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 



