r792. on the viper. 9 



■^h\y submit myself to your superior judgement. Be 

 iafsured, however, that I am. Sir, the coristant ad- 

 mirer of your writings and publications. 



G. R. H. 

 P. S. Although I have once or twice called them 

 young adders in this letter, yet I am no way confirm- 

 ed in my opinion that they really are so. Their order 

 of marching makes me think they were not maggots ; 

 and it is not agreeable with the natural history of 

 the viper to suppose they increase so fast; I fliall 

 therefore wait for your opinion of them, which 

 will be gratefully received. I have mentioned all 

 the particulars T observed about them*. 



• Along with the above was received by theEditor \n a separate piper, 



. seveial dried small animals, to appearance. One erd was clearly d's- 



rirgaifiiable from the other, by a small black dot, which is supposed to be 



the head, the res: was so much fcivelled up in the drying as not to be 



d'stingui/hable. 



The phenomenon here described is certainly very uncommon, ind deserves 

 the attention of the curious. That it was a nest of young vipers, a? the 

 writer evidently suspected, seems rot to be very probable. The viper 

 is known to be a viviparous animal, and produces its young nearly in the 

 common way, in as far as' I have been able to learn. I never myseli" 

 had an opportunity of making any observations on the common ad- 

 der, but a gentleman to v.'hom I (hewed the above, afsured me, he had seen 

 four or five youDg ones, about three inches long, and perfectly active, ta.. 

 ken out of tl.e body of a.i adder that was killed. 



■ It is probable some of my country readers may have had opportunities 

 of observing the adder while with young, in various degrees of advance- 

 ment ; and it is alsopofsible that some of them may have remarked the 

 i.ime appearance that has been described by this correspondent, and m»y 

 be able to throw some light-upon it. Any elucidaticr.s un this head will be 

 very acceptable. -■ 



Fiflies that are generated from sp;(wn, are, I believe, the most produc- 

 tive of all animals j and these sjmetimts attach themselves to one another, 

 when young, very closely in ftioals, somewhat resembling the phenomenon 

 VOL. xi. B 



