362 MEMOIR ON AMPHIBIA. 



No. XLIL 

 MEMOIR ON AMPHIBIA.* 



SERPENTS. 



Read, Feb. /'^ F the various animals which merit the atten- 

 1797- v^ tion and refearches of naturaUfts, ferpents 

 are not the leaft important, and the flight information and 

 inaccurate ideas which we have of their mai:iner of being, 

 and of their habits, leave a rich and immenfe field for us 

 to inveftigate. 



Long convinced that many curious obfervatlons might 

 be derived from a careful fludy of thefe animals, I have 

 profited by the opportunities derived from a refidence on 

 this continent to employ myfelf on the fubjedl. They 

 have been one of the objeds of my refearches during a 

 journey of about 2400 or 2500 miles made laft fummer 

 in the fouthern parts of the United States, and among the 

 Indians. I have even fearched for thefe reptiles in their 

 retreats during the winter ; that feafon which nature feems 

 to have afligned to them for effecting a confiderable change, 

 might we not fay a renewal, of fevcral of their conftituent 

 parts. 



The rattlefnakes (crotalus of LinnGcusl appearing to me 

 the moft interefting, and offering the greateft number of 

 curious phenomena (notwithflanding the dangers, too 

 much exaggerated however, to which thofe who give 

 themfelves up to fuch inveftigations are expofed) will 

 form the principal objeds of this memoir. 



Before 



* This memoir is part of a differtation on amphibia in general, v.hich 

 I hope to publilh alter new obfervations which I propofe to make. 



