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juice, and place upon the wound in the shape of a poultice, after well- 
cutting, sucking and squeezing it, and concoctions of which they 
cause the unfortunate patient to drink; but they appear to produce 
no decided relief to the patient, and although perhaps very good as 
poultices to any inflammatory wounds, I do not imagine that these 
herbs possess any antidotal properties to the venom of the serpent. 
It is caleulated that at the least twenty persons die annually in St. 
Lucia from the bites of these serpents ; and, as I have often heard it 
stated that in nineteen cases out of twenty the patient recovers, it 
may be inferred that 180 people per annum are maimed or danger- 
ously wounded by them. 
Us 2 2? The Couresse. 
The Couresse is a beautifully-formed little snake, perfectly harm- 
less, from two and a half to three feet in length, and seldom attaining 
more than 23 inches in circumference, with 96 abdominal scuta and 
86 rows of subcaudal squame. 
Its small head, bright attractive eye, quick and elegant motion, and 
its tapering body and tail, present a remarkable contrast to the cor- 
responding characteristic of the last-mentioned Rat-tail serpent. 
The colour of the Couresse varies much ; they are generally found 
of a dark blue colour, with white and grey variegations of every pos- 
sible shape ; sometimes however yellowish brown prevails, but spotted 
in a similar manner ; the belly is white, slightly tinged with blue, and 
at the point of junction of the abdominal and other scales is always 
found a dark spot. 
Four rows of small teeth are to be found in the upper jaw and two 
rows in the lower. The head is covered by large scales. 
The Conresse cannot exist long without water, and will even drink 
milk. When kept in a box with a vessel of water for their use, they 
are more frequently found in the water than out of it, this being their 
only protection against their deadly enemies the ants. 
This snake is oviparous: the longest diameter of the eggs is five 
lines, the shortest three lines. It feeds upon lizards, crapauds, mice, 
and other small animals and reptiles. 
3. CoLuBER ConsTRicTOR? The Clibro. 
The Clibro is found in this island as long as five and six feet, and 
as large as from three and a half to four inches in circumference. It 
is perhaps one of the most remarkable and useful of its species: it 
has 236 abdominal scuta and 72 rows of subcaudal squame, is of a 
bluish colour with a white belly, and after its change of skin shines 
like marble. The head is small, covered with large scales, and the 
eye dark blue and opake. There are four rows of small teeth in the 
upper jaw and two in the lower. The longest diameter of the egg is 
eighteen lines, the shortest nine. 
One peculiarity of the Clibro is its apparently total disregard of 
man. 
But its great singularity consists in its choice of food. It lives 
principally upon other serpents, and of those chiefly the Rat-tail, 
