180 BRITISH SERPENTS. 
of facing my dog at close quarters, but in the other 
Eythorne, 23rd July 1900. 
case T saw no young.” 
5. “A son of a late gardener to Lord Guildford 
(whose seat, ‘Waldershare, is close by here) was, when 
a boy, a sort of ‘Thomas Edward’ in a small way. He 
used to say that as he was proceeding to take a wasp’s 
nest one autumn, he smashed a viper’s head with a 
stone and a number of young ones emerged from the 
throat. To me it seems evident that it is practically 
impossible for a scientist to quit his study and say, 
‘Vl have a day in the country and find out for myself 
if vipers swallow their young, with any great hope of 
suecess. The thine is not done to order. But one 
person here and another there once in a lifetime 
stumbles unexpectedly upon a case, and this after 
living and working all their lives in an adder-infested 
district, while by far the greater number, with equal 
advantages, are never in their whole lves equally 
favoured.”—Eythorne, 26th July 1900. 
4. “Since writing to you [the author] last I have 
met the under-keeper of Waldershare estate, and I 
asked if he had ever seen the adder swallow her 
youne. He rephed that he had, and that it occurred 
just outside his garden fence. He said he was going 
quickly round a corner by this fence when he came 
suddenly on a viper with three or four young ones 
about 6 inches long. They went down her throat, and 
