COUNTY AND DISTRICT DISTRIBUTION. 241 



county the length varies greatly, being estimated at 

 12 inches in one part and at 27 in another part of 

 Devon. The former figure refers in all probability to 

 the small red viper. The most usual average over the 

 whole area is 18 to 20 inches. 



Tropiclonotus natrix. — The ring snake is frequently 

 found in Devon and Somerset, but not so often in 

 Cornwall. The ordinary length of 2J to 3 feet is 

 observed. 



The small red viper occurs in Devon, but Coronella 

 austriaca is not found anywhere in this area. 



II. Channel Province. 



Viper a herns. — In the Isle of Wight the adder is 

 the most common snake, and is very frequent in all 

 this area with the exception of the county of Wilt- 

 shire. It is perhaps most common in Mid-Dorset, 

 though there are, of course, numbers in the New 

 Forest. In Dorset its period of hibernation seems 

 shorter than in most places, as it is often found 

 active in February. It averages 18 inches over the 

 greater part of this area. 



Tropidonotus natrix. — The ring snake is universally 

 distributed in the Channel Province, being extremely 

 frequent in parts of Wiltshire. In the New Forest 

 its proportion in numbers to the adder is estimated 

 at 10 to 1. It was from this place that Lord Londes- 

 borough obtained his large specimen of 5 feet 8 inches. 

 In this forest also the famous Brusher Mills has 



Q 



