SOUTH WALES PROVINCE. 309 
proven.’ Adders are ovo-viviparous—that is, the eggs 
are retained in the oviduct and hatched there, the 
young, to the number of from 10 to 15, making their 
advent alive, and as spiteful and vicious as their 
parent. 
“The fact of an adder being killed and live young 
found inside does not prove that she swallowed them. 
“ T have several times had my dogs bitten by adders 
in Monmouthshire, but in no instance did the bite 
prove fatal, although the animals were very ill for 
some time afterwards. In one case, where a Gordon 
setter was bitten on the nose by a very large viper, I 
thought the poor dog would have died on the spot. 
He had to be carried home, and after being dosed 
with ammonia, eventually recovered.”—T. W. Proger 
(author of chapter on Local Teptilia in the Guide- 
Book for British Association in Cardiff). 
Brecon. 
“The ring snake is by far the most common snake 
here, and its average length is exceptional, being 
probably four and a half feet. I have seen one 
specimen which was 5 feet 9 inches in length. 
“T have seen only one adder in ten years, but the 
average length is about 21 inches.’—W. W. Baldock 
Fry, M.B., Builth, Breconshire. 
Note-—The ving snake has a larger average length 
in Brecon than anywhere I know of in this country, 
