560 BRITISH SERPENTS. 
island to island, and is thus one of the three 
wonders of that lake— 
‘Waves without wind, 
Fish without fins, 
And a floating island. 
The ring snake does not exist anywhere in Scotland, 
tomy knowledge, at any rate in the West.’—Alfred 
Brown, Luss, Dumbartonshire. 
Mr Thomas Scott, F.L.S. (Aberdeen), tells me that 
he has a specimen of an adder 143 inches long which 
was killed in an open drain near East Tarbert, and he 
heard at the time that the species was not uncommon 
there. He has also heard of adders being killed on 
the moors behind Greenock. The slow-worm he has 
taken on Ailsa Craig. 
The unusual occurrence of an adder being found 
active in the month of December is reported to me by 
Mr J. H. Browne, of Longformacus, Berwickshire, in 
which parish the reptile was captured by a shepherd. 
It was in Christmas week 1900, and the adder meas- 
ured 26 inches. The shepherd’s doe drew lis master’s 
attention to it. Mr Browne tells me that the average 
size of adders in the Longformacus district is about 
22 inches. He adds that the species is found all over 
the Lammermoor Hills and on the Duns estate. He 
mentions that they vary in colour from gold to black. 
Author. 
