70 VIPERS. 



I have found, on examination, that it is perfectly 

 innocuous. A neighbouring yeoman (to whom I 

 am indebted for some good hints) killed and opened 

 a female viper about the 27th of May : he found her 

 filled with a chain of eleven eggs, about the size of 

 those of a blackbird ; but none of them were advanced 

 so far towards a state of maturity as to contain any 

 rudiments of young. Though they are oviparous, 

 yet they are viviparous also, hatching their young 

 within their bellies, and then bringing them forth. 

 Whereas snakes lay chains of eggs every summer 

 in my melon beds, in spite of all that my people can 

 do to prevent them ; which eggs do not hatch till 

 the spring following, as I have often experienced. 

 Several intelligent folks assure me, that they have 

 seen the viper open her mouth and admit her helpless 

 young down her throat on sudden surprises, just as 

 the female opossum does her brood into the pouch 

 under her belly, upon the like emergencies ; and yet 

 the London viper catchers insist on it, to Mr. Bar- 

 rington, that no such thing ever happens. The 

 serpent kind eat, I believe, but once in a year ; or, 

 rather, but only just at one season of the year. 

 Country people talk much of a water-snake, but, I 

 am pretty sure, without any reason; for the common 

 snake (coluber natrix) delights much to sport in the 

 water, perhaps with a view to procure frogs and other 

 food. 



I cannot well guess how you are to make out 

 your twelve species of reptiles,* unless it be by the 

 various species, or rather varieties, of our lacerti, 



* Dr. Fleming enumerates just twelve species, of which one, 

 the Natrix Dumfrisiensis, seems to be of very dubious authority 

 as a species. I think it very probable that there may be more 

 than one species of lacerta yet undiscovered, which will make up 

 the number. W. J. 



