yb REPTILES OF DORSET. 



It was first discovered in England, by the late Mr. Frederick Bond 

 and myself, between Ringwood and Wimborne in 1853 but was only 

 recorded as British in 1859. It is not unfrequent on the Dorset- 

 shire and Hampshire Heaths, where it is often mistaken for the 

 adder and suffers accordingly. It is of a browner hue than the 

 common snake, and so far bears a superficial resemblance to the 

 adder, but it lacks the conspicuous central longitudinal zigzag or 

 lozenge-shaped dark-brown or blackish band on the back of the 

 latter, and is of a more slender form. Its length is from eighteen 

 to twenty-five inches, and it is probably ovo-viviparous. 



PELiAS BBRUSj Dum. et Bib. 



Adder. Bell's British Reptiles, p. 61. 



This well known and justly feared reptile varies much in colour, 

 ranging from a pale greenish hue to dark brown, black, and red- 

 brown ; but the longitudinal row of rough diamond or lozenge- 

 shaped dark markings along the back will always serve to 

 distinguish it from either of our other two indigenous Ophidians. 

 Its poison may well be dreaded, for although fatal results from its 

 bite are, I believe, rare, yet they are often exceedingly serious. 

 The effects of the adder's bite depend in great measure, no doubt, 

 upon the season of the year, and on the condition of the patient's 

 general health and constitution. Although found generally 

 throughout England and Scotland, it is far less common in som^ 

 localities, even in the South of England, than in others. It is 

 certainly not abundant, though frequent in the Bloxworth district, 

 and is found more in the woodlands bordering the heath than on 

 the heaths themselves. Its length is from eighteen to twenty- 

 four inches, and it is ovo-viviparous, the young bursting the 

 egg-envelope in the act of parturition. The trivial name Viper is 

 usually given both to the young, and to the male of the Adder. 



ORDER BATRACHIA. 

 FAM. RANADiE (Frogs and Toads). 



RANA TEMPORARIA, LiuU. 



Common Frog. Bell'y British Reptiles, p. 89. 



