VARIOUS INCIDENTS RECORDED. 225 



" Brusher Mills."—" During the time we lived in 

 the New Forest I was acquainted with the old snake- 

 killer ' Brusher,' whom I met one day when out walk- 

 ing. He was carrying his pouches full of writhing 

 snakes. I asked him if he had found many adders, 

 and said I should like to see him catch one, and told 

 him I would help him to find one. We strolled to a 

 likely spot, but ' Brusher ' found the adder, and 

 quickly whipping out his tongs, seized it near the 

 head. ' Now, marm,' said he, ' would you like to see 

 its teeth ? ' ' Oh yes,' said I, and with the help of 

 other tweezers he made the poor creature open its 

 mouth wide, and I had a fine view. 



" I said that I had heard that he made oil from 

 adders that would cure their bite, whereupon he 

 pulled out a bottle of clear oil from his pocket, and 

 .si lowed me the dreadful bites on his own hands he had 

 cured with the oil. I asked him how he got the oil, 

 and with a ^rin he said that he baked the adders in 

 an oven, in a large jar. ' Please, marm,' said he, 

 ' would you like to see this one have a run and me 

 catch it again ? ' ! ! ! But this was more than I had 

 nerve for, and leaving the old man a small present, I 

 made off as fast as I could." — Adelaide Clarence 

 Browne, Hall Court, Bishopsfrome, Worcester. 



Adders and spiders. — "A young lady told me 

 the other day that she once saw a large adder in 

 the garden. She called the servant, who said, ' Wait 



p 



