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 



