BRITISH REPTILES 95 
all that are required in picking up a viper from two 
feet to nearly three in length ; there must be no 
bungling. 
The common viper or adder, Pelias Berus, is the 
only poisonous reptile which is a native of this country. 
The colouring of the creature, which changes according 
to the locality it is found in, is, in fact, as variable as 
that of the common brook-trout. But one unmis- 
takable sign will single out the viper, namely, a row 
of connected zig-zag markings down the back from 
the head to the tail ; also, there is a well-defined, 
V-shaped, dark mark about the centre of the head 
the viper's monogram. No matter what the size or 
colour may be, the creature that has these markings is 
a viper, and nothing else. The few accidents that do 
take place and they are very few indeed are caused 
by grown-up people, or children, picking flowers, 
accidentally treading on them. 
These accidents occur to those who are ignorant 
of the creature's habits, and mostly when the primroses 
and violets bloom ; for that is the time when the 
vipers indolently sun themselves on the grassy banks 
warmed by the sun. It is best to look round for a 
few feet, before you stoop to gather your violets or 
primroses, although, as a rule, the creatures will get 
away if they can. They never attack wilfully, but 
