DO SNAKES REFUGE THEIR YOUNG 1 493 



Rider, who wrote to the Field newspaper that on September 

 2 1st he had seen a number of little vipers about three inches 

 long run down their mother's throat. His account was 

 followed by a number of letters from various persons, who 

 very lamely tried to convince him that his eyes had deceived 

 him ; that what he had seen was the wri^cflincr toneue, and 



0000' 



a good deal more of such feeble talk, which Mr. Rider took 

 in gentlemanly good-humour. He further described that at 

 first he clearly saw the young ones at a distance from the 

 parent ; that, the latter being killed, the young were found 

 witJiiii her ; that in carrying her, two of them had fallen out 

 of her ino2Lth ; that he felt quite sure that what he stated was 

 correct. His description was so graphic and evidently 

 truthful that the distinguished naturalist Thomas Bell wrote 

 also to the Field to express his great satisfaction at so 

 authentic an account, confirming his own previous 

 impressions. *I did not doubt the fact before,' he said, 

 in the i^/^/^/ of October 27th, 1866, 'but such an attestation 

 as this from such an authority' (an educated country 

 gentleman) ' must be considered as settling the question.' 



For the next few weeks in the Natural History columns 

 of the Field a number of letters from various persons 

 appeared, the majority taking up the cudgels to resent the 

 insult offered to Mr. Rider and the eminent herpetologist 

 Thomas Bell, F.L.S., F.R.S., and one of the Council of the 

 Zoological Society ; and to quote still other cases of viper- 

 swallowing. * Only a purblind, stupid person,* wrote one of 

 them, 'could possibly mistake young vipers for a tongue.' 



J. Scott Hayward, Esq. of Folkington, Sussex, wrote that 

 three of his men while haymaking found a viper, and one of 



