CHAPTER, VIII. 
> REPTILES EOR THE AQUARIUM. 
ur native reptiles form but a very 
restricted family; a few species of 
small Lizards and Newts, all pretty 
little creatures, and perfectly harm¬ 
less, notwithstanding their had name, 
Erog, the Toad, and the Hedge 
Snake, a beautifully marked, harmless 
creature, completing the list, with the exception 
of the Blind Worm, the bite of which in self-defence 
is perfectly free from venom; and, lastly, the only 
poisonous reptile of the native family, the Viper, or 
Adder, the virulence of whose bite has been much 
exaggerated. Bell, in his “ History of British Rep¬ 
tiles,” distinctly states that no well-authenticated 
case of death from the bite of a Viper is recorded, 
though inflammation of a serious character nearly 
always ensues. 
One of the greatest advantages of all the coun¬ 
tries of the temperate zones is their freedom, like 
England, from the presence of venomous and dan- 
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