REPTILES AND BATRACHIANS 
widely exists in the rural districts, and that the day is not far distant 
when the ruthless destroyers of our harmless little reptiles will realize 
that these animals should be protected, as they play an important part 
in maintaining what is known as the balance in the economy of 
Nature. 
REPTILES 
LACERTILIA 
1. Common Lizard. 
This lizard is plentiful on the greensand, 
particularly at Shefford Warren. 
2. Slow-worm or Blind-worm. Anguis fragilis, 
Linn. 
This harmless limbless lizard suffers from 
its general resemblance to the snake, from 
which it may be distinguished by the absence 
of broad ventral scute, the scales being alike 
all round the body. In length it probably 
does not average more than 12 or 14 inches. 
It is fairly common in the same locality as the 
viper. 
OPHIDIA 
3. Common or Ring-snake. 
natrix, Linn. 
This, the largest of our English reptiles, 
known locally as the grass snake and the water 
snake, is occasionally met with in the meadows 
adjoining the river Ouse. “The average length 
of a full grown ring-snake is about a yard. 
Two years ago I had a very fine specimen 
brought to me which was very nearly 4 feet 
in length. ‘These snakes are perfectly harm- 
less ; they feed chiefly on frogs which abound 
in the meadows adjoining the river. They 
do not confine themselves to this diet, but 
occasionally make a meal of the fish from the 
river. One of the specimens in my collection 
came to an untimely end by an attempt to 
vary his diet in this way. He seized a roach 
in the river, brought it on the bank and was 
choked in endeavouring to swallow it. Every 
year these snakes are decreasing in numbers 
Tropidonotus 
Lacerta vivipara, Jacq. 
and now they are very rarely seen, the country 
people consider them to be poisonous and 
kill them whenever they have the opportunity. 
4. Viper or Adder. Vipera berus, Linn. 
It inhabits the woods and bracken which 
clothe the greensand district. | Specimens 
have been taken in the neighbourhood of 
Potton, Westoning, Shefford and Woburn. 
Although the viper can hardly be said to be 
common it is certainly more often met with 
than the ring-snake. Unlike the latter, as a 
rule, it frequents dry, warm situations and is 
found in the woods and bracken which stretch 
across the county from Leighton Buzzard to 
Potton. One was run over a short time ago 
by a cart between Woburn and Aspley Guise, 
and three years ago a man was bitten by a 
viper in the neighbourhood of Westoning. 
The locality where this accident took place is 
of a swampy nature. I have found vipers in 
Holme Fen in Huntingdonshire, but the 
swampy moorland in the neighbourhood of 
Westoning is the only locality of this nature 
in Bedfordshire in which I have known vipers 
to occur. The gamekeeper informs me that 
he has killed several near Westoning. He 
says they are fairly common about that 
village. 
Formerly this snake was more abundant : 
the earliest reference I can find to the viper 
in our county is a mention of it by John 
Bunyan,’ to which my attention has been 
drawn by Mr. Steele-Elliott. As Bunyan 
was born in 1628, and the incident he men- 
tions took place in his boyhood, it would 
seem that 250 years ago the viper was found 
near Elstow. 
BATRACHIANS 
ECAUDATA 
5. Common Frog. Rana temporaria, Linn. 
Abundant everywhere. 
[Edible Frog. Rana esculenta, Linn, 
Found only on the Woburn Park estate, 
and imported from the continent by His Grace 
the Duke of Bedford.] 
6. Common Toad. Bufo vulgaris, Laur. 
Common everywhere. 
CAUDATA 
7. Great Water Newt. MMJolge cristata, Laur. 
This is also known as the common warty- 
newt. It is found in ponds all over the 
county. 
8. Common Smooth Newt. Molge vulgaris, 
Linn. 
Known also as the small newt, eft, or evet ; 
is abundant everywhere. 
1 Grace Abounding. 
103 
