284 BRITISH SERPENTS. 
served specimen, about + feet, taken in Norfolk. The 
Rev. M. C. Bird, of Stalham, writes to me: ‘The viper 
is more common in this part of Norfolk than the ring 
snake In fact, IT have not seen one of the harm- 
less species hereabouts at all. The average length of 
some score of vipers I have measured is 243 inches 
(adult), and [ have seen a red variety, about 16 inches 
long, at Stalham, which was killed in the neighbour- 
hood in the summer of 1889. A marshinan friend of 
mine killed seven vipers in one day (April 10, 1900). 
One he killed on a previous day contained 25 eggs, 
and two killed the day before had 25 and 16 eggs 
respectively. These vipers specially frequent the dry 
marsh walls round the Broads, and are also fairly 
plentiful on the marshes adjoining the sandhills on 
the coast. They are much more conspicuous in 
spring and early summer than later, but I killed 
two as late as October 4 in 1900, when out shoot- 
ing rabbits. "—W. A. Nicholson (Hon. Sec. Norfolk 
Nat. Soc.), St Helen’s Square, Norwich. 
Note,-—My Bird’s letter is valuable from three points 
of view: first, it records the small red viper in Nor- 
ros found in the females 
a 
fate) 
toll; second, the number of e 
is unusually large; and thirdly, it indicates a some- 
what late date of commencing hibernation in that 
locality, though it must be remembered that the 
autumn of 1900 was very warm.—Author. 
' See the ‘ Field,’ 15th and 22nd June 1901, 
