184? Observations upon the supposed 



poisoned by a venomous reptile inhabiting the bogs of that 

 country, it seems to be without foundation ; and, perhaps, all 

 that can be said in favour of the claim of either country is, 

 that it is a popular prejudice; but, if it be taken seriously, then, 

 indeed, with due gravity, the fact maybe questioned by doubting 

 if the cause, in the former country, be adequate to produce the 

 effect; and, in Sweden, it may be asked, if any one has been 

 at the trouble to ascertain it. 



Had Wales been exempt from the visitation, Pennant, by 

 no means deficient in nationality, would have claimed it for 

 his native mountains. According to him (who, as an enquiring 

 and observing person, is no mean authority on the subject, the 

 more so, as he could speak from personal observation), vipers 

 swarm in many of the Hebrides. In Scotland, they are not at 

 all uncommon ; and in England vipers are, in greater or lesser 

 number, to be found every where : as localities suit or do not 

 suit their habits, they are naturally more or less numerous ; 

 but no considerable district, upon anything like sufficient 

 authority, can be said to be entirely free, In some parts of 

 Yorkshire they abound. In Essex, vipers, as well as the 

 common snake, are exceedingly numerous ; and in all the chalk 

 counties they are abundantly met with. 



In Cumberland and in this county only the writer can speak 

 from personal observation of the habits of the animal. The 

 viper is common enough in moorlands, in sandy or light soils; 

 and in peat land it is found in very considerable numbers ; 

 though in heavy clayey ground it is more rarely met with; and, 

 from all accounts, it exists in the greatest number in the north- 

 east, in those immense moors or morasses on the border, and in 

 the south-western parts of the county, in which it has been 

 known to grow to the largest size assigned to it. 



Although there is said to exist, in England and Scotland, 

 but one genus of reptiles whose bite is poisonous, this veno- 

 mous genus is said, and by some very confidently too, to con- 

 sist of no less than four, if not of five, distinct species. There 

 is the black viper, the blue-bellied viper, the red viper, the com- 

 mon viper, usually described as of an ash colour tinged with 

 dirty yellow ; and to these is to be added the Dumfries snalce, 

 described as being venomous on that loose vague authority, 

 which some eminent naturalists adopting, lays them open to 

 the charge of extreme carelessness, or to discreditable credu- 

 lity. Here we have no fewer than five distinct species of 

 reptiles affirmed to be poisonous; but, in point of fact, is there 

 more than one? Not to be dogmatical, for, in the absence of 

 more extended observation there may, it is allowed, not be 

 sufficient ground to determine the question absolutely ; yet 



