DOUBLE-WALKERS. 159 



supposed blind, and vulgarly said to be fed by 

 the large ants (termites), is in this country honour- 

 ed with the name of King of the Emmets. The 

 flesh of the Amphisbsena, dried and reduced to 

 a fine powder, is confidently administered as a 

 sovereign and infallible remedy in all cases of 

 dislocation and broken bones ; it being very natu- 

 rally inferred that an animal which has the power 

 of healing an entire amputation in its own case, 

 should at least be able to cure a simple fracture 

 in the case of another." 



The AmpMshcEnadiE are covered with minute 

 close-set scales, highly polished, either square and 

 set in circular rings around the body, or over- 

 lapping, as in the Slow-worms. A range of small 

 pores runs in front of the vent, which is situated 

 almost at the very extremity of the body ; the 

 jaws are furnished with a single row of small 

 conical teeth, which are few and distant from 

 each other ; the palate is destitute of any. The 

 mouth is very small. There are no poison-fangs, 

 and these reptiles are consequently harmless and 

 inoffensive ; those specimens which have been 

 brought alive to Europe are described as dull 

 and inanimate, without grace or activity in their 

 movements ; " they crawled slowly about, and 

 when handled, languidly twisted their bodies and 

 opened their mouths, but made no attempt to 

 bite : their appearance was far from being at- 

 tractive. One of these animals {Amphishceiia fuli- 

 ginosd), kept alive some time since in the Gardens 

 of the Zoological Society, took milk very freely, 

 and subsisted on it for six months."* 



The food of these Serpents, as we have said, 



* Pict. Museiira, ii. 98. 



