THE ADDER. 165 



abusive, and in a very few minutes were hardly on 

 speaking terms. It is to be hoped that no such 

 acrimonious feelings will be the result of this re- 

 view of the question, but an honest endeavour made 

 to re-think the whole subject in a serious and 

 scientific manner, just as the student would ap- 

 proach any other question of natural science which 

 has two sides to it, and evidence to be weighed on 

 both sides. To be content to say off-hand that one 

 cannot believe such an absurd idea is a very un- 

 scientific attitude to take up on this or any other 

 debated point, especially when a moment's thought 

 is given to the innumerable facts in nature quite 

 as curious. Nor is it to be expected that scientists 

 and others should believe it simply because a cer- 

 tain number of people say or think that they have 

 seen the occurrence. In the absence of certain kinds 

 of proof, which will be mentioned presently, it is a 

 question entirely of weighing evidence, and the ver- 

 dict may be that the swallowing of the young is (1) 

 true, (2) untrue, or, as they say in Scotland, (3) not 

 proven, according to the way in which the evidence 

 strikes the particular jury who have the case under 

 consideration. 



This statement, then, being made, why is it not 

 altogether accepted ? What are the main reasons 

 put forward as the objections to the probable truth 

 of the statement ? These objections may be stated 

 as follows : — 



