The only poisonous reptile indigenous to this country is the _common viper_ or _adder_. It is found on the heaths and in the dry woods of all parts of England, Scotland, and Wales, and is much feared on account of its venom. Very few cases are known in which the bite of this animal has proved fatal. In May, 1862, a little boy, at Burgess Hill, near Brighton, clambered up a bank, to examine a bird’s nest. Groping with his hand among the moss, he felt, as he thought, a sharp prick from a thorn. It turned out to be a bite from an adder. As the real cause of the wound was not suspected, the swelling of the hand and arm was not properly attended to until too late, and the poor child died on the second day. The poison apparatus of the viper consists of a gland placed by the side of the head, a duct, and a fang or pointed curved tooth, moulded in the form of a tube on either side. On being bitten, the person has pain in the wounded part, which quickly becomes severe and extends up the adjoining tissues. The limb swells greatly, becomes red and livid; while faintness soon sets in, and the pulse gets rapid and small. Bilious vomitings, dyspnœa, profuse cold sweats, jaundice, delirium, and convulsions, have also been noticed. In a few days the symptoms usually amend; but in weak sickly individuals gangrene of the limb may follow, or death may occur in the course of two or three days. The _treatment_ of the bites of venomous reptiles must be local and constitutional. Immediately the wound is inflicted it should be sucked freely and perseveringly. If the patient is too faint to do this for himself, a bystander may fearlessly help him; for it is well known that these poisons may be smeared upon the lips and tongue, or even swallowed, with impunity. At the same time a ligature is to be placed around the limb, above the wound; or if this be impossible, from its situation, the textures around are to be compressed. Then, the bitten part may be excised; or it may be destroyed by the actual cautery, nitric acid, the strong liquor ammoniæ, or nitrate of silver.