CH. II.] BLACK VIPER. 173 



stock before I could intercept his retreat. There 

 happened however, unluckily for him, besides the 

 hole by which he had entered at the side of the 

 stock, to be another in the top of it, peering down 

 through which I could distinguish him lying 

 partly coiled up at the bottom. On this I cut a 

 stick with a small fork, and inserting it judiciously 

 through the upper hole, managed to secure him 

 (so far) by pinning him down just behind the head. 

 This of course led to all kinds of contortions 

 on his part with a view of escaping, during one 

 of which, as I expected, he protruded the end of 

 his tail through the side-hole. Being all ready 

 and on the watch for this, I immediately seized 

 it with the other hand, and did not relinquish 

 my hold, until I succeeded in drawing him bodily 

 out by it, which I eifected by waiting until his 

 muscles seemed somewhat relaxed, and then 

 giving him a sudden pull, at the same instant 

 removing the fork with my right hand. He was 

 certainly unusually large for a Viper, but un- 

 fortunately I did not keep any record of his 

 exact length, and cannot now charge my memory 

 with it. 



It is scarcely possible to exaggerate the offen- 

 siveness of the odour emitted by the Common 



