286 BRITISH SERPENTS. 



The smooth snake does not occur, as far as I know." 

 — J. Steele Elliott, Hillcrest, Clent, Worcestershire. 



Huntingdonshire. 



The ring snake is the common snake of this county, 

 but I have been unable to obtain any reliable figures 

 as to its averasje lensjth. 



Captain J. A. Vipan tells me that the adder used 

 to occur in Homle Fen, but he has not seen one there 

 for a great many years, neither has he observed this 

 species in any other locality in the county. There is 

 no record of Coronella austriaca having occurred. — 

 Author. 



Northamptonshire. 



" The ring snake is the most common snake in the 

 county, averaging 35 inches in length. Adders are 

 scarce, but used to be common at Brampton Wood, 

 near Desborough. The keeper there tells me that he 

 often killed them there when he first went to the 

 wood, which at that time had been allowed to grow 

 wild for some years ; but for the last six years he 

 has not seen one. I got a large ring snake from 

 Milton Park, Peterborough, on June 30, 1898, measur- 

 ing 45 inches, the largest I have seen. It was dropped 

 by a heron, which was flying over some trees near 

 their nesting- place. In this park ring snakes are 

 very common." — Charles East Wright, Woodside, 

 Kettering. 



