34 SNAKE. Class III. 



body thickeft; the back and fides covered with 

 fmall fcales, the belly with oblong, narrow, tranf- 

 verfe plates. The firft Linnaus diftinguifhes by 

 the name of fquama, the laft he calls fcuta> and 

 from them forms his genera of ferpents. 



Thofe that have bothfquam^e and fcuta he calls 

 Colubri\ thofe that have only fquama^ Angues. 

 The viper and fnake are comprehended in the firft 

 genus, the blind- worm under the fecond -, but we 

 chufe (to avoid multiplying our genera) to take in 

 the few ferpents we have by a fingle genus, their 

 marks being too evident to be confounded. 

 Descrip, The color of the back and fides of the fnake 



are dufky or brown ; the middle of the back 

 marked with two rows of fmall black fpots run- 

 ning from head to tail ; and from them are multi- 

 tudes of lines of fpots croiTing the fides •, the plates 

 on the belly are duiky, the fcales on the fides of a 

 bluilli white. 



On each fide the neck is a fpot of pale yellow, 

 and the bafe of each is a triangular black fpot, one 

 angle of which points towards the tail. 



The teeth are fmall and ferrated, lying each fide 

 the jaw in two rows. 



This fpecies is perfectly inoffenfive ; it frequents, 

 and lodges itfelf among bullies in moift places, and 

 will readily take the water, fwimming very well. 



It preys on frogs, infects, worm?, and mice, 

 ; and, considering the fmallnefs of the neck, it is a- 

 mazing how large an animal it wall fwallow. i 



* The 



