COUNTY AND DISTRICT DISTRIBUTION. 243 
what is seen so often, the adder keeping to a restricted 
area, and there becoming very numerous for a time. 
Tropidonotus natiiz—TVhe ring snake is to be found 
fairly universally distributed all over this division, 
and, with the possible exception of Surrey, is more 
common than the adder in every county of the 
division. It averages up to 3 feet, as elsewhere in 
the south, 
Coronella austriaca.—There are two points of in- 
terest concerning the smooth snake in the Thames 
Province. The first is, that at a former period, some 
twenty years ago, it was an inhabitant of Berkshire, 
where it is apparently no longer found. The second 
is, that 1t occurs in Surrey, and from the observations 
of Mr Bryan Hook it seems quite probable that it may 
be in considerable numbers in this county. No doubt 
it is usually mistaken for the adder and killed forth- 
with, many specimeus thus being lost to county re- 
cords. Unfortunately the class of people who come 
the 
various workers on the land, that is—look upon them 
across more of our serpeuts than any one else 
from one point of view only, namely, as things to be 
destroyed on every possible occasion. 
The small red viper has been taken in Berks in this 
division. 
IV. Ouse Province. 
It has proved difficult to get much local information 
for this area, but one finds that the ring suake is the 
