190 BRITISH SERPENTS. 



swallowed their young ones, we cut her open, and 

 found, as / say, thirteen young, about the length of 

 my little finger." — T. Morgan, Tresemmy, Grosmont, 

 Monmouthshire, June 1900. 



Statement 2. — " A few years ago I disturbed an 

 adder in a field near Dineterwood, Ewyas Harold. 

 She gave a repeated Jiissing noise, so I knew there 

 were young ones about, as they never hiss more 

 than once unless they have young ones with them. 

 The repeated hissing is to call the young. She 

 then put her lower jaw o?i the ground, and I saw 

 a number of young ones swallowed. I killed the 

 adder, which measured 22 inches in length, and 

 found eleven young ones, about 2J inches long, inside 

 her." — Mr Prothero, gamekeeper, Pontrilas, Here- 

 fordshire, July 17, 1898. 



Statement 3. — " Some years ago I was walking with 

 my younger brother to help to gather the cut fern in 

 Kentchurch Park. About a yard off the path I saw 

 an adder coiled up in the grass in the sun. When I 

 stopped 3 or 4 feet off she lifted up her head, put out 

 her tongue, and hissed at us. I then saw six young 

 ones, which I had not noticed before, wriggle up to 

 her. She put her head flat on the surface of the 

 ground and opened her mouth, when all six went in. 

 The young were about 3i inches long. As soon as 

 they were inside her, the mother at once disappeared 



