48 



Serpents.- 



-REPTILES.- 



-ViPEKiNE Serpents. 



anger, and the erected tooth struck into it, and with- 

 drawn with the velocity of thought. The action, how- 

 ever, by which it takes its prey is very different from 

 tliat which it employs in its defensive attack, and 

 resembles that employed by the harmless snakes. It 

 seizes its prey at once, and immediately begins to 

 swallow it. In winter the Viper seeks some safe and 

 secret place where it passes the cold weather in a state 

 of torpidity, and iu this retreat — holes made by field- 

 mice, &o. — we may often see several twined together. 

 The Viper is ovoviviparous ; that is, the moment the 

 mother expels the egg, the membrane investing it 

 bursts, and the young serpent immediately crawls 

 about and assumes aU the activity and virulence 

 which distinguish the species, throwing itself .into 

 an attitude of defence if molested, and hissing with 

 anger. The number of young produced at each birth 

 varies from twelve to twenty, or even more. We 

 have already said, that the bite of the Viper seldom 

 or never proves fatal in this country. " We are not 

 aware," says Mr. Broderip, " of any well authenticated 

 case of a person bitten b}' a Viper terminating fatally ;" 

 and to this fact, more than to the remedies used, is 

 perhaps to be attributed the exemption from evil con- 

 sequences of the old viper-catchers who, iu Dr. Mead's 

 time, used to parade their experiments and vaunt the 

 efficacy of their infallible cure. In the presence of this 

 physician some of these men, confident of their remedy, 

 suffered themselves to be bitten by active-looking 

 vipers. The method of cure consisted in rubbing the 

 wound with olive oil over a chafing-dish of coals, and 

 taking large doses internally. Formerly the flesh of 

 vipers was considered to possess wonderful virtues in 

 the cure of disease, and the belief in the efficacy, as an 

 invigorating restorative, of " viper broth," lingers still 

 in many parts. " Sir Kenelm Digby's beautiful wife 

 was fed on capons fattened with the flesh of vipers." 



THE ASP OF LINN.ffi;US {Vijiera asjiis), another 

 European viper, is considered by many naturalists as 

 merely a variety of the common viper. It is, however, 

 a distinct species, and the mistake has arisen from the 

 fact, that in France the common viper is not suffi- 

 ciently well known, and thus some varieties of the asp, 

 which is the more common of the two species in the 

 southern parts of that country, have been mistaken for 

 it. It differs, however, in being of a thinner shape, 

 in the head being broader, the crown being covered 

 with small smootli scales, and the nose being some- 

 what elevated and recurved. The general colour is 

 olive, and it has along the back four rows of dark, 

 generally isolated spots, the two rows along the spine 

 being close together, and sometimes running one into 

 the other. The asp is very common throughout all 

 France from 49" of N. lat. to Savoy, the Pyrenees, 

 and the coast of the Mediterranean. It abounds at 



Fontainbleau and in tlie woods of Montmorency; but 

 towards the north of France, and in Burgundy, it is 

 replaced by the common viper. It is foimd also in 

 the dry rocky countries of Italy, has been observed in 

 Switzerland, and extends from that as far as Venice. 

 The habits of the asp are much the same as those of 

 the common viper. This species must not be con- 

 founded with the asp of Cleopatra, which is a species 

 of Niija, see p. 05. 



THE AMMODYTE {Vipera ammod)/les), the "Sand- 

 natter" of the Germans, is the third species of Euro- 

 pean vipers. Tliough similar in colour and general 

 appearance to the other species mentioned above, it 

 nevertheless varies iu several respects. Its body is 

 very thick in the middle, narrowing towards either 

 extremity, especially the hinder, and terminating in a 

 very short and slender tail. The principal character- 

 istic mark, however, and one which separates it from 

 the others, is the tip of the muzzle being elongated 

 into a conical, fleshy nose, elevated perpendicularly. 

 This organ is covered in front with two pairs of small 

 plates, and behind by several small scales. The pre- 

 vailing colour, Hke that of the two preceding vipers, 

 is an olive, the back being marked with a broad streak 

 of brownish-black, of an angular or zig-zag appear- 

 ance. The under surface is pale, and the sides are 

 closely, darkly punctulated. The tip of the tail is 

 most frequently of a fine red hue. The Ammodyte 

 attains to a large size. Schlegcl mentions an indivi- 

 dual being as thick in circumference as a child's arm. 

 It inhabits Dalmatia and lUyria. Carintliia and Hun- 

 gary possess it ; but it is doubtful whether it occurs 

 at all in France, though it has lately been discovered 

 in Sicily and in the Morea. Its habits are much the 

 same as those of our common viper, and its places 

 of abode are dry, rocky, or sandy countries, open or 

 covered with a sparse vegetation. M. Cantraine in- 

 forms us that he very often met with it in Dalmatia in 

 the course of his rambles, and that it is so common in 

 certain places, that people are obliged, when walking 

 out, to wear thick boots to protect themselves from its 

 bite. When it bites it raises its head and draws it 

 backwards, previous to inflicting the stroke. Though 

 naturally of an indolent disjjositiou, it becomes more 

 lively and active during the hot weather of summer. 

 The Ammodyte, according to the testimony of M. 

 Host, appears to be a nocturnal species of serpent, 

 and commits great havoc amongst field-mice, small 

 birds, and many lizards. It falls a prey itself, however, 

 to one of that tribe of animals. The Scheltopusik 

 {Pseudopus Pallasii) is one of its most redoubtable 

 and bloody enemies. Shielded by its cuirass of tile- 

 like, hard scales, it is proof against the fangs of the 

 viper, attacks it with impunity, and devours it at 

 leisure. 



