296 BRITISH SERPENTS. 



Common, approaching Symonds Yat. both adders and 

 ring snakes are found. 



I have seen the small red viper twice on Garway 

 Hill in Herefordshire, but never Goronclla cmstriaca. 



The late head-keeper on the Stoke Edith Park 

 estate tells me that in that part of the county the 

 ring snake is more abundant than the adder, and 

 averages from 2J to 3 feet. He once had a curious 

 experience here, which lie relates thus : " About 

 six years ago, in the month of April, I was going 

 my round, when I saw a very large ball of some- 

 thing rolling down a rough piece of stony ground 

 in the wood. On getting near it I shot at it, and, 

 to my surprise, found that it was a bunch of snakes. 

 I killed and wounded about thirty, and a large 

 number got away." These snakes had evidently 

 been hibernating e7i masse when the keeper came 

 across the bunch. 



See also various notes in ' Transactions of the 

 Woolhope Eield Naturalists' Club' (1898 to 1900). 

 — Author. 



Whitchurch District. — " In the district of Whit- 

 church, near Eoss, the green snake (Trojndonotus 

 natrix) is the most common, and though not nearly 

 so common as formerly, is still often met with. At 

 one time this species used to be found in numbers 

 together, especially wlien large manure-heaps were 

 turned over. Most of the adders I have seen have 



