374 MEMOIR ON AMPHIBIA. 



vour of their opinion. But faits are very convincing to 

 the contrary. The boiquiras feels, the fides of hills, and 

 the low bottoms in which fprings are found, in order to 

 flicker themfelves from the cold and froll which makes 

 them perifli. They are in thefe retreats only during the 

 vvfinter, that is to fay, during the time that they are torpid 

 and do not eat. In fummer they always keep upon the 

 heights, in the drieft and mofi: arid places. I made this 

 remark during my travels, and the frd: has been confirmed 

 to me by Captain Hawkins and the inhabitants ot New 

 Jerfey, in which ftate thefe animals arc in abundance, and 

 where accidents from them are. frequent, the foil being 

 generally dry, fandv and arid. 



I return to my narrative. Being arrived at the place 

 whither our guide wifliedto conduit us, we began, ail of 

 us, to dig where he pointed out. Our refearches were 

 fruitlefs. We hunted in three other places without fuc- 

 cefs. 



The next day Captain Hawkins, having arrived, con- 

 ducted us four miles, into a low ground, at the foot of a 

 fmall hill. It was covered with birch, dogwood, and other 

 flirubs, and with a prodigious number of large trees fallen 

 down and rotted, whofe ftumps were yet left. It is under 

 thefe roots that the boiquiras retire. A layer of rich 

 black earth, formed of the remains of vegetables, and two 

 or three inches deep, was covered by a thick bed, about 

 5 or 6 inches high, of the fphagnum paluftre, below 

 this bed of earth were found, at fmall intervals, fprings 

 which ran through a loofe miry foil into which a flick 

 might be thruft eafdy five or fix feet. It is in the neigh- 

 bourhood of thefe fprings, and above this miry foil, the 

 reptiles are found which were the objedt of our inveftiga- 

 tion. Our hrft attempt was unfuccefsful. Captain Haw- 

 kins opened however another cavity in which we found 

 two boiquiras of moderate fize. In two other places we 



found 



