110 



KEARTONS' NATURE PICTURES 



THE ADDEK. 



sunning itself on a bank, the Viper 

 glides stealthily away into a bunch of 

 heath, tangle of dead grass, or down an 

 old run excavated by a mole or field vole. 

 This reptile, unlike the common 

 snake, does not lay eggs. It is 



viviparous, and brings forth, as a rule, 

 from ten to fifteen young ones each 

 season. I have upon occasion found 

 a gravid female with only seven 

 young ones inside her. On the other 

 hand it. has been asserted that as 

 many as forty may be found in one 

 family. This statement appears to be 

 open to considerable physiological im- 

 probability, and I doubt its accuracy. 

 There is a widely accepted popular 

 belief to the effect that when a family 

 of young Adders is in danger the 

 dam opens her mouth and they take 

 refuge by crawling down her throat, 

 but although rewards have long been 

 offered for a specimen with young ones 

 in its stomach, significantly enough 

 nobody has ever come forth with a 

 claim that would bear scientific inves- 

 tigation. 



Soon after resuming an active life in 

 the spring, the creature sloughs its old 

 faded skin and emerges in brighter, 

 cleaner colours. 





