Collecting and killing of the Common Adder (Vipera berus) in Hungary between 1950-1970

We give an overview of the Vipera berus killing and collecting in Hungary between 19501970, based on a review of the forestry and hunting periodicals published in Hungary during this period and the collection catalogues of Museum's that store Hungarian adders. Peculiarly the killing of adders was encouraged or even funded by the Hungarian state authorities almost 50 years after the last big slaughter of "venomous snakes" in Europe (last known from Carinthia in 1916). Data on 1008 collected and killed adders have been gathered, from the three geographical regions of Hungary inhabited by the species. Thus 676 specimens (33.8 spec./year) are known to have been removed from the Zemplen Hills, most of them on request of the local Forestry Commission; 198 (9.9 spec./year) from the Valley of the Upper Tisza River, respectively 134 (6.7 specimens/year) specimens collected in Somogy and Zala counties for scientific purposes.