The Viper is not so amenable to a life of captivity as our other Snakes. It is not amiable, indeed its temper may be described as short and sulky, which it displays by refusing all offers of food; most captive Vipers die of starvation, the "hunger strike" being their effective protest against the deprivation of liberty. On being captured they are always ready to bite; but in a state of freedom the Viper is not the aggressive monster that is popularly supposed. It seems to depend largely upon its inactivity for escaping observation, but when it knows it has been discovered its immediate impulse is to seek cover. Accidents from Viper bites are rare in this country, where people go about well shod, and there are very few cases of authenticated death from this cause. On the Continent, however, such cases are frequent; and it is suggested that in the warmer parts of Europe, where bare feet are more numerous, the Viper's venom may also be more active than it is here. It is the toes or fingers that are most likely to be bitten, for the Viper's mouth is not large enough to enable it to bite the larger parts. The mechanism by which the poison is introduced into the blood of its victim has been briefly described on page 146. [Illustration: _Pl. 96._ _L 156._ *Viper or Adder.* Vipera berus.] [Illustration: _Pl. 97._ _L 157._ *Edible Frog.* With vocal sacs inflated in "singing".] It must not be supposed from the foregoing remarks that we deprecate caution in dealings with the Viper; but we do desire, if possible, to dispose of that senseless fear that is unworthy of man. If the victim is in bad health the bite of the Viper may involve very unpleasant consequences--even death, but this is much more likely to follow from the sting of a gnat! In case of a bite from this species, the approved treatment is to suck the wound thoroughly and apply oil to it. The rustic remedy approved by quack doctors is an oil prepared from the Viper's own fat--"a hair of the dog that bit you" sort of cure. A ligament above the wound will prevent the poison spreading; and the blood may be made alkaline by the internal administration of ammonia. The popular idea in many parts is that the reddish coloured Vipers have more virulent poison than the others, but there does not appear to be any good grounds for this differentiation. The Viper is found in all parts of Britain, but is not known in Ireland. AMPHIBIOUS ANIMALS: FROGS, TOADS, AND NEWTS *Frog* (_Rana temporaria_, Linn.).