1030 Reptiles. 



ver became torpid. It was at first sufficiently savage ; and would 

 invariably strike at my face if placed pretty close to the glazed top of 

 its box. In time it became somewhat better mannered ; though I 

 cannot say I ever felt sufficient confidence in its sense of propriety to 

 trust either face or fingers within reach of its fangs. When removed 

 to another room, and allowed free egress from its box, it would make 

 its way to the fire, and coil itself with apparent satisfaction within the 

 full influence of the heat. On one occasion, methought I would try 

 whether there existed any enmity between the viper and the stoat, as 

 I had a suspicion that in a natural state they are not the best of friends. 

 While, therefore, the viper was thus coiled up, asleep, as I opined, I 

 reached down the stuffed skin of a stoat, and holding it by the tail, 

 moved it forward as if springing on the viper : quick as thought the 

 creature struck it again and again, under, apparently, the influence of 

 both fear and anger. I repeated this experiment for several days suc- 

 cessively, till the viper ceased to trouble itself about what it seemed 

 to have discovered to be without power to hurt. My suspicions of 

 the existence of a natural enmity between the two creatures, was 

 strengthened by the viper showing no signs of either anger or alarm 

 if a stuffed bird was made to molest it. 



When I had had this fellow about a week, I put a live mouse into 

 the box. The viper was basking in the sunshine, and scarcely deign- 

 ed to move when I dropped the mouse quietly in. The latter at first 

 retreated into a corner ; but presently growing bolder, it advanced its 

 nose close up to the body of the viper, and once I observed their no- 

 ses almost in contact. The mouse's fears being lulled, it began to 

 take liberties, and crossed the body of the viper two or three times ; 

 upon this the viper raised its head and hissed, and mousy retreated 

 precipitately into a corner. I left the window but for one minute, and 

 on my return found poor mousy in convulsions, having been bitten, 

 evidently ; I took out my watch, and in three minutes and a half the 

 mouse ceased to breathe. The viper took no further notice of the 

 body. A second mouse gnawed its way out of the box after a day or 

 two's confinement ; during which time the immediate vicinity of so 

 formidable an enemy did not in the least impair its appetite. It has 

 since occurred to me that as both were house-mice, the absence of 

 fear may perhaps be accounted for in their ignorance of the danger to 

 which they were exposed. The field vole would probably have been 

 affected differently. 



This viper died, a good deal attenuated, January 26, 1840, having 

 lived four months in confinement without feeding ; yet on dissection, 



