75 



CHAPTER Yir. 

 VIPERA BERUS, OE ADDER. 



DISTRIBUTION— DESCRIPTION — AVERAGE SIZE — MARKINGS AND 

 COLOURS — HAUNTS — FOOD. 



We now come to the consideration of our sole 

 venomous serpent in these islands — Viiicra herns, the 

 adder, or, as it is often called, tlie viper. It has 

 heen explained in chap. i. of this book why this 

 species will be discussed somewhat more fully than 

 was the case in the two serpents already considered. 

 Distribution. — Vipera hcrus is distributed over 

 almost the whole of the European continent, the 

 extreme north excepted, where the cold is too in- 

 tense for serpents to flourish. In Scotland it is 

 much more common than the ring snake, while in 

 England its distribution is very various, and will be 

 found under the head of the separate counties, in a 

 later chapter. In Wales it is very common in some 

 places, rare in others. Like the other ophidians, it 



