EXCURSION XIII. 165 



where there is a dry bottom under the heather ; and 

 the tourist in crossing these will do well to use caution. 

 Again and again we have narrowly escaped treading upon 

 them in such situations here, on the North Sannox shore, 

 in Lamlash Glen, and other places. We have never seen 

 them higher, however, than the top of Glen Shant Rock, 

 1100 feet ; nor are they as abundant on the west as on the 

 east side of the island, on account, no doubt, of the shelter 

 and warmth. They are found also in Holy Isle. The ocur- 

 rence of these creatures thus on islands is very singular, yet 

 part only of a great physical problem, like the existence at 

 the present day of the tiger and elephant in Sumatra, or the 

 former existence of the hysna, hippopotamus, elephant, and 

 other wild beasts in Great Britain ; or the camel-leopard in 

 Greece and Malta. Man does not often interfere for the 

 dissemination of such creatures ; yet a case of such interference 

 has occurred in our own time. The late Mr. Cleland, of Ban- 

 gor, Downshire, a naturalist of some note, attempted to intro- 

 duce into Ireland the creature of which we are now speaking, 

 as well as the toad. Several individuals of both species wore 

 placed in his "policies," but in a few months one after another 

 was found dead. It is very unlikely that such benevolent 

 intentions were entertained by any naturalist of old towards 

 the inhabitants of Arran or the Isle-a-Molass. The size of the 

 adder in Arran seldom exceeds 2 feet a common size is 18 

 inches ; but we know a case in which a size of 2 feet 5 inches 

 was reached. The adder is the only British representative of 

 the poisonous group of serpents; but there is no authenti- 

 cated case of fatal effects resulting from its bite in Arran or 

 elsewhere in Britain. We have heard of more than one 

 case of severe symptoms ; but these were removed in a few 

 days by an application of herbs boiled in butter. On one 

 occasion only have I noticed aggressive attitudes in the 

 adder. I was searching for ferns among the crevices of the 

 limestone and sandstone beds on the north front of Maoldon, 

 when a strange, prolonged h-i-s-s startled me; but I had no 



