8 BRITISH SERPENTS. 
Our harmless ring snake, too, has had a good deal 
of attention paid to it; but our only venomous serpent, 
the adder, seems to have been much neglected, at any 
rate as far as the study of its habits in a state of nature 
is concerned. It is not difficult to see why this should 
have been the case. In the first place, many people 
have a great horror of venomous serpents, even people 
who are keenly interested in most other animals. 
Secondly, the observation of adders in their natural 
haunts is beset with difficulties greater than any which 
apply to the study of many other branches of our 
fauna. Adders are not to be found in every field, nor 
just when one has the time to give to their obser- 
vation. They are unobtrusive creatures, and always 
keep out of sight if possible, and they are, of course, 
most undesirable pets. For all these reasons it is 
most difficult to gain anything like an adequate idea 
of the natural life of our adders. Indeed there are 
few subjects requiring so much patience and per- 
severance as an investigation such as this. But since 
the adder is the member of the group whose life- 
Iistory has been least worked out, I have given most 
of my attention to it, and hence this species will be 
found to occupy what might otherwise appear to be an 
unduly prominent position in these pages. There are 
many curious ideas about adders prevalent in some 
districts, and still more queries concerning them await- 
ing solution. They have been credited with some 
very starthne performances, the evidence for and 
