460 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



mentioned erroneously in the current number of the 'Irish Naturalist' as 

 having been obtained in Co. Tyrone. It has been preserved by Williams, 

 of Dame St., Dublin. — H. C. Hart (Carrablagh, Portsalon, Letterkenny). 



Long-tailed Duck in Sussex. — Two Long-tailed Ducks, Harelda 

 glacialis, an adult pair, were shot in October near R-ye Harbour, Sussex, 

 the female by Capt. Taylor on the 20th, and the male on the 23rd by a 

 fisherman named Sutherden. The tail-feathers of the male were 7£ inches 

 long. Both birds are in the bands of Mr. Bristow, of St. Leonards, for 

 preservation. — George W. Bradshaw (Hastings). 



The Birds of Pembrokeshire. — Being engaged in preparing a book 

 on the Pembrokeshire birds, which will be published in the course of next 

 spring, I shall be very grateful for any notes relating to the birds of that 

 county, or to those of South Wales in general. — Murray A. Mathew 

 (Buckland Dinham, Frome). 



REPTILES. 



Adders useful in destroying Voles. — A question which, inter alia, 

 came before the Vole Committee last summer was the extent to which 

 Adders might be set down as Vole destroyers, and in their subsequently 

 issued Report it was stated that "Adders feed readily on Voles, but an 

 Adder would probably not kill more than one animal of the size of a Vole 

 in a single day, so there is no reason to extend protection to those venomous 

 reptiles." I have killed Adders frequently that had more than one Vole 

 or Mouse inside. I once killed one with three Voles all swallowed probably 

 within one hour previously. Not long since I was talking to an extensive 

 sheep farmer who had killed every Adder he met with, until one day during 

 the height of the Vole plague he killed one that had just swallowed no less 

 than five Voles, so that the Committee has not given the Adder quite so 

 much credit as it is entitled to. Sheep are often killed if bitten in spring 

 upon the under jaw owing to the rapid swelling that supervenes, and dogs, 

 as everyone knows, are often seriously and sometimes fatally bitten. It is 

 no rare occurrence to hear of bites on human beings, but, so far as I can 

 remember, only one death — that of a rather delicate child — has happened 

 hereabouts in recent years. Protection for these venomous reptiles is, of 

 course, out of the question ; but at any rate the good they are able to do in 

 destroying Field Voles should not be overlooked. There is nothing more 

 amusing than the assertions sometimes made — and made in all good faith — 

 as to the length the Adder will grow. The largest one I have yet seen, 

 and it is in my own collection, is exactly 24£ inches in length. — Robert 

 Sjsrvice (Maxwelltown, Dumfries). 



Erratum.— P. 143, 1. 6, for "former," read "/tunes." 



