,24 A NATURAL HISTORY 



and fhaded Valleys, dreadful in Appearance, and more fo In its 

 Executions. 



This cruel Serpent is an Emblem of the old Serpent, that 

 great fiery Dragon, that in a few Hours reduced Job, a wealthy 

 Prince, into the loweft Ebb of Poverty, converted his Palace in- 

 to a Dunghill, and his Body into an Hofpital of Difeafes ; and if 

 permitted, he would immediately turn the Earth into a Scene of 

 Blood and Deflrudion j therefore he is called aTroAXuwv, the Dejiroyer^. 

 Rev.ix. II. the Murderer, and Shedder of Blood. N. B. The 

 tutelar Deity of the Cafars was ApollOy that is, tht-'^DeJiroyer, 

 The like kind of bloody Deity prefided in the Temples of Ty- 

 ranny ever fince. 



XCI. The Gobe MoujeSy fo denominated by the French^ from 

 its gobbling all kinds of Flies, which it conftantly hunts, and fwaU 

 lows in a voracious manner. It commonly frequents Houfes, 

 where it fuffers no little Infed:s to live, no not upon Garments : 

 It is of the ftellionick form, and the leaft of all the Quadrupeds 

 in thofe Antilles^ which our EngUJJj call, the Lecward-IJlands. 



May not this Animal ferve to reprefent thofe gobbling Sots^ 

 who brufh off the Flies of Melancholy, and drown them in the 

 inchanted Cup? Thus likewife the Sons oi Mammon hunt for 

 golden FlkSy as Entertainments moft delicious, 



XCII. BROCHET DE TORRE, or tht Land- Pike, is a 

 Serpent of about fifteen Inches long, fo termed from its Likenefs 

 in Figure and Skin to that Fifli. Inftead of Fins, it has four 

 Feet, too weak to fupport the Body, therefore crawls^ on its 

 Belly, after an odd unufual manner, winding its Body about like 

 a Pike newly taken out of the Water; which kind of Motion be- 

 ing ftrange, firikes Terror into Speftators. Tetre denies it to 

 have the perfedt Shape, Head and Skin of the common Pike^ 

 and treats Sieur Rocbefort with fome Roughnefs, according to 

 Mr. Ray. 



In the Night, thefe Serpents are found under the Rocks, where 

 they make a frightful Noifc, more hideous than the croaking of 

 Frogs and Toads. In Antigua is a Fifli called Cane, like our Pike 

 iii-figure, feven or eight Foot long, and big in proportion : It 

 |ireys like the ,6!/'^^^^ and efpecially on human Fleflij and the 



