POISON OF THE VIPER. Ill 



chain of dark spots that runs along the spine, and forms an unfailing guide to its identifica- 

 tion. It is the only poisonous reptile inhabiting some European countries, the variously- 

 colored specimens being nothing more than varieties of the same species. 



Like most reptiles, whether poisonous or not, the Viper is a very timid creature, always 

 preferring to glide away from a foe rather than to attack, and only biting when driven to do 

 so under great provocation. 



The following interesting account of a Viper's bite and its consequences, has been kindly 

 forwarded to me by Mr. W. C. Coleman : 



" Several years ago, in my school-boy days, I had an experience with a Viper, which may 

 possibly interest such of your readers as have not enjoyed a similar intimacy with the 

 creature, especially as it places the Viper character in a somewhat more amiable light than it 

 is usually represented. 



"One cold, damp day in the beginning of May, I was out in the country on a foraging 

 expedition ; birds' nests and objects of natural history in general being the objects of search. 

 Entering, in the course of exploration, a likely coppice, I descried a blackbird's nest perched 

 among some tangled stems of underwood three or four feet from the ground. A glance at the 

 interior, however, soon showed that some other marauder had forestalled me, as the sole 

 occupants of the nest were some crushed and empty egg-shells, and scanty remains of the 

 fluid contents spilt about. 'A weasel,' thoiight I, but wrongfully, as it happened, for on 

 turning away in dudgeon, a rustling movement among the herbage on the ground a couple of 

 yards off, attracted my eyes and ears ; and there I saw the undoubted spoiler of the nest, a 

 large Viper, moving away briskly with his tail in the direction of the nest. 



" A little knowledge is a dangerous tiling, and my slight natural history reading, assisted 

 by bad engravings, had helped me to fancy that I knew the Viper from the common Snake 

 well enough ; and so, deciding that this was only a common harmless Snake, I made a plunge 

 at the creature and apprehended him with my unprotected hand. Receiving no bite, I was 

 now confirmed in my idea of the beast's perfect innocence (except in the bird's-nest matter), 

 and decided on adopting him as a pet. So presently set off home, a distance of more than 

 two miles, taking my serpentine friend in my hand. Not always in my hand, however, for to 

 beguile the homeward journey I proceeded to try sundry experiments on the supple backbone 

 and easy temper of the animal, occasionally tying him round my neck, and so wearing him 

 for a considerable distance ; then twining him round my wrist into a fancy bracelet, and 

 weaving him into various knots and devices according to taste, all this with perfect impunity 

 on my part, and the utmost apparent good humor on his. 



"On the road, a kind fanner of my acquaintance, whose natural history lore was more 

 practical than my own, endeavored to convince me that I was ' harboring a Viper in my 

 bosom,' but I was not going to hear my good-tempered playmate called bad names; put my 

 finger into the Adder's very moutli to prove he had no idea of biting, and so passed on, in 

 much conceit with myself as an accomplished herpetologist. 



" We thus reached home in perfect safety and amity. My brothers and sisters greeted 

 the stranger with some little instinctive horror at first, but got over that feeling when they 

 heard of his innocent nature and amusing capabilities, in proof of which I repeated the necktie 

 experiment, etc. About this stage, however, I must mention that he exhibited a somewhat 

 unpleasant phenomenon common to the Snake tribe in general, who can relieve themselves of 

 the torpor consequent on a heavy meal, by disgorging the same when irritated and requiring 

 restoration of their usual activity. The rejectamenta in this case consisted of portions of 

 unhatched young birds, thus confirming the nest robbery. 



"Being thus lightened, and perhaps stimulated by the warmth of a fire in the room, he 

 was now lively enough, unhappily for me, for on essaying to continue my experiments, by 

 tying him into a double knot, his endurance was at an end ; one dart at my finger and a 

 sharp puncture told me that the thing was done. Then, too late, I recollected that the 'Adder 

 is distinguished by a zigzag chain of dark markings down the back,' and sure enough the vile 

 creature before me had those very marks. In a rage, I battered his life out with a stick, lest 



