APPENDIX. 381 



" fleps before the hall-door fome years before my 

 " acquaintance commenced with it, and had been 

 " admired by my father for its fize (which was of 

 " the largeft I ever met with) who conftantly payed 

 " it a vifit every evening. I knew it myfelf above 

 " thirty years, and by conftantly feeding it, brought 

 " it to be fo tame that it always came to the can- 

 " die, and looked up as if expecting to be taken 

 " up and brought upon the table, where I always 

 " fed it with infects of all forts ; it was fondeft of 

 " flefh maggots, which I kept in bran ; it would 

 * c follow them, and when within a proper diftance, 

 " would fix its eye, and remain motionlefs for near 

 " a quarter of a minute, as if preparing for the 

 '< ftroke, which was an inftantaneous throwing its 

 " tongue at a great diftance upon the infect, which 

 " ftuck to the tip by a glutinous matter : the mo* 

 * c tion is quicker than the eye can follow*. 



" I always imagined that the root of its tongue 

 " was placed in the fore part of its under jaw, and 

 " the tip towards its throat, by which the motion 

 " muft be a half circle -, by which, when its tongue 

 " recovered its fituation, the infect at the tip would 

 " be brought to the place of deglutition. I was 

 " confirmed in this by never obferving any internal 

 u motion in its mouth, excepting one fwallow the 

 " inftant its tongue returned. Poffibly I might be 



* This rapid capture of its prey might give occafion to the 

 report of its fafcinating powers, Linnaus fays, Infefta in fauces 

 fafchio re-UQcat, 



" miftaken 



