Page:White - The natural history of Selborne, and the naturalist's calendar, 1879.djvu/87

Rh $e7$ The story of the viper swallowing her young ones for their safety is so persistently told from all parts of the country by persons of veracity, that it seems cruel to doubt their accuracy of observation. No scientific and accurate naturalist has, as far as I am aware, actually seen the occurrence. Mr. Jesse seems satisfied that it does happen from the evidence he has collected, and he says that a viper-catcher on the Brighton Downs told him that he had often witnessed the fact. I think the question is still unsettled. I have never seen it myself, and I have seen a great number of vipers in close proximity.

$e8$ Snakes eat oftener than once a year, but still one meal of a frog or mouse will take a good-sized snake a long time to digest.

$e9$ The common snake takes readily to the water, and swims sometimes altogether beneath it, and sometimes with the head and neck above. I have very often seen them doing this; and although I knew they were harmless, I did not like them diving close by me when I was swimming. There is no English species of "water-snake."

  LETTER XVIII.

, July 27th, 1768

, I received your obliging and communicative letter of June 28th, while I was on a visit at a gentleman's house, where I had neither books to turn to, nor leisure to sit down, to return you an answer to many queries, which I wanted to resolve in the best manner that I am able.

A person, by my order, has searched our brooks, but could find no such fish as the Gasterosteus pungitius; he found the Gasterosteus aculeatus in plenty. This morning, in a basket, I packed a little earthen pot full of wet moss, and in it some sticklebacks, male and female; the females big with spawn: some lamperns; some bull's heads; but I could procure no minnows. This basket will be in Fleet Street by eight this evening; so I hope Mazel will have them fresh and fair to-morrow morning. I gave some directions, in a letter, to what particulars the engraver should be attentive.

Finding, while I was on a visit, that I was within a reasonable distance of Ambresbury, I sent a servant over to that town, and procured several living specimens of loaches, which he brought,