; The Adder enjoys the distinction of being our one and only poisonous reptile." 



THE ADDER, OR VIPER 



T 



HE Adder, or Viper, measures 

 from eighteen to twenty- 

 five inches in length, and 

 the ground colour of its 

 body varies from black to 

 white ; red varieties are 

 occasionally met with. 



During the summer of 

 1909 I saw a specimen which was almost 

 coal black all over its body. This reptile 

 may be easily distinguished from the 

 common and smooth snakes by the well- 

 defined V on the top of its head ; the 

 black or blackish-brown zigzag markings 

 along its back, and the fact that its tail 

 is short and stout. It is common in 

 many parts of England, Wales, and Scot- 

 land, but is not found in Ireland. 



The Adder enjoys the distinction of 

 being our one and only poisonous reptile, 

 but it will not bite except in self- 

 defence. During the last twenty years 

 I have caught a considerable number, but 

 have never been bitten, and when I have 



run any risk it has been due to my own 

 carelessness or folly. Quite recently I 

 was told that if a Viper be seized by the 

 tail and jerked like a whip lash when 

 making a crack, its head will fly off. I 

 tried the experiment, but the creature's 

 head remained on and I narrowly escaped 

 being bitten. 



Dry heaths, sandy wastes, and rough 

 pasture-land, covered here and there 

 with brushwood, are the favourite haunts 

 of the Adder ; and field voles, mice, 

 lizards, frogs, and birds' eggs and young 

 form its staple diet. It hibernates 

 throughout the winter months and glides 

 forth in search of food and revivifying 

 sunshine to which it is very partial 

 in the early spring. It is more in 

 evidence during April and May than at 

 any other season on account of the fact 

 that the state of the vegetation does not 

 afford such opportunities for hiding as it 

 does during later and more luxuriant 

 periods of the year. If disturbed whilst 



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