280 BRITISH SERPENTS. 



This is another county from which it appears to 

 be very difficult to get any information about the 

 serpents. The reason doubtless is, as I have else- 

 where said, that the reptiles are scarce here. Indeed 

 Mr Percival Westell says in a letter to me, " I am 

 always rambling about in Herts, and find that both 

 the adder and the ring snake are exceedingly rare. 

 I never encounter either species." — Author. 



Berkshire. 



" The ring snake is the most common snake here. 

 The adder is also found, never over 2 feet long. I 

 have seen three specimens of CoroneUa Icevis, the 

 smooth snake, from one locality (last in 1882)." — J. 

 W. Bevir, M.A., Wellington College. 



"This summer a great many ring snakes were 

 caught by members of the school. In July a curious 

 variety of this species came under my notice. The 

 belly was coloured dull white, with one longitudinal 

 black line running from neck to tail. The snake was 

 a small one about 16 inches long. The back was a 

 dirty black colour. I have not seen any other like it 

 in this country." — Zoological Eeport, Wellington 

 College Naturalists' Soc, S. S. Flower, Director of 

 Museum, 1886. 



"I have taken both ring snakes and adders at 

 Mortimer in this county, the former ranging from 

 12 to 34 inches, the adders from 12 to 24 inches. 

 Adders are plentiful at Pamber Forest, near Eeading, 



