PREFACE. IX 



from these I have quoted, with the permission of the 

 respective authors. There is a very large amount of 

 vahiable material locked up in the Transactions of 

 Field Clubs and local Naturalist Societies which 

 observers in otlier parts never have the opportunity 

 of seeing. For example, I have quoted largely from 

 Mr C. A. Witchell's ' Reptilia and Batrachia of 

 Gloucestershire ' ; Mr Bryan Hook's papers in ' The 

 Surrey Magazine ' on " Surrey Reptiles " ; Eev. 0. 

 Pickard Cambridge's most valuable paper on the 

 " Reptiles of Dorset," — all of whom kindly sent me 

 their observations. Of larger works on local fauna I 

 am especially indebted to Rev. H, A. Macpherson, 

 author of ' Fauna of Lakeland,' and his publisher, Mr 

 David Douglas, for placing at my disposal the illus- 

 tration of the curious variety of adder, first published 

 in that work ; and to Mr H. E. Forrest, author of 

 ' Fauna of Shropshire,' for much information. 



In addition to the above I have to thank the 

 editors of the following publications for permission 

 to make use of their columns for purposes of refer- 

 ence and quotation : The ' Zoologist,' ' Science Gossip,' 

 ' Annals of Scottish Natural History,' the ' Field,' 

 'Country Life,' the 'Outlook,' 'Morning Leader,' 

 'Western Mail,' 'Newcastle Weekly Chronicle,' 'Car- 

 diff Express,' and ' Scotsman.' 



