THE ADDER. 175 



satisfactory proof ? My answer is this. Let the first 

 person who sees the adder-mother swallow her young 

 proceed to carry out the following programme: — 



1. Secure the mother alive or dead, and tie a liga- 

 ture securely round the neck. 



2. Take the specimen to any well-known naturalist, 

 and make a statement in the presence of witnesses as 

 to the circumstances attending the capture. 



3. Eequest the naturalist to dissect the adder in 

 the presence of three reputable witnesses. 



The final act in the drama will be the finding (or 

 not finding) of the young in the gullet of the adder- 

 mother, or elsewhere, by the naturalist in question. 



This is what science calls proving a question, and 

 short of this, whatever private opinion may be held 

 on the matter, scientists cannot be expected to con- 

 sider the adder-swallowing belief proved. Until this 

 is done, rather will they regard the question as one 

 capable of proof, if true, but hitherto unsettled. 



