n 



By GERALD LEIGHTON, M.D., F.S.Sc. 



(Read April 29th, 1901.) 





N choosing a topic for my remarks to you to-day, I 

 have, naturally, taken into consideration the 

 peculiar position of your Society, as far as 

 British serpents are concerned. A short 

 time ago 1 was invited to address a society 

 in the North of England, and, in giving me 

 the invitation, the Secretary said he hoped 

 that I would bear in mind that the subject of 

 reptiles was a new one at their meetings, and 

 that they had never had any paper on that subject during the 

 whole history of the society. I find myself, as I say, in a very 

 different position to-day, as you in Dorset are very familiar with 

 this branch of our fauna, and do not require to be told by anyone 

 that we have only one venomous reptile in Britain a statement 

 which was a somewhat startling piece of news to the society I 

 spoke of. 



Indeed, it must be one of your proudest thoughts, as Field 

 Naturalists, that the history of the due recognition of the smooth 

 snake as a true British species is for ever connected with the 

 Natural History Society of Dorsetshire. The most valuable 



