218 



OPHIDIA. VIPERADiE. 



unaccountable narration, by carping at some un- 

 important particulars, while the real gist of the 

 matter is left untouched. 



Genus Felias. (Merrem.) 



In this genus the head is depressed, almost oval, 

 somewhat compressed before, and wider behind 

 the eyes : the upper part is covered with small 

 scaly plates, three of which (the vertical, and the 

 two occipitals,) are larger than the rest; the scales 

 of the body are lance-shaped, and keeled ; the 

 belly is clothed with broad shields, and those be- 

 neath the tail are arranged in a double series; the 

 tail is short, and tapers abruptly ; there are no 

 pits or grooves in the scales before the eyes. 



The Common Viper, 

 or Adder {Pelias verus, 

 Linn.), the only ve- 

 nomous reptile found 

 in the British Isles, 

 is even more com- 

 mon than the Ringed 

 Snake, particularly in 

 the northern part of 

 Great Britain; in Ire- 

 land, however, it is 

 unknown. It is less 

 fond of water than the 

 Ringed Snake, preferring dry woods, sandy 

 heaths, and chalky districts. It grows from two 

 to three feet in length, and is commonly of a 

 yellowish olive hue, marked with a black zigzag 

 band down the body, formed by a series of 

 lozenge-shaped spots, which run into each other 



HEAD OF VIPER. 



