition, Revised. Crown Svo,
3s. 6d. net.

KNEIPP. My Water -Cure. As Tested through more than

Thirty Years, and Described for the Healing of Diseases and the Preservation of
Health. By Sebastian Kneipp, Parish Priest of Worishofen (Bavaria). With a
Portrait and other Illustrations. Authorised English Translation from the
Thirtieth German Edition, by A. de F. Cheap Edition. With an Appendix, con-
taining the Latest Developments of Pfarrer Kneipp's System, and a Preface by
E. Gerard. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.

LANG.

A History of Scotland from the Roman Occupation. By

Andrew Lang. Vol. I. With a Photogravure Frontispiece and Four Maps.
Second Edition. Demy Svo, 15s. net.

Life, Letters, and Diaries of Sir Stafford Northcote, First

Earl of Iddesleigh. With Three Portraits and a View of Pynes. Third Edition.
2 vols, post Svo, 31s. 6d.

Popular Edition. With Portrait and View of Pynes. Post 8vo, 7s. 6d.

The Highlands of Scotland in 1750. From Manuscript 104

in the King's Library, British Museum. With an Introduction by Andrew Lang.
Crown Svo, 5s. net.

LANG. The Expansion of the Christian Life. The Duff Lee-

ture for 1897. By the Rev. J. Marshall Lang, D.D. Crown 8vo, 5s.

LAWSON. The Country I Come From. By Henry Lawson,

Author of ' While the Billy Boils,' &c. Crown Svo, 6s.

LEES. A Handbook of the Sheriff and Justice of Peace Small

Debt Courts. With Notes, References, and Forms. By J. M. Lees, Advocate,
Sheriff of Stirling, Dumbarton, and Clackmannan. 8vo, 7s. 6d.

LENNOX and STURROCK. The Elements of Physical Educa-

tion : A Teacher's Manual. By David Lennox, M.D., late R.N., Medical Director
of Dundee Public Gymnasium, and Alexander Sturrock, Superintendent of
Dundee Public Gymnasium, Instructor to the University of St Andrews and
Dundee High School. With Original Musical Accompaniments to the Drill by
Harry Everitt Loseby. With 130 Illustrations. Crown 8vo, 4s.

LEWES. Dr Southwood Smith : A Retrospect. By his Grand-
daughter, Mrs C. L. Lewes. With Portraits and other Illustrations. Post
Svo, 6s.

LINDSAY.

Recent Advances in Theistic Philosophy of Religion. By Rev.

James Lindsay, M.A., B.D., B.Sc, F.R.S.E., F.G.S., Minister of the Parish of
St Andrew's, Kilmarnock. Demy 8vo, 12s. 6d. net.

The Progressiveness of Modern Christian Thought. Crown

Svo, 6s.

Essays, Literary and Philosophical. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.

The Significance of the Old Testament for Modern Theology.

Crown 8vo, Is. net.

The Teaching Function of the Modern Pulpit. Crown 8vo,

Is. net

B

1 8 List of Books Published by

LOCKHART.

Doubles and Quits. By Laurence W. M. Lockhart. Crown

8vo, 3s. 6d. A New Edition, Crown Svo, 2s.

Fair to See. New Edition. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.
Mine is Thine. New Edition. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.
LOCKHART.

The Church of Scotland in the Thirteenth Century. The

Life and Times of David de Bernham of St Andrews (Bishop), a.d. 1239 to 1253.
With List of Churches dedicated by him, and Dates. By William Lockhart,
AM., D.D., P.S.A. Scot., Minister of Colinton Parish. 2d Edition. 8vo, 6s.

Dies Tristes Sermons for Seasons of Sorrow. Crown 8vo, 6s.

LORIMER.

The Institutes of Law : A Treatise of the Principles of Juris-
prudence as determined by Nature. By the late James Lorimer, Professor of
Public Law and of the Law of Nature and Nations in the University of Edin-
burgh. New Edition, Revised and much Enlarged. 8vo, 18s.

The Institutes of the Law of Nations. A Treatise of the

Jural Relation of Separate Political Communities. In 2 vols. 8vo. Volume I.,
price 16s. Volume II., price 20s.

LYNDEN-BELL. A Primer of Tactics, Fortification, Topo-
graphy, and Military Law. By Capt. C. P. Lynden-Bell. With Diagrams.
Crown Svo, 3s. net.

MABIE.

Essays on Nature and Culture. By Hamilton Wright Mabie.

With Portrait. Fcap. 8vo, 3s. 6d.

Books and Culture. Fcap. 8vo, 3s. 6d.

MCCHESNEY.

Miriam Cromwell, Royalist : A Romance of the Great Rebel-
lion. By Dora Greenwell McChesney. Crown Svo, 6s.

Kathleen Clare : Her Book, 1637-41. With Frontispiece, and

five full-page Illustrations by James A. Shearman. Crown 8vo, 6s.

M'COMBIE. Cattle and Cattle-Breeders. By William M'Combie,

Tillyfour. New Edition, Enlarged, with Memoir of the Author by James
Macdonald, F.R.S.E. , Secretary Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland.
Crown Svo, 3s. 6d.

M'CRIE.

Works of the Rev. Thomas M'Crie, D.D. Uniform Edition.

4 vols, crown Svo, 24s.

Life of John Knox. Crown Svo, 6s. Another Edition, 3s. 6d.

Life of Andrew Melville. Crown 8vo, 6s.

History of the Progress and Suppression of the Reformation

in Italy in the Sixteenth Century. Crown 8vo, 4s.

History of the Progress and Suppression of the Reformation

in Spain in the Sixteenth Century. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.

MACDONALD. A Manual of the Criminal Law (Scotland) Pro-
cedure Act, 18S7. By Norman Doran Macdonald. Revised by the Lord
Justice-Clerk. Svo, 10s. 6d.

MACDOUGALL and DODDS. A Manual of the Local Govern-
ment (Scotland) Act, 1894. With Introduction, Explanatory Notes, and Copious
Index. By J. Patten MacDougall, Legal Secretary to the Lord Advocate, and
J. M. Dodds. Tenth Thousand, Revised. Crown 8vo, 2s. 6d. net.

MACINTOSH. Rabbi Jesus : Sage and Saviour. By

William Macintosh, M.A., Ph.D., Author of 'Through Doubt's Dark Vale,'
&c. Post Svo, 3s. 6d. net.

William Blackwood & Sons. 19

MACINT¥RE. Hindu-Koh : Wanderings and Wild Sports on

and beyond tho Himalayas. By Major-General Donald Macintyre, V.C., late
Prince of Wales' Own Goorkhas, F.R.G.S. Dedicated to H.R.H. the Prince of
Wales. New and Cheaper Edition, Revised with numerous Illustrations. Post
8vo, 3s. 6d.

MACKENZIE. Studies in Roman Law. With Comparative

Views of the Laws of France, England, and Scotland. By Lord Mackenzie,
one of the Judges of the Court of Session in Scotland. Seventh Edition, Edited
by John Kirkpatrick, M.A., L.L.B., Advocate, Professor of History in the
University of Edinburgh. 8vo, 21s.

M'PHERSON. Golf and Golfers. Past and Present. By J.

Gordon M'Pherson, Ph.D., F.R.S.E. With an Introduction by the Right Hon.
A. J. Balfour, and a Portrait of the Author. Fcap. 8vo, Is. 6d.

MAGNUS and HEADLAM.

Prayers from the Poets. A Calendar of Devotion. Edited

by Laurie Magnus, M.A., Author of 'A Primer of Wordsworth,' &c. ; and Cecil
Headlam, B. A., Author of ' Prayers of the Saints,' ' The Story of Nuremberg,' &c.
Second Edition. Fcap. 8vo, 5s.

Flowers of the Cave. Fcap. 8vo, 5s.
MAIN. Three Hundred English Sonnets. Chosen and Edited

by David M. Main. New Edition. Fcap. 8vo, 3s. 6d.

MAIR.

A Digest of Laws and Decisions, Ecclesiastical and Civil,

relating to the Constitution, Practice, and Affairs of the Church of Scotland.
With Notes and Forms of Procedure. By the Rev. William Mair, D.D., Minis-
ter of the Parish of Earlston. New Edition, Revised. Crown 8vo, 9s. net.

Speaking ; or, From Voice Production to the Platform and

Pulpit. Second Edition, Revised. Crown Svo, 3s.

MALCOLM. The Calendar of Empire. A Tribute to Lives,

Deeds, and Words that have gained Glory for Great and Greater Britain. By
Ian Malcolm, M.P. Small square Svo, vellum covers, 5s. net.
Large Paper Edition. 15s. net.

MARSHMAN. History of India. From the Earliest Period to

the present time. By John Clark Marshman, C.S.I. Third and Cheaper
Edition. Post 8vo, with Map, 6s.

MARTIN.

The iEneid of Virgil. Books I.-VI. Translated by Sir Theo-
dore Martin, K.C.B. Post Svo, 7s. 6d.

Goethe's Faust. Part I. Translated into English Verse.

Second Edition, crown 8vo, 6s. Ninth Edition, fcap. Svo, 3s. 6d.

Goethe's Faust. Part II. Translated into English Verse.

Second Edition, Revised. Fcap. 8vo, 6s.

The Works of Horace. Translated into English Verse, with

Life and Notes. 2 vols. New Edition. Crown Svo, 21s.

Poems and Ballads of Heinrich Heine. Done into English

Verse. Third Edition. Small crown Svo, 5s.

The Song of the Bell, and other Translations from Schiller,

Goethe, Uhland, and Others. Crown Svo, 7s. 8d.

Madonna Pia : A Tragedy ; and Three Other Dramas. Crown

8vo, 7s. 6d.

Catullus. With Life and Notes. Second Edition, Revised

and Corrected. Post Svo, 7s. 6d.

The ' Vita Nuova ' of Dante. Translated, with an Introduction

and Note3. Third Edition. Small crown Svo, 5s.

Aladdin: A Dramatic Poem. By Adam Oehlenschlaeger.

Fcap. Svo, 5s,

Correggio : A Tragedy. By Oehlenschlaeger. With Notes.

Fcap. 8vo, 3s.

20 List of Books Published by

MARTIN.

Helena Faucit (Lady Martin). By Sir Theodore Martin, '

K.C.B., K.C.V.O. With Five Photogravure Plates. Second Edition. Demy Svo,
. 6d. net-
On some of Shakespeare's Female Characters. By Helena

Faucit, Lady Martin. Dedicated by permission to Her Most Gracious Majesty
the Queen. With a Portrait by Lehniann, Sixth Edition, with a new Preface.
Demy Svo, 7s. 6d.

MARWICK. Observations on the Law and Practice in regard

to Municipal Elections and the Conduct of the Business of Town Councils and
Commissioners of Police in Scotland. By Sir James B. Marwick, LL.D.,
Town-Clerk of Glasgow. Royal 8vo, 30s.

MATHESON.

Can the Old Faith Live with the New ? or, The Problem of

Evolution and Revelation. By the Rev. George Matheson, D.D. Third Edi-
tion. Crown Svo, 7s. 6d.

The Psalmist and the Scientist ; or, Modern Value of the Reli-
gious Sentiment. Third Edition. Crown 8vo, 5s.
Spiritual Development of St Paul. Fourth Edition. Cr. 8vo, 5s.

The Distinctive Messages of the Old Religions. Second Edi-
tion. Crown 8vo, 5s.
Sacred Songs. New and Cheaper Edition. Crown 8vo, 2s. 6d.

MAXWELL.

The Honourable Sir Charles Murray, K.CB. A Memoir.

By the Right Hon. Sir Herbert Maxwell, Bart., M.P., F.S.A.. &c, Author of
1 Passages in the Life of Sir Lucian Elphin.' With Five Portraits. Demy 8vo, 18s.

Life and Times of the Rt. Hon. William Henry Smith, M.P.

With Portraits and numerous Illustrations by Herbert Railton, G. L. Seymour,
and Others. 2 vols, demy Svo, 25s.
Popular Edition. With a Portrait and other Illustrations. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.

Dumfries and Galloway. Being one of the Volumes of the

County Histories of Scotland. With Four Maps. Second Edition. Demy Svo,
78. 6d. net.

Scottish Land-Names : Their Origin and Meaning. Being

the Rhind Lectures in Archaeology for 1893. Post Svo, 6s.

Meridiana : Noontide Essays. Post 8vo, 7s. 6d.

Post Meridiana : Afternoon Essays. Post 8vo, 6s.

A Duke of Britain. A Romance of the Fourth Century.

Fourth Edition. Crown 8vo 6s.

The Chevalier of the Splendid Crest. Third Edition. Crown

Svo, 6s.

MELDRUM.

Holland and the Hollanders. By D. Storrar Meldrum.

With numerous Illustrations and a Map. Second Edition. Square 8vo, Gs.

The Story of Margrddel : Being a Fireside History of a Fife-
shire Family. Cheap Edition Crown Svo, 3s. 6d.

Grey Mantle and Gold Fringe. Crown 8vo, 6s.
MELLONE. Studies in Philosophical Criticism and Construction.

By Sydney Herbert Mellone, M.A. Lond., D.Sc. Edin. Post 8vo. 10s. 6d. net.

MERZ. A History of European Thought in the Nineteenth Cen-
tury. By John Theodore Merz. Vol. I., post 8vo, 10s. 6d. net.

MEYNELL. John Ruskin. " Modern English Writers." By Mrs

Mevnell. Second Edition. Crown Svo, 2s. Gd.

William Blackwood & Sons. 21

MICHIE. The Englishman in China during the Victorian Era.

As Illustrated i Kfe of Sir Rutherford Alcock, K.C.B., D.C.L., many years

Consul and Minister in China and Japan., By Alexander Michie, Author of
'The Siberian Overland Route,' 'Missionaries in China,' &c. With numerous
Illustrations, Portraits, and Maps. 2 vols, demy Svo, 38s. net.

MITCHELL.

The Scottish Reformation. Its Epochs, Episodes, Leaders,

and Distinctive Characteristics. Being the Baird Lecture for 1899. By the
late Alexander F ;iell, D.D., LL.D., Emeritus Professor of Church

History in St Andrews University. Edited by D. Hay Fleming, LL.D. With
x Biographical Sketch of the Author, by James Christie, D.D. Crown Svo, 6s.

MODERN ENGLISH WRITERS. In handy crown 8vo

volumes, tastefully bound, price 2s. 6d. each.

[atthew Arnold. By Professor Saintsbury. Second Im-
pression.
R. L. Stevenson. By L. Cope Cornford. Second Impression.
John Ruskin. By Mrs Meynell. Second Impression.
Tennyson. By Andrew Lang. [In the press.

Thackeray. By Charles Whibley. [Li the press.

In Preparation.

Huxley. By Edward Clodd.
Dickens. By W. E. Henley.

George Eliot. By Sidney Lee.
Browning. By Prof. C. H. Herford.
Frotjde. By John Oliver Hobbes.

MOLR.

Life of Mansie Wanch, Tailor in Dalkeith. By D. M. Moir.

With Cruikshank's Illustrations. Cheaper Edition. Crown Svo, 2s. 6d.
Another Edition, without Illustrations, fcap. Svo, Is. 6d.

Domestic Verses. Centenary Edition. With a Portrait. Crown

8vo, 2s. 6d. net.

MOMERIE.

Defects of Modern Christianity, and other Sermons. By Rev.

Alfred Williams Momerie, M.A., D.Sc, LL.D. Fifth Edition. Crown 8vo, f>s.

The Basis of Religion. Being an Examination of Natural

Religion. Third Edition. Crown Svo, 2s. 6d.

The Origin of Evil, and other Sermons , Eighth Edition,

Enlarged. Crown 8vo, 5s.

Personality. The Beginning and End of Metaphysics, and a Ne-
cessary Assumption in all Positive Philosophy. Fifth Ed., Revised. Cr. 8vo, 3s.

Agnosticism. Fourth Edition, Revised, Crown Svo, 5s.
Preaching and Hearing ; and other Sermons. Fourth Edition,

Enlarged. Crown Svo, 5s.

Belief in God. Fourth Edition. Crown 8vo, 3s.

Inspiration ; and other Sermons. Second Edition, Enlarged .

Crown Svo, 5s.

Church and Creed. Third Edition. Crown 8vo, 4s. 6d.

The Future of Religion, and other Essays. Second Edition.

Crown Svo, 3s. 6d.

The English Church and the Romish Schism. Second Edition.

Crown 8vo, 2s. 6d.

MONCREIFF.

The Provost-Marshal. A Romance of the Middle Shires. By

the Hon. Frederick Moncriiff. Crown 8vo, 6s.

The X Jewel. A Romance of the Days of James VI. Cr. 8vo, 6s.
MONTAGUE. Military Topography. Illustrated by Practical

Examples of a Practical Subject. By Major-General W. E. Montague, C.B.,
P.S.C., late Garrison Instructor Intelligence Department, Author of ' Campaign-
ing in South Africa.' With Forty-one Diagrams. Crown 8vo, 5s.

22 List of Books Published by

MORTSON.

Rifts in the Reek. By Jeanle Morison. With a Photogravure

Frontispiece. Crown 8vo, 5s. Bound in buckram for presentation, 6s.

Doorside Ditties. With a Frontispiece. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.
^Eolus. A Romance in Lyrics. Crown 8vo, 3s.
There as Here. Crown 8vo, 3s.

%* A limited impression on hand-;nade paper, bound in vellum, 7s. 6d.

Selections from Poems. Crown 8vo, 4s. 6d.

Sordello. An Outline Analysis of Mr Browning's Poem.

Grown 8vo, 3s.

Of " Fitine at the Fair," " Christmas Eve and Easter Day,"

and other of Mr Browning's Poems. Crown 8vo, 3s.

The Purpose of the Ages. Crown 8vo, 9s.
Gordon : An Our-day Idyll. Crown 8vo, 3s.
Saint Isadora, and other Poems. Crown 8vo, Is. 6d.
Snatches of Song. Paper, Is. 6d. ; cloth, 3s.
Pontius Pilate. Paper, Is. 6d. ; cloth, 3s.
Mill o' Forres. Crown 8vo, Is.
Ane Booke of Ballades. Fcap. 4to, Is.
MOWBRAY. Seventy Years at Westminster. With other Letters

and Notes of the late Right Hon. Sir John Mowbray, Bart., M.P. Edited by
his Daughter. With Portraits and other Illustrations. Large crown Svo, 7s. 6d.

MUNRO.

Doom Castle : A Romance. By Neil Mtjnro. Second Edition.

Crown Svo, 6s.

John Splendid. The Tale of a Poor Gentleman and the Little

Wars of Lorn. Sixth Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.

The Lost Pibroch, and other Sheiling Stories. Fourth

Edition. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.

MUNRO.

Rambles and Studies in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Dalmatia.

With an Account of the proceedings of the Congress of Archaeologists and
Anthropologists held at Sarajevo in 1894. By Robert Mutstro, M.A., M.D.,
P.R.S.B., Author of the 'Lake Dwellings of Europe,' &c. Second Edition, Re-
vised and Enlarged. With numerous illustrations. Demy 8vo, 12s. 6d. net.

Prehistoric Problems. With numerous Illustrations. Demy

8vo, 10s. net.

Prehistoric Scotland and its Place in European Civilisation.

Being a General Introduction to the " County Histories of Scotland." With
numerous Illustrations. Crown Svo, 7s. 6d. net.

MUNRO. On Valuation of Property. By William Munro,

M.A., Her Majesty's Assessor of Railways and Canals for Scotland. Second
Edition, Revised and Enlarged. 8vo, 3s. 6d.

MI>RDOCH. Manual of the Law of Insolvency and Bankruptcy :

Comprehending a Summary of the Law of Insolvency, Notour Bankruptcy,
Composition - Contracts, Trust - Deeds, Cessios, and Sequestrations ; and the
Winding-up of Joint-Stock Companies in Scotland : with Annotations on the
various Insolvency and Bankruptcy Statutes ; and with Forms of Procedure
applicable to these Subjects. By James Murdoch, Member of the Faculty of
Procurators in Glasgow. Fifth Edition, Revised and Enlarged. 8vo, 12s. net.

MY TRIVIAL LIFE AND MISFORTUNE: A Gossip with

no Plot in Particular. By A Plain Woman. Cheap Edition. Crown 8vo, 3s. fid.

By the Same Author.
POOR NELLIE. Cheap Edition. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.

William Blackwood & Sons. 23

NEAVES. Songs and Verses, Social and Scientific. By An Old

Contributor to 'Maga.' By the Hon. Lord Neaves. Fifth Edition. Pcap.
Svo, 4p.

NEUMAN. The Uttermost Farthing. By B. Paul Neuman,

Author of 'The Interpreter's House,' 'The Supplanter,' 'A Villain of Parts.'
Crown Svo, 6s.

NICHOLSON.

A Manual of Zoology, for the Use of Students. With a

General Introduction on the Principles of Zoology. By Henry Alleyne
Nicholson, M.D., D.Sc, F.L.S., P.G.S., Regius Professor of Natural History in
the University of Aberdeen. Seventh Edition, Rewritten and Enlarged. Post
8vo, pp. 956, with 555 Engravings on Wood, 18s.

Text- Book of Zoology, for Junior Students. Fifth Edition.

Rewritten and Enlarged. Crown 8vo, with 358 Engravings on Wood, 10s. 6d.

A Manual of Palaeontology, for the Use of Students. With a

General Introduction on the Principles of Palaeontology. By Professor H.
Alleyne Nicholson and Richard Lydekker, B.A. Third Edition, entirely
Rewritten and greatly Enlarged. 2 vols. Svo, £3,< 3s.

The Ancient Life-History of the Earth. An Outline of the

Principles and Leading Facts of Palaeontological Science. Crown 8vo, with 276
Engravings, 10s. 6d.

NICHOLSON.

Thoth. A Romance. By Joseph Shield Nicholson, M.A.,

D.Sc, Professor of Commercial and Political Economy and Mercantile Law in
the University of Edinburgh. Third Edition. Crown 8vo, 4s. 6d.

A Dreamer of Dreams. A Modern Romance. Second Edi-
tion. Crown 8vo, 6s.

NICOL. Recent Archaeology and the Bible. Being the Croall

Lectures for 1898. By the Rev. Thomas Nicol, D.D., Professor of Divinity
and Biblical Criticism in the University of Aberdeen ; Author of ' Recent Ex-
plorations in Bible Lands.' Demy Svo, 9s. net.

NOVELS OF MILITARY LIFE. A Re-issue of Six Popular

Novels. Printed on fine-laid paper and tastefully bound. Price 2s. each.

Lady Lee's Widowhood. By General

Sir E. B. Hamley.
Doubles and Quits. By Colonel L.

W. M. Lockhart.
Peninsular Scenes. By Frederick

Hardman.

The Dilemma. By General Sir George

Chesney.
The Subaltern. By Chaplain-General

G. R. Gleig.
Sir Frizzle Pumpkin. By Rev. James

White.

OLIPHANT.

Masollam : A Problem of the Period. A Novel. By Laurence

Oliphant. 3 vols, post 8vo, 25s. 6d.

Scientific Religion ; or, Higher Possibilities of Life and

Practice through the Operation of Natural Forces. Second Edition. 8vo, 16s.

Altiora Peto. Cheap Edition. Crown 8vo, boards, 2s. 6d. ;

cloth, 3s. 6d. Illustrated Edition. Crown 8vo, cloth, 6s.

Piccadilly. With Illustrations .by Richard Doyle. New Edi-
tion, 3s. 6d. Cheap Edition, boards, 2s. 6d.

Traits and Travesties ; Social and Political. Post 8vo, 10s. 6d.
Episodes in a Life or Adventure; or, Moss from a Rolling

Stone. Cheaper Edition. Post 8vo, 3s. 6d.

Haifa : Life in Modern Palestine. Second Edition. 8vo, 7s. 6d.
The Land of Gilead. With Excursions in the Lebanon.

With Illustrations and Maps. Demy 8vo, 21s.

Memoir of the Life of Laurence Oliphant, and of Alice

Oliphant, his Wife. By Mrs M. O. W. Oliphant. Seventh Edition. 2 vols,
post 8vo, with Portraits. 21s.

Popular Edition. With a New Preiace. Post 8vo, with Portraits. 7s. 6d.

24 List of Books Published by

OLIPHANT.

The Autobiography and Letters of Mrs M. O. W. Oliphant.

Arranged and Edited by Mrs Harry Coghill. With Two Portraits. Cheap
Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.

Annals of a Publishing House. William Blackwood and his

Sons ; Their Magazine and Friends. By Mrs Oliphant. With Four Portraits.
Third Edition. Demy 8vo. Vols. I. and II. £2, 2s.

A Widow's Tale, and other Stories. With an Introductory

Note by J. .M. Barrik. Second Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.

Who was Lost and is Found. Second Edition. Crown

8vo, 6s.

Miss Marjoribanks. New Edition. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.

The Perpetual Curate, and The Rector. New Edition, Crown

8vo, 3s. 6d.

Salem Chapel, and The Doctor's Family. New Edition.

Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d

Chronicles of Carlingford. 3 vols crown 8vo, in uniform

binding, gilt top, 3s. 6d. each.

Katie Stewart, and other Stories. New Edition. Crown 8vo,

cloth, 3s. 6d.

Katie Stewart. Illustrated boards, 2s. 6d.

Valentine and his Brother. New Edition. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.

Sons and Daughters. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.

Two Stories of the Seen and the Unseen. The Open Door

—Old Lady Mary. Paper covers, Is.

OLIPHANT. Notes of a Pilgrimage to Jerusalem and the Holy

Land. By F. R. Oliphant. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.

OMOND. The Romantic Triumph. "Periods of European

Literature." By T. S. Omond. Crown Svo, 5s. net.

O'NEILL. Songs of the Glens of Antrim. By Moira O'Neill.

Fourth Impression. Crown Svo, 3s. 6d.

PATON.

Spindrift. By Sir J. Noel Paton. Fcap., cloth, 5s.

Poems by a Painter. Fcap., cloth, 5s.
PAUL. History of the Royal Company of Archers, the Queen's

Body-Guard for Scotland. By James Balfour Paul, Advocate of the Scottish
Bar. Crown 4to, with Portraits and other Illustrations. £2, 2s-.

PEILE. Lawn Tennis as a Game of Skill. By Lieut.-Col. S. C.

F. Peile, B.S.C. Revised Edition, with new Scoring Rules. Fcap. 8vo, cloth, Is.

PERIODS OF EUROPEAN LITERATURE. Edited by Pro-

fessor Saintsbury. For List of Volumes, see page 2.

PETTIGREW. The Handy Book of Bees, and their Profitable

Management. By A. Pettiqrew. Fifth Edition, Enlarged, with Engravings.
Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.

PFLEIDERER. Philosophy and Development of Religion.

Being the Edinburgh Gifford Lectures for 1894. By Otto Pfleiderer, D.D.,
Professor of Theology at Berlin University. In 2 vols, post 8vo, 15s. net.

PHILLIPS. The Knight's Tale. By F. Emily Phillips, Author

of ' The Education of Antonia.' Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.

PHILOSOPHICAL CLASSICS FOR ENGLISH READERS.

Edited by William Knight, LL.D., Professor of Moral Philosophy, University
of St Andrews. Cheap Re-issue in Shilling Volumes.

[For List of Volumes, see page 2.

William Blackwood & Sons. 25

POLLARD. A Study in Municipal Government : The Corpora-
tion of Berlin. By James Pollard, C.A., Chairman of the Edinburgh Public
Health Committee, and Secretary of the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce.
Second Edition, Revised. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.

POLLOK. The Coarse of Time : A Poem. By Robert Pollok,

A.M. New Edition. With Portrait. Fcap. 8vo, gilt top, 2s. 6d.

PORT ROYAL LOGIC. Translated from the French ; with

Introduction, Notes, and Appendix. By Thomas Spencer Baynes, LL.D., Pro-
fessor in the University of St Andrews, Tenth Edition. 12mo, 4s.

PRESTWICH. Essays : Descriptive and Biographical. By

Grace, Lady Prestwich, Author of 'The Harbour Bar' and 'Enga.' With a
Memoir by her sister, Louisa E. Milne. With Illustrations. Demy Svo, 10s. 6d.

PRESTWICH. Life and Letters of Sir Joseph Prestwich, M.A.,

D.C.L., F.R.S. Formerly Professor of Geology in the University of Oxford.
Written and Edited by his Wife. With Portraits and other Illustrations.
Demy Svo, 21s.

PRINGLE. The Live Stock of the Farm. By Robert O.

Pringle. Third Edition. Revised and Edited by James Macdonald. Crown
8vo, 7s. 6d.

PUBLIC GENERAL STATUTES AFFECTING SCOTLAND

from 1707 to 1847, with Chronological Table and Index. 3 vols, large 8vo, £3, 3s.

PUBLIC GENERAL STATUTES AFFECTING SCOTLAND,

COLLECTION OF. Published Annually, with General Index

PULLIN. Talks with Old English Cricketers. By A. W.

Pullin (" Old Ebor "). With numerous Portraits. Crown 8vo, 6s,

RANJITSINHJI. The Jubilee Book of Cricket. By Prince

, RANJITSINHJI.

Edition de Luxe. Limited to 350 Copies, printed on hand-made paper, and
handsomely bound in buckram. Crown 4to, with 22 Photogravures and 85
full-page Plates. Each copy signed by Prince Ranjitsinhji. Price £5, 5s. net.

Fine Paper Edition. Medium 8vo, with Photogravure Frontispiece and 106
full-page Plates on art paper. 25s. net.

Popular Edition. With 107 full -page Illustrations. Sixth Edition. Large
crown 8vo.

Sixpenny Edition. With a selection of the Illustrations.

RANKIN.

Churoh Ideas in Scripture and Scotland. By James Rankin,

D.D., Minister of Muthill ; Author of ' Character Studies in the Old Testament,'
&c. Crown 8vo, 6s.

A Handbook of the Church of Scotland. An entirely New

and much Enlarged Ed *own 8vo. with 2 Maps, 7s. 6d.

The First Saints Post 8vo, 7s. 6d.

The Creed in Scotland. An Exposition of the Apostles'

Creed. With Extracts from Archbishop Hamilton's Catechism of 1552, John
Calvin's Catechism of 1556, and a Catena of Ancient Latin and other Hymns.
Post 8vo, 7s. 6d.

The Worthy Communicant. A Guide to the Devout Obser-
vance of the Lord's Supper. Limp cloth, Is. 3d.

The Young Churchman. Lessons on the Creed, the Com-
mandments, the Means of Grace, and the Church. Limp cloth, Is. 3d.

First Communion Lessons. 25th Edition. Paper Cover, 2d.
RANKINE. A Hero of the Dark Continent. Memoir of Rev.

Wm. Affleck Scott, M. A., M.B., CM., Church of Scotland Missionary at Blantyre,
British Central Africa. By W. Henry Rankine, B.D., Minister at Titwood.
With a Portrait and other Illustrations. Cheap Edition. Crown 8vo, 2s.

26 List oj Books Published by

ROBERTSON.

The Poetry and the Religion of the Psalms. The Croall

Lectures, 1893-94. By James Robertson, D.D., Professor of Oriental Languages
in the University of Glasgow. Demy 8vo, 12s.

The Early Religion of Israel. As set forth by Biblical Writers

and Modern Critical Historians. Being the Baird Lecture for 1888-89. Fourth
Edition. Crown 8vo, 10s. 6d.

ROBINSON. Wild Traits in Tame Animals. Being some

Familiar Studies in Evolution. By Louis Robinson, M.D. With Illustrations
by Stephen T. Dadd. Cheaper Edition. Demy 8vo, 6s.

ROPER. A Claim on Klondyke. A Romance of the Arctic El

Dorado. By Edward Roper, F.R.G.S., Author of ' By Track and Trail through
Canada,' &c. With 10 Full-page Illustrations. Crown 8vo, 6s.

ROSSLYN. Twice Captured. A Record of Adventure during

the Boer War. By the Right Hon. the Earl of Rosslyn. With 60 Illustrations.
Third Edition. Post 8vo, 10s. 6d.

RUTLAND.

Notes of an Irish Tour in 1846. By the Duke of Rutland,

G.C.B. (Lord John Manners). New Edition. Crown 8vo, 2s. 6d.

Correspondence between the Right Honble. William Pitt

and Charles Duke of Rutland, Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, 1781-1787. With
Introductory Note by John Duke of Rutland. 8vo, 7s. 6d.

RUTLAND.

Impressions of Bad-Homburg. Comprising a Short Account

of the Women's Associations of Germany under the Red Cross. By the Duchess
of Rutland (Lady John Manners). Crown 8vo, Is. 6d.

Some Personal Recollections of the Later Years of the Earl

of Beaconsfleld, E.G. Sixth Edition. Gd.

Employment of Women in the Public Service. 6d.

Some of the Advantages of Easily Accessible Reading and

Recreation Rooms and Free Libraries. With Remarks on Starting and Main-
taining them. Second Edition. Crown 8vo, Is.

A Sequel to Rich Men's Dwellings, and other Occasional

Papers. Crown 8vo, 2s. 6d.

Encouraging Experiences of Reading and Recreation Rooms,

Aims of Guilds, Nottingham Social Guide, Existing Institutions, &c, &c.
Crown 8vo, Is.

SAINTSBURY.

A History of Criticism and Literary Taste in Europe. From

the Earliest Texts to the Present Day. By George Saintsbury, M.A. (Oxon.),
Hon. LL.D. (Aberd.), Professor of Rhetoric and English Literature in the Univer-
sity of Edinburgh. In 3 vols, demy Svo. Vol. I.— Classical and Mediseval Criti-
cism. 16s. net.

Matthew Arnold. "Modern English Writers." By George

Saintsbury, M.A., Professor of Rhetoric and English Literature in Edinburgh
University. Second Edition. Crown 8vo, 2s. 6d.

The Flourishing of Romance and the Rise of Allegory (12th

and 13th Centuries). "Periods of European Literature." Crown 8vo, 5s. net.

The Earlier Renaissance. " Periods of European Literature."

In 1 vol. crown 8vo. [In the press.

SCOTT. Tom Cringle's Log. By Michael Scott. New Edition.

With 19 Full-page Illustrations. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.

SCUDAMORE. Belgium and the Belgians. By Cyril Scuda-

more. With Illustrations. Square crown Svo, 6s.

William Blackwood & Sons. 27

SELKIRK. Poems. By J. B. Selkirk, Author of 'Ethics and

^Esthetics of Modern Poetry,' 'Bible Truths with Shakespearian Parallels,' &c.
New and Enlarged Edition. Crown 8vo, printed on antique paper, 6s.

SELLAR'S Manual of the Acts relating to Education in Scot-
land. By J. Edward Graham, B. A. Oxon., Advocate. Ninth Edition. 8vo,12s.6d.

SETH.

Scottish Philosophy. A Comparison of the Scottish and

German Answers to Hume. Balfour Philosophical Lectures, University of
Edinburgh. By Andrew Seth (A. S. Pringle Pattison, LL.D.), Professor of
Logic and Metaphysics in Edinburgh University. Third Edition. Crown

8vo, 5s.

Hegelianism and Personality. Balfour Philosophical Lectures.

Second Series. Second Edition. Crown 8vo, 5s.

Man's Place in the Cosmos, and other Essays. Post 8vo,

7s. 6d. net.

Two Lectures on Theism. Delivered on the occasion of the

Sesquicentennial Celebration of Princeton University. Crown 8vo, 2s. 6d.

SETH. A Study of Ethical Principles. By James Seth, M.A.,

Professor of Moral Philosophy in the University of Edinburgh. Fourth Edi-
tion. Revised. Post 8vo, 7s. 6d.

SIM. Margaret Sim's Cookery. With an Introduction by L. B.

Walford, Author of ' Mr Smith : A Part of his Life,' &c. Crown 8vo, 5s.

SIMPSON. The Wild Rabbit in a New Aspect; or, Rabbit-

Warrens that Pay. A book for Landowners, Sportsmen, Land Agents, Farmers,
Gamekeepers, and Allotment Holders. A Record of Recent Experiments con-
ducted on the Estate of the Right Hon. the Earl of Wharnclifle at Wortley Hall.
By J. Simpson. Second Edition, Enlarged. Small crown 8vo, 5s.

SIMPSON. Side-Lights on Siberia. Some account of the Great

Siberian Iron Road : The Prisons and Exile System. By J. Y. Simpson, M.A.,
B.Sc. With numerous Illustrations and a Map. Demy 8vo, 16s.

SINCLAIR.

Mr and Mrs Nevill Tyson. By May Sinclair. Crown 8vo,

3s. 6d.

Audrey Craven. Second Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.

SKELTON.

The Table-Talk of Shirley. By Sir John Skelton, K.C.B.,

LL.D., Author of 'The Essays of Shirley.' With a Frontispiece. Sixth Edition,
Revised and Enlarged Post 8vo, 7s. 6d.

The Table- Talk of Shirley. Second Series. With Illustra-

tions. Two Volumes. Second Edition. Post 8vo, 10s. net.

Maitland of Lethington ; and the Scotland of Mary Stuart.

A History. Limited Edition, with Portraits. Demy 8vo, 2 vols., 28s. net.

The Handbook of Public Health. A New Edition, Revised by

James Patten Macdougall, Advocate, Secretary of the Local Government
Board for Scotland, Joint- Author of ' The Parish Council Guide for Scotland, '
and Abijah Murray, Chief Clerk of the Local Government Board for Scotland .
In Two Parts. Crown 8vo. Part I.— The Public Health (Scotland) Act, 1897,
with Notes. 3s. 6d. net.
Part II. — Circulars of the Local Government Board, &c. [In preparatiort.

The Local Government (Scotland) Act in Relation to Public

Health. A Handy Guide for County and District Councillors, Medical Officers,
Sanitary Inspectors, and Members of Parochial Boards. Second Edition. With
a new Preface on appointment of Sanitary Officers. Crown 8vo, 2s.

SMITH. The Transition Period. " Periods of European Litera-
ture." By G. Gregory Smith. Crown 8vo, 5s. net.

28 List of Books Published by

SMITH. Retrievers, and how to Break them. By Lieutenant-

Colcnel Sir Henry Smith, K.C.B. With an Introduction by^r S. E. Shirley,
President of the Kennel Club. Dedicated by special permission to H.R.H. the
Duke of York. Cheaper Edition, enlarged. With additional Illustrations.
Paper cover, Is. net.

SMITH -WILLIAMS. The Magic of the Desert. A Romance.

By W. Smith- Willi ams. Crown Svo, 6s.

SNELL. The Fourteenth Century. "Periods of European

Literature." By F. J. Snell. Crown 8vo, 5s. ne

SOLBE. Hints on Hockey. By F. De Lisle Solbe. English

International Team : 1897, 1898, 1899, 1900. With Diagrams. Pcap. Svo, Is.

"SON OF THE MARSHES, A.1'

From Spring to Fall ; or, When Life Stirs. By " A Son of

the Marshes." Cheap Uniform Edition. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.

Within an Hour of London Town : Among Wild Birds and

their Haunts. Edited by J. A. Owen. Cheap Uniform Edition. Cr. Svo, 3s. 6d.

With the Woodlanders and by the Tide. Cheap Uniform

Edition. Crown Svo, 3s. 6d.

On Surrey Hills, Cheap Uniform Edition. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.
Annals of a Fishing Village. Cheap Uniform Edition, Crown

8vo, 3s. 6d.

SORLEY. The Ethics of Naturalism. Being the Shaw Fellow-
ship Lectures, 1884. By W. R. Sorlet, M.A., Fellow of Trinity College, Cam-
bridge Professor of Moral Philosophy, University of Aberdeen. Crown Svo, 6s.

SPIELMANN. Millais and his Works. By M. H. Spielmann,

Author of 'History of Punch.' With 28 Full-page Illustrations. Large crown
8vo. Paper covers, Is ; in cloth binding, 2s. 6d.

SPROTT. The Worship and Offices of the Church of Scotland.

By George W. Sprott, D.D., Minister of North Berwick. Crown 8vo. 6s.

STEEVENS.

Things Seen : Impressions of Men, Cities, and Books. By the

late G. W. Steevens, Author of 'From Capetown to Ladysmith,' 'With Kitchener
to Khartum,' ' In India,' &c. Edited by G. 8. Street. With a Memoir by W. E.
Hexley, and a Photogravure reproduction of Collier's Portrait. Crown Svo, 6s.

From Capetown to Ladysmith, and Egypt in 1898. Memorial

Edition. Crown Svo, 6s.

From Capetown to Ladysmith : An Unfinished Record of the
South African War. Edited by Vernon Blackburn. With Maps. Crown Svo,
3s. 6d.

In India. With Map. Fourth Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.
With Kitchener to Khartum. With 8 Maps and Plans.

Twenty-second Edition. Crown Svo, 6s.

The Land of the Dollar. Fourth Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.
With the Conquering Turk With 4 Maps. Cheap Edition.

Crown Svo, 6s..

Glimpses of Three Nations. Memorial Edition. Crown

Svo, 6s.

STEPHENS.

The Book of the Farm ; detailing the Labours of the Farmer,

Farm-Steward, Ploughman, Shepherd, Hedger, Farm-Labourer, Field-Worker,
and Cattle-man. Illustrated with numerous Portraits of Animals and Engravings
of Implements, and Plans of Farm Buildings. Fourth Edition. Revised, and
in great part Re-written, by James Macdonald, F.R.S.E., Secretary Highland
and Agricultural Society of Scotland. Complete in Six Divisional Volumes,
bound in cloth, each 10s. 6d-, or handsomely bound, in 3 volumes, with leather
■back and gilt top, £3, 3s.

William Blackwood & Sons. 29

STEPHENS.

Catechism of Practical Agriculture. 22d Thousand. Revised

by James Macdonald, F.R.S.E. With numerous Illustrations. Crown 8vo, Is.

The Book of Farm Implements and Machines. By J. Slight

and R. Scott Burn, Engineers. Edited bv Henry Stephens Large 8vo, £2, 2s.

STERNE. Mr Leopold Lugwell : His Birth and Upbringing.

By Philip Sterne. Crown Svo, Cs.

STEVENSON. British Fungi. (Hymenomycetes.) By Rev.

John Stevenson, Author of ' Mycologia Scotica,' Hon. Sec. Cryptogamic Society
^>f Scotland. Vols. T. and II.. post] 8vo,. with Illustrations, price 12s. 6d. net each.

STEWART and CUFF. Practical Nursing. By Isla Stewart,

Matron of St Bartholomew's Hospital, London; and Herbert E. Cuff, M.D.,
F.R.C.S., Medical Superintendent North-Eastern Fever Hospital, Tottenham,
London. With Diagrams. In 2 vols, crown 8vo. Vol. I. Second Edition.
3s. 6d. net.

STODDART.

John Stuart Blackie : A Biography. By Anna M. Stoddart.

Popular Edition, with Portrait. Crown 8vo, 6s.

STORMONTH.

Dictionary of the English Language, Pronouncing, Etymo-
logical, and Explanatory. By the Rev. James Stormonth. Revised by the
Rev. P. H. Phelp. Library Edition. New and Cheaper Edition, with Supple-
ment. Imperial 8vo, handsomely bound in half morocco, 18s. net.

Etymological and Pronouncing Dictionary of the English

Language. Including a very Copious Selection of Scientific Terms. For use in
Schools and Colleges, and as a Book of General Reference. The Pronunciation
carefully revised by the Rev. P. H. Phelp, M.A. Cantab. Thirteenth Edition,
with Supplement. Crown 8vo, pp. 800. 7s. 6d.

Handy Dictionary. New Edition, thoroughly Revised. By

William Bayne. lbrno, Is.

STORY. The Apostolic Ministry in the Scottish Church (The

Baird Lecture for 1897). By Robert Herbert Story, D.D. (Edin.), F.S.A.
Scot., Principal of the University of Glasgow, Principal Clerk of the General
Assembly, and Chaplain to the Queen. Crown 8vo, 7s. 6d.

STORY.

Poems By W. W. Story, Author of ' Roba di Roma,' &c. 2

vols. 7s. 6d.

Fiammetta. A Summer Idyl. Crown 8vo, 7s. 6d.
Conversations in a Studio. 2 vols, crown 8vo, 12s. 6d.
Excursions in Art and Letters. Crown 8vo, 7s. 6d.
A Poet's Portfolio : Later Readings. 18mo, 3s. 6d.
STRACHEY. Talk at a Country House. Fact and Fiction.

By Sir Edward Strachey, Bart. With a portrait of the Author. Crown 8vo,
4s. 6d. net.

TAYLOR. The Story of my Life. By the late Colonel

Meadows Taylor, Author of 'The Confessions of a Thug,' &c, &c. Edited by
his Daughter. New and Cheaper Edition, being the Fourth. Crown 8vo, 6s.

THOMSON.

Handy Book of the Flower-Garden : Being Practical Direc-
tions for the Propagation, Culture, and Arrangement of Plants in Flower-
Gardens all the year round. With Engraved Plans. By David Thomson,
Gardener to his Grace the Duke of Buccleuch, K.T., at Drumlanrig. Fourth
and Cheaper Edition. Crown 8vo, 5s.

The Handy Book of Fruit-Culture under Glass : Being a

series of Elaborate Practical Treatises on the Cultivation and Forcing of Pines,
Vines, Peaches, Figs, Melons, Strawberries, and Cucumbers. With Engravings
of Hothouses, &c. Second Edition, Revised and Enlarged. Crown 8vo, 7s. 6d.

30 List of Books Published by

THOMSON. A Practical Treatise on the Cultivation of the

Grape Vine. By William Thomson, Tweed Vineyards. Tenth Edition. Svo, 5s.

THOMSON. Cookery for the Sick and Convalescent. With

Directions for the Preparation of Poultices, Fomentations.. &c. By Barbara
Thomson. Fcap. 8vo, Is. 6d.

THORBURN. Asiatic Neighbours. By S. S. Thorburn, Bengal

Civil Service, Author of 'Banmi; or, Our Afghan Frontier,' 'David Leslie:
A Story of the Afghan Frontier,' ' Musalmans and Money-Lenders in the Pan-
jab.' With Two Maps. Demy 8vo, 10s. 6d. net.

TIELE. Elements of the Science of Religion. Part I.— Morpho-
logical. Part II.— Ontological. Being the Gifford Lectures delivered before the
University of Edinburgh in 1896-98. By C. P. Tiele, Theol. D., Litt.D. (Bonon.),
Hon. M.R.A.S., &c, Professor of the Science of Religion, in the University of
Leiden. In 2 vols, post Svo. 7s. 6d. net. each.

TRANSACTIONS OF THE HIGHLAND AND AGRICUL-
TURAL SOCIETY OF SCOTLAND. Published annually, price 5s.

TRAVERS.

Windyhaugh. By Graham Travers (Margaret G. Todd,

M.D.) Fourth Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.

Mona Maclean, Medical Student. A Novel. Fourteenth Edi-
tion. Crown Svo, 6s. Cheaper Edition, 2s. 6d.

Fellow Travellers. Fourth Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.
TROTTER. A Leader of Light Horse. Life of Hodson of

Hodson's Horse. By Captain L. J. Trotter, Author of ' Life of John Nicholson,
Soldier and Statesman.' With a Portrait and 2 Maps. Demy Svo, 16s.

TRYON. Life of Vice- Admiral Sir George Tryon, K.C.B. By

Rear- Admiral C. C. Penrose Fitzgerald. Cheap Edition. With Portrait and
numerous Illustrations. Demy 8vo, 6s.

TULLOCH.

Rational Theology and Christian Philosophy in England in

the Seventeenth Century. By John Tulloch, D.D., Principal of St Mary's Col-
lege in the University of St Andrews, and one of her Majesty's Chaplains in
Ordinary in Scotland. Second Edition. 2 vols. 8vo, 16s.

Modern Theories in Philosophy and Religion. 8vo, 15s.
Luther, and other Leaders or the Reformation. Third Edi-
tion, Enlarged. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.

Memoir of Principal Tulloch, D.D, LL.D. By Mrs Oliphant,

Author of 'Life of Edward Irving.' Third and Cheaper Edition. 8vo, with
Portrait, 7s. 6d.

TWEEDIE. The Arabian Horse: His Country and People.

By Major -General W. Tweedie, C.S.I., Bengal Staff Corps; for many years
H.B.M.'s Consul- General, Baghdad, and Political Resident for the Government
of India in Turkish Arabia. In one vol. royal 4to, with Seven Coloured Plates
and other Illustrations, and a Map of the Country. Price £3, 3s. net.

TYLER. The Whence and the Whither of Man. A Brief His-
tory of his Origin and Development through Conformity to Environment. The
Morse Lectures of 1895. By John M. Tyler, Professor of Biology, Amherst
College, U.S.A. Post 8vo, 6s. net.

VANDERVELL. A Shuttle of an Empire's Loom ; or, Five

Months before the Mast on a Modern Steam Cargo-Boat. By Harry Van-
dervell cond Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.

VEITCH.

Memoir of John Veitch, LL.D., Professor of Logic and Rhetoric,

University of Glasgow. By Mary R. L. Bryce. With Portrait and 3 Photo-
gravure Plates. Demy 8vo, 7s. 6d.

Border Essays. By John Veitch, LL.D., Professor of Logic

and Rhetoric, University of Glasgow. Crown Svo, 4s. 6d. net.

William Blackwood & Sons. 31

VEITCH.

The History and Poetry of the Scottish Border : their Main

Features and Relations. New and Enlarged Edition. 2 vols, demy 8vo, 16s.

Institutes of Logic. Post 8vo, 12s. 6d.

Merlin and other Poems. Fcap. 8vo, 4s. 6d.

Knowing and Being. Essays in Philosophy. First Series.

Crown 8vo, 5s.

Dualism and Monism ; and other Essays. Essays in Phil-
osophy. Second Series. With an Introduction by B. M. Wenley. Crown 8vo,
4s. 6d. net.

VETCH. Life, Letters, and Diaries of Lieut. -General Sir

Gerald Graham, V.C., G.C.B., R.E. By Colonel R. H. Vetch, C.B., late Boyal
Engineers. With Portraits, Plans, and his Principal Despatches. Demy 8vo, 21s.

WACE. Christianity and Agnosticism. B.eviews of some Recent

Attacks on the Christian Faith. By Henry Wace, D.D., late Principal of King's
College, London; Preacher of Lincoln's Inn; Chaplain to the Queen. Second
Edition. Post 8vo, 10s. 6d. net.

WADDELL.

An Old Kirk Chronicle : Being a History of Auldhame,

Tyninghame, and Whitekirk, in East Lothian. From Session Records, 1615 to
1850. By Rev. P. Hately Waddell, B.D., Minister of the United Parish.
Small Paper Edition 200 Copies. Price £1. Large Paper Edition, 50 Copies.
Price, £1, 10s.

Christianity as an Ideal. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.

WARREN'S (SAMUEL) WORKS:—

Diary of a Late Physician. Cloth, 2s. 6d. ; boards, 2s.
Ten Thousand A- Year. Cloth, 3s. 6d. ; boards, 2s. 6d.
Now and Then, The Lily and the Bee. Intellectual and

Moral Development of the Present Age. 4s. 6d.
Essays : Critical, Imaginative, and Juridical. 5s,
WATSON. Sir Sergeant. A Story of Adventure that ensued

upon "The '45." By W. L. Watson. Crown Svo, 6s.

WENLEY.

Socrates and Christ : A Study in the Philosophy of Religion.

By R. M. Wenley, M.A., D.Sc. D.Phil., Professor of Philosophy in the Univer-
sity of Michigan, U.S.A. Crown Svo, 6s.

Aspects of Pessimism. Crwn. 8vo, 6s
WHIBLEY. Thackeray. "Modern English Writers." By

Charles Whibley. In 1 vol. crown 8vo. [In the press.

WHITE. Mountains of Necessity. By Hester White. Crown

Svo, 6s.

WHITE.

Sir Frizzle Pumpkin. By Rev. James White. A New Edition.

Crown Svo, 2s.

The Eighteen Christian Centuries. Seventh Edition. Post

8vo, with Index, 6s.

History of France, from the Earliest Times. Sixth Thousand.

Post Svo, with Index, 6b.

WHITE.

Archaeological Sketches in Scotland — Kintyre and Knapdale.

By Colonel T. P. White, R.E., of the Ordnance Survey. With numerous Illus-
trations. 2 vols, folio, £4, 4s. Vol. I., Kintyre, sold separately, £2, 2s.

The Ordnance Survey of the United Kingdom. A Popular

Account. Crown Svo, 5s.

32 Books Published by William Blackwood & Sons.

WILLSON. Lucian'S' Wonderland. Being a Translation of

the 'Vera Historia.' By St J. B. Wynne Willson, M.A. With numerous
Illustrations by A. Payne Garnett. Fcap. 4to, 6s.

WILSON.

Works of Professor Wilson. Edited by his Son -in -Law,

Professor Ferrier. 12 vols, crown 8vo, £2, 8s.

Christqpher in his Sporting-Jacket. 2 vols., 8s.

Isle of Palms, City of the Plague, and other Poems* 4s.

Lights and Shadows of Scottish Life, and other Tales, 4s.

Essays, Critical and Imaginative. 4 vols.. 16s.

The Noctes Ambrosian&e, 4 vols., liBs.

Homer and his Translators, and the Greek Drama, Crown

8vo, 4*.

WORSLEY,

Homer's Odyssey. Translated into English Verse in the

Spenserian Stanza. By Philip Stanhope Worsley,. M, A. New and Cheaper
Edition. Post 8vo, 7s. 6d. net.

Homer's Iliad. Translated by P. S. Worsley and Prof. Con-

ingl .'.3.

WOTHERSPOON. Kyrie Eleison (" Lord, have Mercy "). A

Manual of Private Prayers. With N.otes and Additional Matter. By H. J.
Wotherspoun, M.A., of St Oswald's, Edinburgh. Cloth, red edges, Is. net ;
limp leather, Is. 6d. net.

YATE. Khurasan and Sistan. By Lieut.- Col. C E. Yate, C.S.I.,

C.M.G., F.R.GS., Indian Staff Corps, Agent to the Governor-General and Chief
Commissioner for Baluchistan, late Agent to the Governor-General of India, and
Her Britannio Majesty's Consul-General for Khurasan and Sistan. With Map
and 25 Illustrations, and Portraits. Demy Svo, 21s.

ZACK.

On Trial. By Zack. Second Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.

Life is Life, and other Tales and Episodes. Second Edition.

Crown Svo, 6s.
7/01.

I

Efl 01 H In -

HHHbHJH £9

'■■"AC*' S» :-.-li^. '-."Jwfc-iwtoi ')
Q| •■",:•• BOH

HHIS39 mj

'>;■,-' 4 ' -iA>;

3 2044 093 319 564

■

m

■n
■ ■ &£ |

■ I

K9^B

I I

■■

..V4-

■

SB

I

■

BBSS

0 - . - -