﻿

* 



a6o 



T H 



N A T U R A 



H13TOR 







thick, being cut into regular p 



whips 



ftead of whale- bone 



It 



makes fine riding fwitches ; and mav b 



J Cj *• 





fed 



kes in air both by the 



d raiies to the fu 



henever it wants to breathe 



but 



hideoufly on thofe occafion 

 tail- fin is broad and fpreadii 



It 



OP 





■ 



from iooo to 2000 lb. in 



and noftrils 



ays groans very 



the 



* *■ 







H 



A 



P. 



Ill 



Of 





T 



S. 



F 



fider with what perni 



qual 



many of the individuals of th 



clafs are endowed, we mud certainly be very thankful to the divine Author of all 



o 



ho has distributed them fo fparingly amon 



They are, indeed, ofte 



q 

 y 



harmlefs ; nay fome of them are, in many refpects, beneficial to our kind ; and 



tribe 



there are but few people who have 



lion to moft of the 



The greater! part of the individuals of this clafs live chiefly 



tho* ma- 



•; but they are all furniflied with 



lunffs, whofe cdls and compartments are vaftly larger than thofe of other crea 



ny of them pafs a confiderable part of 



Jt4UU4LU» V ¥ AlUiW X^S^XMKJ 1AJ.JV* VVill L/Ui kiXIViJWU 



tures, which enables them to keep in 



ment much longer than 



abitants of air can do. And their fluids are naturally 



y 



flow and langu 

 the greateft vig 



d 



d the circular 



vhich is the principal reafon they fublift fo long without food; 



of their juices depending chiefly on their motions and the heat 



fun, in whofe rays they are frequently obferved to bafk during the fummer 



feafon. But they 



grow 



quite 



guid as the heat declines towards the winter 



acl 



ths, during which they are generally obferved to live almoft in a ftate of 



the cold 



A 



of this tribe 



tnaica 



I mall d 



four claffi 



difpofitions 

 fections. 



d 



range 



them 



nder th 



now found in Ja- 

 cording to their different appearances and 



followinw 



head 



in four fep 



■ 



1 I 



T. 



'J 



whofe bodies are 



he Serpents, or fuch as have no regular limbs ; but 

 generally covered with fcales^ and moved by regular mufcles f up ported 

 by j olid props. 



A MPHISBENA 1. Subargentea ad candam breviorem 



I\ 



crajjijjima, corpore fquamis ccquali-yThe. Silver Snake. 



bus undique teffo. Tab. 44. f. 1 . 



Barr. 



/ 



Serpens biceps vulgo diSla. 



This reptile feldom exceeds fixteen inches in length, and grows gradually thicker 

 from the fnout to the end of the tail; but the anus is placed ib near this part 

 both in this and fome others of the fame kind, that it has been frequently miftaken 



for the mouth, which has given a rife to the name Amphtjbena, by which all the 



fpecies are now commonly known. This little reptile is generally met with in the 

 nefts of ants, and about hollow or decayed trees : it is thought to be very venomous, 

 but I could never learn any inftance of its poifonous qualities, nor is it frequently 

 met with in the ifland. 



CEN- 



t 



