12 BRITISH SERPENTS. 



districts where the local conditions are altogether in 

 favour of the adder. Such a locality is the valley of 

 the Monnow, on the South Herefordshire border. 

 For a distance of eight miles in this valley I have seen 

 only one ring snake in five years, during all of which 

 time I have been snake-hunting there in the summer 



Fig. 2. — TuoPiDuyoTus Xathix, or Ring Snake (24J inches). 

 Note- 



Plates on head. 



Yellow collar. 



Dark rim behind collar. 



Markings on sides of body. 

 Tail tapering to fine point. 

 Scales (ventral and dorsal). 



months. This single speciuien has supplied my illus- 

 tration of this species, and was caught by one of the 

 keepers at Kentchurch Court on September 26, 1898. 

 I happened to drive up just as he caught it, and the 

 keeper told me that he saw the snake crossing the 

 drive, coming from the yard to a stream which runs 



