On Snakes In the course of the summer I have
not seen many snakes. Grass snakes ' have never been too numerous here but usually I come across quite a few adders in the course of my fishing outings. I read the other day that with such a wet and cold season the grass snake may diminish in numbers, its food and the warmth necessary for the incubation of eggs being something to do with it. Whether the grass snake is reduced or not I feel sure that the adder will con- tinue to thrive, for although he likes a warm place in which to bask, he is used to colder climates, being numerous in parts of Scotland where the summer weather is not always a great contrast to that of the earlier season. We came across a rather fine specimen. of an adder when we were having a picnic in an old quarry at the weekend. I was sorry
to have to destroy it but there were children exploring the place and while the snake might have had ample time to creep into the rocks I was afraid that somewhere in the stone rubble a child might put its foot on the adder with frightening consequences. The bite of the adder is not often fatal, it is said, but the shock of being bitten could unnerve any but the most stolid of characters.
Previous page
