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. 



