THE ZOOLOGIST
No. 711.—September, 1900.
THE ADDER-SWALLOWING THEORY FROM AN
ANATOMICAL POINT OF VIEW.
By Gerald Leighton, M.B.
The main objections of scientific naturalists to the belief that the Adder-mother (Vipera berus) swallows her young are the following:—First, that no Adder has been dissected by a competent authority with the young found in the gullet. Secondly, that the cubic capacity of the gullet is not sufficient to hold all the young ones in a litter. Thirdly, some (F. G. Aflalo, e.g.) hold that there is no adequate reason for the phenomenon, i.e. that the young ones would have a better chance of escape if they were not thus swallowed. Of these objections, the second is by far the most pressing to my mind, for if it could be shown that the gullet of the Adder is not capacious enough to hold the average number of young, then indeed one could not have much belief in the occurrence. It is this point that I wish to deal with at present. One must settle—
1st. What is the average number of young at a birth?
2nd. Is the anatomical structure of the gullet adapted for the reception of young?
3rd. Is the capacity of the gullet sufficient?
These are practical questions, only capable of decision by dissection of a sufficient number of adult female Adders. Take them seriatim.
