HOLNE CHACE. 399 



wings, slowly reached the turf within a yard or two 

 of our feet, without the slightest manifestation of 

 fear, or even consciousness of our presence. A more 

 unwelcome creature, but by reputation highly char- 

 acteristic of the moor, crossed our path in the form of 

 a viper, which the driver speedily demolished with 

 his whip. It was the red variety, very distinctly and 

 elegantly marked. The common people here call 

 these reptiles by the strange name of cripples; a most 

 unaccountable appellation surely. Musing on its 

 etymology, it occurred to me that possibly it may 

 look back to the Koman dominion, and may be the 

 Latin coluber, the letters I and r being anagramma- 

 tically interchanged. 



Another excursion of much interest was one that led 

 us, by Sharpitor and Dartmeet, to Wistman's Wood. 



After striking the Dart at Home Bridge, we cross, 

 and proceed through Home Chace, a picturesque wood, 

 from which the heavy timber has been weeded out. 

 Between the road and the river our attention was 

 directed to the enormous stumps of trees that had 

 been felled even with the ground. The driver the 

 usual authority for tourists informed us that the 

 proprietor a few years ago cut timber from this pro- 

 perty to the value of 60,000, which he bestowed as 

 a fortune upon his daughter. The magnificent mass 

 we are looking at was the base of the " queen" tree; 

 the " king," of still superior vastness, is. on the oppo- 

 site side of the river. 



