MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 



809 



Bta^ 



When first seen, three young :vipers were already free in the case, but the 

 birth of the fourth from the egg was clearly seen and was described by Corporal 

 Scott as follows : — The oval egg split open in the long axis just " like a mussel- 

 shell " and disclosed the young viper coiled up in the midst of a glairy mate- 

 rial like white-of-egg. The tail 

 was in the centre of the coil and 

 the head in the outer ring at one 

 i^ side as in the illustration. Almost 

 I immediately, the head moved out- 

 Wa wards like a watch-spring uncoil- 

 S.!f ing, and the young viper moved 

 ¥ off over the gravel in the case 

 freeing itself in this way from the 

 glairy matter surrounding it in 

 ' - - •.. the egg. The tail was somewhat 



sharply bent on itself, and did not 



Section of egg laid In the Society's rooms showing embryo straighten out till the viper had 

 of Vipera russellu in situ. got several inches from the egg. 



'The young reptile was enveloped in a thin grey papery skin which it soon 

 got rid of by wriggling about over the gravel covering the bottom of the 

 -cage. 



. 



Vipera russellu with four young, photographed a few days after their birth. Bottle 

 contains 3 unfertilised eggs. Photo by 0. R. Avari, Bo. Baot. Laby., Parcl, 1906. 



The eggs that were subsequently laid were extruded at intervals of 15 

 minutes or so, but none contained embryos. One was opened but was semi- 

 solid all through and had probably not been fertilised, as no trace of an 



