2i8 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



fidence that they are never found in Scotland, except as 

 fugitives from captivity. During the earlier years of my life 

 in a hilly part of Banffshire, I never saw a living Adder there, 

 although there was abundance of the sort of cover which 

 seems to attract the creature in other localities. In 1896 I 

 spent the summer months on the western shore of Loch 

 Lomond, near Luss, and in that locality had frequent oppor- 

 tunities of observing the habits and haunts of the Adder, as 

 it is common on the mainland and on at least two of the 

 islands. One of these is Inchlonaig, the deer-park 01 Sir 

 James Colquhoun of Luss, on which no one, as a rule, is 

 allowed to land except the keeper and his family, who have a 

 house on it. The vegetation of the island consists chiefly ot 

 heather, coarse grass, and a few clumps of stunted trees. The 

 keeper's wife told me that in summer Adders can be seen in 

 various parts of the island basking in the sun, and this 

 information was confirmed by some of the Luss boatmen 

 who had been allowed to land on Inchlonaig. The other 

 island in that quarter of Loch Lomond which has an evil 

 repute for Vipers is Inchconnachan, which is covered with tall 

 trees and rank heather. The local population on the main- 

 land have a wholesome dread of the Adders in this locality. 

 In some parts near the shore the Bilberry is common, and on 

 a very bright day I sent a lad (who acted as my boatman) 

 and a girl to collect some of the berries, but they returned in 

 a short time declaring that they were afraid to land, as the 

 serpents were so numerous and menacing. The important 

 question now is, How did the Adders get to these two islands? 

 and to this it will be possible to give, in a very few words, a 

 satisfactory reply. At a part of the loch near the Free Kirk 

 of Luss there is a narrow promontory which runs out in the 

 loch to within a short distance of the island called Inch- 

 tavannach, and in the strait between the two I have on two 

 or three occasions seen an Adder swimming towards the island. 

 Once there it could easily pass on to Inchconnachan, as there 

 is only a very narrow strip of water between the two islands. 

 The island of Inchlonaig is more isolated, but not to such an 

 extent as would prevent an Adder reaching it by swimming. 

 It may be mentioned incidentally that while fishing some 

 years ago from a boat in Loch Shin, near Overscaig, an 



