British Reptiles and Amphibians 



There is also a small spot on either side of the base of 

 the head. A wavy line passes along the whole length 

 of the body and tail. Microscopic examination proves 

 this line to be a series of dark spots blended into what 

 looks to the naked eye as a distinct and continuous 

 stretch of colours. 



Adders are ovoviviparous. The thin membrane 

 that encloses the egg ruptures during the process of 

 parturition, and the young immediately escape. There 

 are ten or twelve at a birth. Before the female deposits 

 her eggs she lies about in sunny positions in a sluggish 

 and inactive manner. This exposure of the body to 

 the direct rays of the sun is said to be helpful, if not 

 essential, to the development of the eggs. At birth the 

 young are as vigorous and pugnacious as their parents, 

 only less harmful. During the active or summer 

 season the Adder casts its skin, and not infrequently 

 this operation is repeated before the date of hiberna- 

 tion. As a rule the Adder sleeps in solitary state 

 during the colder months of the year. Instances are 

 quoted, however, of several being found coiled together 

 in a single hole. 



Adders are reputed as being able to swallow or hide 

 their young in their mouths during a season of danger. 

 No theme in local natural history realms has given rise 

 to so much discussion as this. Some naturalists assert 

 that it is quite impossible for the parent to hide her 

 offspring in this fashion, while an equal number of 

 observers declare they have watched the operation, and 



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