182 THE ESSEX NATURALIST
Ringed Snake (Natrix natrix L.). The season's work has confirmed
the impression formed from casual records of previous years that the
Ringed, or Grass Snake, is very widely distributed and frequent in the
Forest. One of us (G.M.) recorded a total of forty-four snakes on nine
dates during 1958, the greatest number being seven seen on June 1. The
areas in which they were seen were mainly the larger plains and open
spaces in the Forest; a detailed map of records provides a clearer
impression of their distribution. The Ringed Snake also occurs in wood-
land, even in woods with a closed canopy, although it is possible that
these may have been snakes in passage through the wood. Records of
one seen in dense woodland near the Earls Path, Loughton (1957), and
several seen on occasions near the Cuckoo Pits (1955, 1957 and 1958),
and one in Monk Wood (1956) by A.C.W. indicate that this is at least
a regular, if not common occurrence.
It is interesting to note that Stubbs also found this snake common
in the area, and his notes indicate that it may have been even more so
than today. He wrote that it was not "unusual to see ten or a dozen"
near the lake at Birch Hall, Theydon Bois, but this number seen in a
day would certainly be unusual today. Stubbs' finding this snake near
water confirms our notes over many years that it is, in fact, very often
seen in, or near ponds, and particularly from April to June. We have
recent records of it from the ponds near Bell Common—1953; Baldwins
Pond, three in 1958; Earls Path Pond—1952 (D.S.); the lower Goldings
Hill Pond 1956 (D.S.); and in 1958 on several occasions (G.M., J.D.);
Wake Valley Pond—1956, and the Cuckoo Pits—1955 (A.C.W.). This
conflicts with the general belief, as in Buxton (1923) that this snake
is found in the drier parts of the Forest, although we think that this
is probably correct in late summer. We suggest that there may be a
connection between the apparent "migration'' of the snakes to the
ponds in the spring, when there are large numbers of amphibians
concentrated there for breeding; later the amphibians leave the ponds
and so, apparently, do the snakes.
We have no information of the Ringed Snake in the Forest north of
Epping, where it is said to be very scarce (Fitter 1949), although one
of us (J.D.) has recorded it near the River Stort. There seems to be no
reason why it should be scarce in that area, and it is hoped to investi-
gate this in future work.
Adder (Vipera berus L.). Without doubt, the discovery that the Adder
is both common and widespread in the Forest area has been the major
surprise of the survey. During 1958 a total of seventy-seven Adders
was recorded on twenty days, but due to the fact that this snake appar-
ently stays within an area of a few feet during daylight for periods of
up to months, some individuals were counted several times; and owing
to the distinctive markings and colours of individuals it became custom-
ary to search an area until a familiar snake was found. Nevertheless this
individuality made possible a fairly accurate count of the numbers of
Adders known to be present in each area. In Area A* eleven different
*Owing to the persecution which this snake suffers at the hands of man,
we consider it to be undesirable to name the areas in which it is found.