360 BRITISH SERPENTS. 



island to island, and is thus one of the three 

 wonders of that lake — 



' Waves without wind, 

 Fish without fins, 

 And a floating island.' 



The ring snake does not exist anywhere in Scotland, 

 to my knowledge, at any rate in the West." — Alfred 

 Brown, Luss, Dumbartonshire. 



Mr Thomas Scott, F.L.S. (Aberdeen), tells me that 

 he has a specimen of an adder 14f inches long which 

 was killed in an open drain near East Tarbert, and he 

 heard at the time that the species was not uncommon 

 there. He has also heard of adders being killed on 

 the moors behind Greenock. The slow-worm he has 

 taken on Ailsa Craig. 



The unusual occurrence of an adder being found 

 active in the month of December is reported to me by 

 Mr J. H. Browne, of Longformacus, Berwickshire, in 

 which parish the reptile was captured by a shepherd. 

 It was in Christmas week 1900, and the adder meas- 

 ured 26 inches. The shepherd's dog drew his master's 

 attention to it. Mr Browne tells me that the average 

 size of adders in the Longformacus district is about 

 22 inches. He adds that the species is found all over 

 the Lammermoor Hills and on the Duns estate. He 

 mentions that they vary in colour from gold to black. 

 — Author. 



