The Zoologist— Mav, 1869. 1C63 



observation. The controversy waxed warmer and warmer; experiences 

 more and more frequent ; details more and more minute ; denials 

 more and more positive; until Mr. Buckland deposited two sovereigns 

 at the ' Field' office as the reward for any one who would bring to 

 that office a female viper with the young ones still in her stomach. 

 The viper was to be killed after having been seen, like Saturn of old, 

 to swallow her own progeny ; and her neck was then to be lightly 

 tied round with a string. Some three years or more have elapsed 

 since the offer was publicly advertised, but no claimant for the sove- 

 reigns has appeared ; indeed, immediately on the offer being made 

 public, the subject was dropped and has never since been revived. 



The viper feeds almost exclusively on field mice, shrews, voles and 

 moles ; the last dish I take rather on trust, never having found any 

 portion of this rather bulky vermivore in the stomach of a viper. 



It seems scarcely right to conclude my account of the viper without 

 saying something more about its venomous properly, and supposed 

 death-dispensing propensity ; my own view of the subject is probably 

 unique, and amounts to what is usually called a crotchet: it may be 

 briefly stated thus, " that the object of the poison possessed by this 

 family of ophidians is simply to numb or kill the prey, which is 

 always living when captured." It is, I think, universally believed that 

 this weapon, if I may so call it, is one of oflfence or defence as regards 

 man or the larger animals ; but ff we consider the fearless manner in 

 which eagles, buzzards, secretaries and falcons make the poisonous 

 snakes their favourite prey, and that they have never been known to 

 receive injury from the fangs of these creatures, it must be clear that 

 as a means of defence the poison is perfectly effete. There also seems 

 some difficulty in reconciling the account we read of the sidelong 

 blows given by the viper with our precise knowledge of the position 

 and structure of its poison-fangs ; but this is a difficulty I am unable 

 to solve : the following memorandum by an old correspondent of the 

 ' Zoologist,' if not conclusive, is, to say the least, most interesting 

 and suggestive. 



" When a viper is struck it first coils itself up, leaving its head in 

 the centre or at the summit of the coil, and drawn a little back, as if 

 for the purpose of reconnoitering. Speedily the animal uncoils itself 

 like a spring ; its body is then launched out with such rapidity that 

 for a moment the eye cannot follow it : in this movement the viper 

 clears a space nearly equal to its own length ; but it never leaves the 



