Ch. V. SOUTH AAIEUTCA. 399 



the accidents, to investigate the cause, in order to come 

 at the knowledge ofits properties, which it is difficult to 

 ascertain, unless supported by undoubted experiments. 

 Not that I would offer my opinion as a decisive rule; 

 1 desire that thejudgemeut of others may declare for 

 that which appears most conformable to truth. I 

 would also further acquaint the reader, that I only 

 speak from the testimony of those who have seen this 

 famous serpent, having never myself had an oppor- 

 tunity of examining it with my own eyes. 



First, itisséiid, thatthis serpent, in the length and 

 thickness of its body, very much resembles the trunk 

 of an old tree, whose roots have for some time ceased 

 to convey the usual nourishment; and that on every 

 j)art of it grows a kind of moss like that seen on the 

 barkof Mild trees.. This is accounted for by the dust 

 and mud adhering to it; and alternately moisteiied 

 and dried l)y the water and sun. This forms a slight 

 crust over the thick scales; and this crust is increased 

 by the sluggishness and slow motion of the serpent ; 

 which, unless when forced by hunger to go in quest 

 of food, continues motionless in one place for several 

 days together; and even then its motion is almost 

 imperceptible, leaving a track like that of a log of 

 tindjcr drawn along the ground. 



Its breath is asserted to be of such a nature as to cause 

 a kind of drunkenness or stupidity in man or beast, 

 which has the misfortune of being within the bounds 

 ,of its activity; and thus causes the animal involun- 

 tarily to move till it unhappily comes within the reach 

 of the serpent, which immediately swallows it. This 

 is the vulgar report: and it is added, that the only 

 method of averting the danger, is on first feeling the 

 breath to cut it, that is, to stop it by the interposition 

 of another body, which hastily intervening, cuts the 

 current of the blast and dissipates it. Thus the per- 

 son, who was moving on to certain destruction, is 

 enabled to take another path, and avoid the fatal ca- 



^ iastrophe. 



