﻿DANGEROUS 
  REPTILES 
  — 
  COCHRAN 
  295 
  

  

  degree 
  in 
  Scandinavia 
  and 
  across 
  northern 
  Asia 
  to 
  the 
  Amur 
  River 
  and 
  

   Sakhalin 
  Island. 
  Southward 
  it 
  extends 
  to 
  the 
  Pyrenees, 
  Apennines, 
  

   and 
  the 
  Balkans. 
  Two 
  distinct 
  forms 
  occur 
  in 
  different 
  parts 
  of 
  Yugo- 
  

   slavia, 
  while 
  another 
  lives 
  in 
  northwestern 
  Spain 
  and 
  Portugal. 
  It 
  

   prefers 
  a 
  cool 
  climate, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  north 
  selects 
  hills 
  well 
  exposed 
  to 
  the 
  

   sun 
  on 
  which 
  to 
  bask, 
  although 
  it 
  is 
  partially 
  nocturnal 
  also. 
  It 
  eats 
  

   any 
  small 
  living 
  creatures 
  of 
  suitable 
  size 
  — 
  mice, 
  birds, 
  lizards, 
  frogs, 
  

   salamanders, 
  and 
  slugs, 
  while 
  the 
  very 
  young 
  ones 
  feed 
  on 
  insects 
  and 
  

   worms. 
  The 
  young 
  are 
  born 
  alive 
  in 
  August 
  or 
  September, 
  and 
  num- 
  

   ber 
  from 
  5 
  to 
  20 
  in 
  a 
  litter. 
  Many 
  fatalities 
  from 
  bites 
  have 
  been 
  

   recorded, 
  especially 
  in 
  France 
  and 
  Germany. 
  Exceptional 
  specimens 
  

   are 
  nearly 
  3 
  feet 
  long, 
  although 
  2 
  feet 
  is 
  the 
  more 
  usual 
  length. 
  

  

  Orsini's 
  and 
  Renard's 
  vipers. 
  

  

  Orsini's 
  viper 
  ( 
  V. 
  ursinii, 
  pi. 
  8, 
  fig. 
  2) 
  , 
  rather 
  similar 
  to 
  the 
  com- 
  

   mon 
  viper 
  in 
  appearance, 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  southern 
  France, 
  northern 
  Italy, 
  

   Hungary, 
  and 
  parts 
  of 
  Yugoslavia. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  found 
  with 
  the 
  common 
  

   viper 
  in 
  any 
  part 
  of 
  its 
  habitat. 
  It 
  grows 
  to 
  a 
  maximum 
  size 
  of 
  2 
  

   feet. 
  Its 
  disposition 
  is 
  much 
  less 
  aggressive 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  common 
  

   viper, 
  and 
  in 
  some 
  places 
  it 
  is 
  said 
  not 
  to 
  make 
  use 
  of 
  itts 
  poison 
  appa- 
  

   ratus 
  since 
  it 
  feeds 
  entirely 
  on 
  grasshoppers. 
  Renard's 
  viper 
  (V. 
  

   renardi) 
  is 
  closely 
  related, 
  except 
  that 
  its 
  snout 
  is 
  much 
  more 
  pointed. 
  

   Its 
  length 
  does 
  not 
  exceed 
  2 
  feet. 
  It 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  Crimea 
  and 
  parts 
  

   of 
  eastern 
  Russia, 
  extending 
  far 
  into 
  Central 
  Asia. 
  Its 
  food 
  consists 
  

   of 
  small 
  mammals 
  and 
  lizards. 
  

  

  The 
  asp, 
  Lataste's, 
  and 
  the 
  long-nosed 
  vipers. 
  

  

  These 
  three 
  European 
  vipers 
  can 
  be 
  recognized 
  by 
  their 
  "turned-up 
  

   noses," 
  that 
  is, 
  the 
  tip 
  of 
  the 
  snout 
  is 
  distinctly 
  above 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  

   top 
  of 
  the 
  head. 
  The 
  asp 
  viper 
  (V. 
  aspis) 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  southern 
  France, 
  

   the 
  Pyrenees 
  and 
  Apennines, 
  and 
  Yugoslavia. 
  It 
  likes 
  hot, 
  dry 
  locali- 
  

   ties, 
  and 
  lives 
  in 
  holes 
  in 
  rocks 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  earth. 
  It 
  is 
  both 
  nocturnal 
  

   and 
  diurnal, 
  with 
  food 
  habits 
  similar 
  to 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  common 
  asp. 
  Its 
  

   disposition 
  is 
  savage, 
  and 
  many 
  accidents, 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  fatal, 
  are 
  

   caused 
  yearly 
  in 
  southern 
  France 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  abundant. 
  A 
  sub- 
  

   species 
  occurs 
  in 
  Sicily 
  and 
  Calabria 
  (southern 
  Italy). 
  Lataste's 
  

   viper 
  (V. 
  latasti) 
  prefers 
  stony, 
  arid, 
  and 
  forested 
  regions 
  in 
  Spain 
  

   and 
  Portugal, 
  also 
  in 
  Morocco 
  and 
  Algeria. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  known 
  to 
  ex- 
  

   ceed 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  2 
  feet. 
  It 
  climbs 
  low 
  trees 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  young 
  birds. 
  

   Its 
  bite 
  is 
  supposed 
  to 
  be 
  less 
  dangerous 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  asp 
  viper 
  

   and 
  rarely 
  causes 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  human 
  beings 
  or 
  domestic 
  animals. 
  

   Its 
  nose 
  is 
  likewise 
  somewhat 
  "turned 
  up." 
  In 
  the 
  sand 
  viper 
  or 
  long- 
  

   nosed 
  viper 
  (V. 
  amrnodytes) 
  the 
  snout 
  appendage 
  is 
  particularly 
  evi- 
  

   dent, 
  giving 
  it 
  one 
  of 
  its 
  common 
  names. 
  It 
  occasionally 
  grows 
  to 
  

   a 
  length 
  of 
  3 
  feet. 
  It 
  has 
  numerous 
  geographical 
  varieties. 
  The 
  typi- 
  

  

  