O F SERPENTS. ,51 



V. The Scolope'idra \s a little vencmous Worm, and amphi- 

 bious. When it wounds any, there follows a Blucnefs about the 

 'afFeded Part, and an Itch over ail the Body, Hke that caufed by 

 Nettles. Its Weopons of iVIifchief are much the fame with thofe 

 of the Spider, only larger; its Bite is very tormenting, and pro- 

 duces not only pruriginous Pain in the Flefh, but very often 

 Diftradion of Mind. Thefe little Creatures make but a mean 

 Figure in the Rank of Animals, yet have been terrible in their 

 Exploits, particularly in driving People out of their Country : 

 Thus the Inhabitants oiRhytium, a City of Ov/^, were conftrained 

 to leave their Quarters for them *. There is a minute Scolopendra^ 

 accounted for by Dr. Molyneux, 



VI. The Shrew Serpent m Norway^ is a Creature of admira- 

 ble Beauty; fmall in Body, and flow in Motion, but of fiery Ve- 

 nom, and its Wounds moft dangerous. 



VII. The Lacertus Facetanus^ or 'Tarmitula^ whofe Bite gives 

 Name to a new Difeafe. Thofe who are wounded by it are de- 

 nominated T^arantati : It is a kind of an overgrown Spider, about 

 the Size of a common Acorn. 



I T borrows its Name from T^arentum in Apulia^ a City in the 

 Kingdom oi Naples, built by a Band of Lacedemonian Baftards, 

 who having no Inheritance at home, were fent thither tofeek their 

 Fortunes, where they built that Town, and made it the Capital 

 oi Magna Gracia. 



This little Animal is furnifh'd with eight Eyes and eight 

 Legs: Its Skin is tender and fo ft, of various Colours, and always 

 hairy : 'Tis of the oviparous kind, and propagates its Species by 

 Eggs, and fometimes a hundred Eggs have been found in one 

 Female. 



In the Opinion of fome, 'tis not only an Inhabitant oi Apulia,, 

 but peculiar to that Province, a Situation that may be called, A 

 Garden of Rarities \ Plenty of generous Wine, delicate Honey 

 and Oil, an early Spring, a foft Winter render it a moft delight- 

 ful Habitation, efpecially to old Perfons, according to the Poet -f-;, 



andv 

 * ^Han, lib. xv. cap. iG. 

 \ — lile terrarum mihi prxter omne?. — (Hor^/. lib. ii. ode 6.) Angulus — 



