Viper

a family of venomous serpents of the Old World, closely allied to the rattlesnake family of the New World. The name is Latin, meaning to bring forth alive. The young are produced alive, instead of being hatched from eggs. The common English name is adder, meaning simply a snake. As the adder is the only vicious serpent found in Great Britain, the translators of the King James Bible adopted the term. The common viper is about two feet long. It is of a yellowish brown, with a row of oblong black spots running lengthwise of its back, and a row of spots on each side. The head is oval with a blunt snout. The viper is the only venomous serpent in the greater part of Europe. It is neither common nor dangerous. Its bite is painful, but not fatal. Its reputation, however, accords well with the saying, "Look not upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder." Proverbs xxiii:31-32.