MOORLAND IDYLLS. 



to whether a particular crawling animal is 

 an adder or otherwise, it would be safer to 

 give him and yourself the benefit of the 

 doubt, by abstaining from handling him. 

 The poison-fangs of the viper are two in 

 number, set in the upper jaw ; they are 

 hollow, perforated, and erectile at will by 

 the muscles of the animal. Their poison 

 is secreted by a gland at the back, which 

 communicates through a tube with the canal 

 in the fang ; and it is not really so very 

 venomous. But if you provoke an adder 

 overmuch, and he sees a chance of remon- 

 strating with you, I do not deny that he 

 will throw back his smooth head, erect his 

 angry fangs, dart quickly forward, and 

 express his disagreement by inflicting a 

 bite upon the offender's trousers. In this 

 he acts much as you and I would do if 

 he were a man and we were adders. Put 

 yourself in his place, and you will think less 

 ill of him. 



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