SNAKES SHELTERING YOUNG 371 



mother's throat, but also came out again from the 

 head end of the body after the head itself had been 

 cut off. We are quite certain that these were in 

 the gullet, and not in utero. Until quite recently 

 we were not aware that it was otherwise than an 

 admitted fact that adders swallow their young in a 

 moment of apparent danger, or we should have 

 taken the necessary steps at the time for preserving 

 the bodies of the mother and her young. 



" Signed) George A. St Croix Rose. 

 " B. Lancaster Rose. 

 " Geo. Lennox Lenox. 

 " Rayners, Penn, Bucks, September 1882." 



On December 17, 1878, Mr J. H. Gurney, Sen., 

 wrote : — 



" An old shepherd at Cossey, named Galley, once 

 found a large Viper lying with her young ones near 

 her, one of which ran down her throat on hisapproach, 

 followed by a second, which, however, could only 

 get partly down and then backed out again. 

 Thereupon he killed the Viper, and found in the 

 anterior portion of the gullet the young one he had 

 first seen creep down, and just below it a newly 

 swallowed mouse, which blocked the passage, so 

 that there was only room for one young one to 

 take refuge between the mouse and the viper's 

 mouth." ^ 



In August 1886 the late Mr J. C Mansel 

 Pleydell of Whatcombe, near Blandford, wrote : — 



" The attention of a woodman in my employ 

 1 Trans. Norfolk Nat, Soc, ii. p. 614. 



