CH. II.] BLACK VIPER. 173 
stock before I could intercept his retreat. There 
happened however, unluckily for him, besides the 
hole by which he had entered at the side of the 
stock, to be another in the top of it, peering down 
through which I could distinguish him lying 
partly coiled up at the bottom. On this I cut a 
stick with a small fork, and inserting it judiciously 
through the upper hole, managed to secure him 
(so far) by pinning him down just behind the head. 
This of course led to all kinds of contortions 
on his part with a view of escaping, during one 
of which, as I expected, he protruded the end of 
his tail through the side-hole. Being all ready 
and on the watch for this, I immediately seized 
it with the other hand, and did not relinquish 
my hold, until I succeeded in drawing him bodily 
out by it, which I effected by waiting until his 
muscles seemed somewhat relaxed, and then 
giving him a sudden pull, at the same instant 
removing the fork with my right hand. He was 
certainly unusually large for a Viper, but un- 
fortunately I did not keep any record of his 
exact length, and cannot now charge my memory 
with it. 
It is scarcely possible to exaggerate the offen- 
siveness of the odour emitted by the Common 
