ADDER 



" There the slow Blind Worm left his slime 

 On the fleet limbs that mocked at time." 



Whereas, let it be stated here once again that the 

 Slow, or Blind, Worm is not slow, not blind, not veno- 

 mous, not eyeless, and not slimy. It may be repeated 

 that it is not a Snake, that it is not harmful in any way, 

 and that it is a legless Lizard. 



So much by way of brief introduction concerning the 

 Class Reptilta, British representatives of which we may 

 now proceed to consider. 



ORDER OPHIDIA, OR SERPENTS 



Adder. — Vipera herus (Fig. i) Belongs to the Family 

 Viperidcv, the whole of the members of which are 

 poisonous. It is believed that all the species included in 

 this Family produce their young alive The Adder is 

 found in various EngHsh Counties, and is commoner 

 in Scotland than the Grass Snake. It is well distributed 

 in certain parts of Wales, but is curiously absent from 

 others. As already indicated, Snakes are not found 

 in Ireland, although the species now under review occurs 

 on one, or more, of the islands off the western seaboard 

 of Scotland. The Adder is particularly plentiful in 

 the New Forest, Hampshire. It haunts dry moors 



