THE RING SNAKE, 17 
largest I have seen in that district, where they are 
not uncommon. (See later for county records.) 
Shape.—In proportion to its length the ring snake 
is much thinner or more attenuated than the adder, 
especially towards the tail. This, indeed, is often 
quoted as a mark of distinction between the two. 
Fic. 4.—Rine SNAKE WITH BLUNT TAIL. 
(Photo by H. E. Forrest ; specimen in Shrewsbury Museum.) 
The tail of the former tapers off to a very fine point, 
while that of the adder is somewhat blunt. Though 
the ordinary rule, this is not invariably the case, as 
may be seen by a specimen in the museum at Shrews- 
bury, which Mr Forrest was good enough to draw my 
attention to, in which the tail of the ring snake is 
almost as blunt as the tail of an adder. 
B 
