THE OPHIDIA IN THE MONNOW VALLEY. 197 
this one was exaggerated. It could hardly be believed 
that adders over 2 feet lone were as common as this 
local snake evidently was, and no evidence could be 
obtained of there being more than one species found in 
the valley. There was nothing for it but to wait till 
the return of spring enabled me to ect some specimens 
for myself, and in the mean time I became familar 
with the spots where these reptiles were said to be most 
often seen. By the end of the summers of 1896 and 
1897 I had caught and seen a considerable number of 
the local serpent, and found that it was, as my in- 
formants had assured me, the adder. But what about 
the leneth? Had they exaggerated it? To answer 
this question I cannot do better than give the exact 
measurements of the first six adders I took, because 
the same figures apply to many I have taken in the 
valley since, and also because the list includes both 
the largest and smallest adders in my local collec- 
tion, and is representative of the whole extent of the 
valley. 
Length in 
inches. 
No. 1, Female adder caught near Pontrilas . 264 
No. 2 " " near Skenfrith 234 
No. 3. " " near Grosmont 28} 
No. 4 " " on Graig Bill 3 23 
No. 5. Male " on Garway Hill 214 
No.6. on " near Pontrilas 19? 
A small calculation will show that the average 
of this series of six works out at a length of 25} 
inches, which is very nearly what my information 
