8 



VIPERS AND SNAKES GENERALL Y. 



young had been swallowed or were 

 in a state previous to birth. To 

 my surprise I extracted fifteen, six- 

 teen, or seventeen eggs (I forget 

 which), all of one size, perhaps a 

 little thicker at one end than the 

 other, and of a dirty white colour, 

 and soft, indiarubbery touch, con- 

 nected together by a glutinous sub- 

 stance, and lying like a necklace 

 along, as it were, the backbone of 

 the animal. On being torn asunder 

 the eggs contained a thick, milky- 

 like matter. The glutinous sub- 

 stance would make the eggs stick 

 together like a bunch, in the manner 

 of those placed on the mantelpiece. 

 Being all of one size and maturity, 

 the snake would evidently lay them 

 all at once, which she does some- 

 what like the turtle, to be hatched 

 by heat, altogether disconnected 

 from herself. Indeed the snake is 

 such a cold-blooded animal cold 

 to touch in the hottest of weather 

 that it could not apparently hatch 

 its eggs.* I came at once to the con- 

 clusion that, if brown and black 

 snakes brought forth their young 

 in the same way, then surely the 

 brown snake had swallowed hers. 

 To confirm this analogous proof, a 

 friend, in whom every confidence 

 can be placed, positively affirmed 

 that a black -snake of the same 

 species as the one from which I 

 took the eggs was cut in two in 

 his presence, when about twenty 

 young ones were taken out of it, 

 of about five inches long, and so 

 active that they had to be killed to 

 prevent their escape. In short, the 

 mother had swallowed them. 



I then consulted an old New Jer- 

 sey justice, a very reliable man, 

 who ploughed up many a nest of 



* This is in allusion to the oviparous 

 snakes, the eggs of which are hatched in 

 the ground. The so-called viviparous 

 bring the eggs far forward to maturity 

 inside of them, leaving it an open ques- 

 tion whether the eggs are hatched inside 

 or outside of the reptile, or in the act of 

 parturition. 



snake's eggs, generally near the 

 stumps of trees, and exposed to the 

 sun. He says that the covering re- 

 sembled the white of a hen's egg 

 very hard boiled a fair description 

 of those taken out of the animal. 

 He says that he has taken the 

 young out of various kinds of 

 snakes, particularly black ones, and 

 that the creatures always conducted 

 themselves as if they had been on 

 the earth before. He knew a num- 

 ber of people, who not only saw 

 young snakes run into the mother's 

 mouth, but took them out of her 

 after killing her. As to the swal- 

 lowing, he does not understand how 

 any one could doubt it. 



I repeat the question I started 

 with Has anyone in England 

 found eggs in a viper? and has 

 anyone found young ones in the 

 same species? If both have been 

 found, then the latter were swal- 

 lowed ; for it would be simply ab- 

 surd to say that the same animal 

 could bring forth its young in both 

 ways. As American snakes swal- 

 low their young, the same should 

 easily be believed of the English 

 viper, even if no one had seen it 

 done. It has surprised me that, at 

 this time of day, such a question 

 should be an open one. What is 

 the meaning of science, if it cannot 

 be settled whether or not vipers 

 swallow their young without it be- 

 ing necessary for people to see it 

 done? I should think the anatomy of 

 the reptile, in the hands of a skilful 

 man, would show whether it was an 

 egg or animal-bearing creature. Mr. 

 Frank Buckland is, therefore, very 

 unreasonable, when he says he will 

 not believe that vipers swallow their 

 young, unless he or some one else 

 sees it done : and still more so, 

 when he expects the creature to do 

 it to order in a state of captivity, 

 when it has no incentive to do it. 

 It is uncertain what leads snakes to 

 do it. Perhaps they do it for no 

 particular reason, when they take 

 charge of the young after being 



