54 NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE. 



but once in a year ; or rather, but only just at one season of the 

 year. Country people talk much of a water-snake, but, I am pretty 

 sure, without any reason ; for the common snake {Coluber Matrix) 

 delights much to sport in the water, perhaps with a view to procure 

 frogs arid other food. 



I cannot well guess how you are to make out your twelve species 

 of reptiles, unless it be by the various spesies, or rather varieties, 

 of our lacerti, of which Ray enumerates five. I have not had 

 opportunity of ascertaining these ; but remember well to have seen, 

 formerly, several beautiful green lacerti on the sunny sand-banks 

 near Farnham, in Surrey ; and Ray admits there are such in 

 Ireland.* 



Bennet leaves the question open ; but in the latest edition of "Selborne," in Bohn's Illus- 

 trated Library, the following note by the editor occurs : " Having taken much pains to 

 ascertain the fact of young vipers entering the mouth of their mother, I can now have 

 little doubt but that such is the case, after the evidence of persons who assured me that 

 they had seen it. I also found young vipers in the stomach of the mother of a much 

 larger size than they would be when first ready to be excluded." We presume that the 

 young vipers in the stomach of the mother were found alive ; it is not so stated. Could the 

 Zoological Society not do something to solve this problem ? A comparatively trifling 

 expense would procure a good collection of adders were it known they were wanted, and 

 among them a female might be found and watched. See also Mr. White's remarks, 

 Letter XXXI., to Mr. Barrington, where he cut up an adder, and found young in the 

 "aMoweu," by which term he evidently means the uterus or ovarium, for he adds, 

 " there was little room to suppose they were taken in for refuge." Letter XXXI. should 

 be turned to and read with this one to Pennant. 



* In Mr. Bell's work on British Reptiles, fourteen species may be said to be given. 

 Two of these, however, are Chelonians, or tortoises, and of accidental occurrence only, 

 so that Mr. White's difficulty is not unnatural, considering the general state of information 

 when he wrote. 



