THE OPHIDIA IN THE MONNOAV VALLEY. 197 



this one was exaggerated. It could hardly be believed 

 that adders over 2 feet long were as common as this 

 local snake evidently was, and no evidence could be 

 obtained of there being more than one species found in 

 the valley. There was nothing for it but to wait till 

 the return of spring enabled me to get some specimens 

 for myself, and in the mean time I became familiar 

 with the spots where these reptiles were said to be most 

 often seen. By the end of the summers of 1896 and 

 1897 I had caught and seen a considerable number of 

 the local serpent, and found that it was, as my in- 

 formants had assured me, the adder. But what about 

 the length ? Had they exaggerated it ? To answer 

 this question I cannot do better than give the exact 

 measurements of the first six adders I took, because 

 the same figures apply to many I have taken in the 

 valley since, and also because the list includes both 

 the largest and smallest adders in my local collec- 

 tion, and is representative of the whole extent of the 

 valley. 



A small calculation will show that the average 

 of this series of six works out at a length of 23f 

 inches, which is very nearly what my information 



