NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE. 65 



7 The story of the viper swallowing her young ones for their safety is so 

 persistently told from all parts of the country by persons of veracity, that it 

 seems cruel to doubt their accuracy of observation. No scientific and accurate 

 naturalist has, as far as I am aware, actually seen the occurrence. Mr. Jesse 

 ;;eems satisfied that it does happen from the evidence he has collected, and lie 

 says that a viper-catcher on the Brighton Downs told him that he had often 

 witnessed the fact. I think the question is still unsettled. I have never seen 

 it myself, and I have seen a great number of vipers in close proximity. 



8 Snakes eat oftener than once a year, but still one meal of a frog or mouse 

 will take a good-sized snake a long time to digest. 



9 The common snake takes readily to the water, and swims sometimes 

 altogether beneath it, and sometimes with the head and neck above. I have 

 very often seen them doing this ; and although I knew they were harmless, I 

 did not like them diving close by me when I was swimming. There is no 

 English species of "water-snake." 



LETTER XVIII. 



SELBORNE, July 27 'th, 1768. 



DEAR SIR, I received your obliging and communicative letter of 

 June 28th, while I was on a visit at a gentleman's house, where 

 I had neither books to turn to, nor leisure to sit down, to return 

 you an answer to many queries, which I wanted to resolve in the 

 best manner that I am able. 



A person, by my order, has searched our brooks, but could find 

 no such fish as the Gasterosteus pungitius ;^ he found the Gasterosteus 

 aculeatus in plenty. This morning, in a basket, I packed a little 

 earthen pot full of wet moss, and in it some sticklebacks, male 

 and female; the females big with spawn: some lamperns; some 

 bull's heads ; but I could procure no minnows. This basket will 

 be in Fleet Street by eight this evening ; so I hope Mazel will 

 have them fresh and fair to-morrow morning. I gave some 

 directions, in a letter, to what particulars the engraver should be 

 attentive. 



Finding, while I was on a visit, that I was within a reasonable 

 distance of Ambresbury, I sent a servant over to that town, and 

 procured several living specimens of loaches, wiiicn he brought, 



