76 OUR EEPTILES. 



them somewhere in the neck, and not in the 

 abdomen." 



During the winter, vipers, snakes, and other 

 reptiles retire to some snug spot to hibernate. 

 At this period a company of vipers may some- 

 times be found locked in each others' coils, in a 

 hole at the foot of a tree, or in some other out- 

 of-the-way place. Here they remain without 

 food till the spring, when they come out with the 

 sunshine to enjoy themselves. During the sum- 

 mer, the " sloughing " process takes place, once 

 or oftener, according to circumstances ; the skin 

 becomes loosened, turned back, and as the reptile 

 glides amongst the grass its old coat is slipped 

 off and left behind. It is much brighter in colour 

 after this change than before. 



Does the Viper swallow its young ? The belief 

 has a firm hold in the minds of many, that, on 

 the approach of danger, the young of the viper 

 glide to their parent for protection, and that she 

 opens her mouth, and, one by one, they pass 

 down her throat, where they rest in security till 

 the danger is past. To prove a negative is always 

 a difficult task, but the effort to remove a pre- 

 judice must be even greater to be successful. 

 Clergymen, naturalists, men of science and 

 repute, in common with those who make no pro- 

 fession of learning, have combined in this belief, 

 and to them we are indebted for many such 



