SEVERN PROVINCE. 297 



been in the woods, and averaged about 18 inches 

 long, though I have seen larger ones. They were 

 nearly always in old ' coal-plains,' or places where 

 charcoal had been made, and invariably on high 

 ground. I have had dogs bitten by adders in 

 October when shooting, but never knew an adder 

 attack anything unless trodden on or startled. I 

 surprised one once lying curled up on a ' ride ' at 

 Credenhill Park, and this one struck at me. I 

 killed the adder — a very long one. The reptile had 

 apparently just killed a shrew as I came upon it." 

 — John P. Brown, Hampton Park, Hereford. 



" I have never seen Tropidonotus matrix in the 

 county, but it occurs at Whitchurch, Fownhope, 

 Stoke Edith, Cradley, and other places. One caught 

 at Clapham some years ago, which measured 5 \ feet 

 (Mr J. J. Walker, K.N., of Sheerness, being my 

 authority), is the largest I ever heard of. About 

 thirty years ago adders used to swarm in what was 

 then a young larch plantation on the Croft side of 

 Bircher Common." — Extract from a paper on British 

 Snakes, Woolhope Club Transactions, 1898-99, by 

 Mr T. Hutchinson, Hon. Sec. 



Worcestershire. 



" The ring snake is commonly distributed all over 

 the county, and has an average length of about 3 

 feet. The adder is more local in its occurrence, 

 being very common in Wyre Forest, where I fre- 



