THE ADDER. 189 
me to the special group of granite boulders that [ 
wanted to see. Descending, we turned sharply 
round a corner, where our steps were suddenly 
arrested, and we stood transfixed, half in admiration 
and half in terror, For there, not many feet distant, 
and exactly at the spot where we were to cross the 
lane, with its head shehtly raised and facing us, lay 
basking in the sun a beautiful adder. As we looked 
we caught sight of six or seven little creatures at the 
rear of the mother’s body, slipping and sliding about 
on the ground as if at play. Then suddenly, as if 
terrified, they separated, and with almost Iudicrous 
rapidity shuffled along on either side of the mother’s 
body till they reached the head, when, raising them- 
selves a little, they tumbled on and over each other 
in their haste to reach her mouth, which almost as 
quickly closed over them.” 
The following have been made to me by word of 
mouth :-— 
Statement 1—*“ Some years back I saw an adder 
killed and opened with thirteen young ones in her, 
We were reaping a field of beans. My brother was 
carrying the men’s dinner up to the field; when on 
his way up he heard an adder hiss close to him, and 
a moment or two afterwards saw the brute a few 
feet off. It was a very large one —I should say 
nearly 30 inches long. We killed it and found it 
very full about the throat, and knowing that they 
