48 SNAKES. 



who finds these words applied alike to many varying 

 species in as many books, because a writer has often taken 

 one author for his guide, instead of comparing a number. 

 Many modern writers on ophiology give us a list of syno- 

 nymes, which in time are found to unravel the above 

 perplexities, but which are at first more puzzling than not, 

 because a single snake is presented to you under so many 

 different names. This will be apparent in the course of this 

 work, wherein much that is merely suggestive in the present 

 chapter will be treated more fully under various headings, 

 without, I trust, offering a too wearisome repetition. In- 

 deed, the whole study of the Ophidia presents so many 

 exceptions that recapitulations may be acceptable rather 

 than otherwise. An interlacing of subjects has not here 

 been avoided so much as contrived. In the hope of present- 

 ing the whole more clearly to the mind of the student. 



Ruskin favoured his audience with printed lists of the 

 * names of the snake tribe in the great languages.' And 

 these I gladly reproduce for the benefit of my readers. 



* Names of the Snake Tribe in the Great 



Languages.' 



1. Ophis (Greek), 'the seeing' (creature, understood). 

 Meaning especially one that sees all round it. 



2. Dracon (Greek), Drachen (German), ' the beholding.' 

 Meaning one that looks well into a thing, or person. 



3. Anguis (Latin), ' the strangling.' 



4. Serpens (Latin), ' the winding.' 



5. Coluber (Latin), Couleuvre (French), 'the coiling.' 



