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The Animal-Lore of Shahspeare’s Time. 
In the oak woods of Warwickshire Shakspeare may 
Adder, often have found that— 
“ It is tlie bright day that brings forth the Adder ; 
And that craves wary walking.” 
(Julius Caesar, ii. 1, 14.) 
Shakspeare uses both the names adder and viper, but 
applies the latter word chiefly in a metaphorical, and the 
former in a literal sense. 
The popular notion of the adder’s deafness was de¬ 
rived from a passage in the Bible; and in a sermon by 
Dr. Montague, 1602, the worthy preacher ingeniously 
improves on his original, and describes the process by 
which the reptile contrived to escape :— 
“ The Scripture telleth us that of all beasts the serpent is the most 
subtill, and his subtility is observed in three points: first, when those 
nations in Syria and other hott countries found themselves often en¬ 
dangered by the stinging of venomous beasts, amongst other remedies 
they invented charming, which the serpent percevinge, to avoyd their 
cunning and effect his malice, he would stop both his eares, the one by 
laying it close to the earth, the other by stopping it with his tayle.” 
(Diary of John Manningham , 1602, p. 26, Camden Soc. Rep.') 
In this extract the adder is supposed to possess the- 
sense of hearing, but from natural depravity to refuse to 
listen to the voice of the charmer. The more generally 
received opinion was that the adder was in reality deaf. 
The absence of external ears probably led to this idea. 
The question whether or not the old adder swallows 
her young, to protect them from danger, is hardly decided 
even at the present time. At the period of which wo 
write, this maternal device was generally believed to be 
resorted to when occasion required. Ben Jonson says :— 
“ Or, till we speak, must all run in, to one, 
Like the young adders to the old one’s mouth.” 
(The Devil is an Ass , prologue.) 
Our forefathers had rather hazy notions as to the exact 
