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and then, if attempting to glide off, a walking- 

 stick placed across the way enables the creature to 

 be lifted like a piece of rope, when he is half-way 

 across it. The adder resents this treatment 

 furiously, but is wise enough to glide into a bag of 

 grass held towards him, and thus is soon effectually 

 captured. The first viper I caught was made the 

 medium of a rough operation in dentistry, for I cut 

 off with a pair of scissors his two long fangs, and 

 thus rendered him harmless for a time, but not for 

 very long, since new teeth soon grow to replace 

 any that are accidentally fractured. Breakages of 

 this kind may well occur, even to the wild viper, 

 for it strikes its prey with great force. The tooth- 

 less specimen above mentioned demonstrated this 

 at the expense of a house-mouse which I turned 

 into its cage. The mouse ran about near the snake 

 quite fearlessly, and even over him, but suddenly 

 the adder struck him, and with such force that the 

 mouse was knocked all across the cage and against 

 the far side, as though by a smart blow with a 

 stick. At different times I have had several of 

 these reptiles encaged, and once had five of them. 

 They all drank water readily, but would not eat 



