312 BRITISH SERPENTS. 



is specially venomous where it occurs upon the peat- 

 bogs, where I was bitten by one in May 1892. 



" I have never met with the ring snake in the 

 district, though it must doubtless occur, as it does 

 in Merionethshire. I have seen a specimen from 

 Towyn." — Prof. J. H. Salter, D.Sc, University 

 College, Aberystwith. 



Aberystwith. — " Both the adder and the ring snake 

 are common all over this county, and there are some 

 of the latter species in my garden. I have the greatest 

 difficulty in preventing my gardeners from killing 

 them, as I cannot get them to believe in the harm- 

 less nature of this snake. Neither do they appreciate 

 the siood these snakes do in devouring the small black 

 slugs with which we are overrun about here. 



" On the Borth Bog there are any amount of 

 adders, and they are darker in colour than the 

 Scotch adder. Many years ago, on the edge of the 

 bog, my gamekeeper came across a ball of them, 

 which he shot at, killing six. At the same place, 

 near Glandovey, I once killed an adder in the 

 kitchen. It was not safe to take any dogs on the 

 bog in the summer." — George W. Cosens, Bronpadarn, 

 nr. Aberystwith. 



