﻿REPTILES. 
  

  

  195 
  

  

  Class 
  III. 
  — 
  REPTILIA. 
  

  

  Order 
  OPHIDIA. 
  

   Family 
  VIPERID^. 
  

   Genus 
  PELIAS. 
  

   Vipera 
  berus, 
  Linn. 
  Viper 
  or 
  Adder. 
  

  

  Quite 
  plentiful 
  in 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  inland 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  district. 
  

   Along 
  the 
  Dee 
  valley 
  it 
  is 
  numerous. 
  

  

  This, 
  our 
  only 
  venomous 
  species, 
  is 
  looked 
  upon 
  by 
  the 
  

   inhabitants 
  as 
  very 
  dangerous, 
  and 
  certain 
  death 
  to 
  those 
  who 
  

   have 
  the 
  misfortune 
  to 
  be 
  bitten 
  by 
  it 
  ; 
  and 
  many 
  tales 
  are 
  

   told 
  of 
  people 
  having 
  met 
  their 
  death 
  from 
  its 
  attack. 
  

   Although 
  this 
  is 
  so, 
  no 
  thoroughly 
  reliable 
  case 
  has 
  come 
  

   under 
  notice 
  in 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  man 
  is 
  concerned. 
  It 
  is, 
  however, 
  a 
  

   fact 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  dogs 
  bitten 
  by 
  the 
  Adder, 
  death 
  over- 
  

   takes 
  them 
  usually 
  on 
  the 
  third 
  or 
  fourth 
  day 
  afterwards. 
  

   A 
  case 
  in 
  point 
  is 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  dog 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  late 
  James 
  

   Thomson, 
  keeper 
  to 
  the 
  Marquis 
  of 
  Huntly. 
  In 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  

   August, 
  1888, 
  this 
  dog 
  got 
  bitten 
  in 
  the 
  throat, 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  

   second 
  day 
  the 
  neck 
  and 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  animal 
  were 
  swollen 
  to 
  

   double 
  their 
  normal 
  size, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  fourth 
  day 
  he 
  died. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  N. 
  S.A. 
  of 
  Kincardineshire, 
  under 
  parish 
  of 
  Banchory 
  - 
  

   Ternan, 
  p. 
  335, 
  we 
  are 
  told 
  that 
  " 
  specimens 
  of 
  a 
  Serpent, 
  

   upwards 
  of 
  four 
  feet 
  long, 
  have 
  several 
  times 
  been 
  found 
  ; 
  but 
  

   whether 
  it 
  be 
  the 
  Adder 
  at 
  an 
  advanced 
  stage 
  of 
  its 
  growth, 
  

   or 
  whether 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  distinct 
  species, 
  is 
  unknown." 
  Needless 
  to 
  

   point 
  out, 
  we 
  have 
  no 
  authentic 
  record 
  of 
  any 
  other 
  species 
  of 
  

   Viperidee 
  in 
  Scotland. 
  

  

  Family 
  COLUBRIDzE. 
  

  

  Genus 
  CORONELLA. 
  

  

  [Coronella 
  loevis, 
  Bote. 
  Smooth 
  Snake. 
  

  

  " 
  There 
  is 
  another 
  species 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  with 
  us 
  

   called 
  the 
  Smooth 
  Snake 
  (Coluber 
  loevis). 
  I 
  have 
  never 
  seen 
  

   one 
  met 
  with 
  here. 
  I 
  once 
  heard 
  of 
  one, 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  this 
  

   kind, 
  which 
  was 
  killed 
  near 
  Tomintoul. 
  On 
  making 
  applica- 
  

  

  