146 THE BRITISH NATURE BOOK 



Obviously, you must be extremely careful in capturing a viper alive; 

 and if bitten, suck the wound immediately, and rub some liquid ammonia 

 well into it. The viper is ovo-viviparous, its young either being born alive, 

 or hatching out of the egg as soon as it is laid. The stories of adders swallowing 

 their young, though very common, are not really to be depended on ; and 

 much closer observation is necessary before the truth can be established. 

 Like the other British reptiles, these all hibernate in the winter. 



3. The Smooth Snake (Coronella levis) is reddish brown or brownish black, 

 and has a double row of black spots upon its back. The New Forest is the 

 locality where it is most often caught, but it is very rare even there. Its 

 natural food consists of lizards and blind-worms ; it seldom exceeds 15 inches 

 in length, is an expert tree climber, but often burrows underground during 

 the heat of the day. 



[Note. The Grass Snake subsists chiefly on frogs and newts, and is there- 

 fore most usually met with in the neighbourhood of water. The Viper appears 

 to prefer field-mice, voles, and young birds, and chooses dry plantations or 

 exposed heather moors. 



If a harmless snake be kept in captivity, it needs a box with a glass front, 

 which can be set in the sunlight when required, the bottom covered with turf 

 or pebbles, and a bath sunk flush with the surface of this material. For food 

 it needs small frogs or fish ; the latter must be placed in the bath. Very 

 small specimens may be fed on tadpoles and meal worms or other insects. 

 To preserve a specimen, the best way is to place it in a bottle of spirit or equal 

 quantities of spirit and water, or a ten per cent, solution of formalin, tightly 

 corking the bottle to avoid evaporation.] 



