CORRESPONDENCE OF RAY. 231 



along the body. All these kinds are plentifully in my 

 own fields. 



As for outlandish serpents, I saw but one kind beyond 

 seas different from ours. Indeed I have such a natural 

 abhorrency of that sort of animal, that I was not very 

 inquisitive after them. That I saw was bought at Rome 

 by Sir Philip Skippon, of a man that brought them about 

 to sell : it was very gentle and innoxious, and I suppose 

 the Anguis ^sculapii ; but I described it not. After a 

 while it escaped out of the box wherein we kept it, and 

 hid itself that we could find it no more. 



Besides these I have mentioned, I doubt not but there 

 are div^i^, species of European and African serpents ; but 

 know little of them of certainty which we may confide in 

 but their names. Of the American serpents described by 

 Piso, Marcgrave, and Hernandez we have more assur- 

 ance, among which the Rattle-snake, whose exuviae are 

 common in museums, is most noted and best known. 



Since my last, viewing the Mosses growing about my 

 house, to see whether they were as yet come to the head, 

 I found some of them were ; of which I observed no less 

 than four sorts of such as Dr. Plukenet and Mr. Doody 

 call Musci trichoides, but herbarists generally Adiantha, 

 or Polt/tricha aurea, two with erect heads, and three with 

 reflex, besides one which was not come yet to the head ; so 

 that I have already discovered six species growing upon 

 my own house. 



Meeting yesterday with Mr. Dale, and examining him 

 about serpents, he confidently affirmed to me that he had 

 twice seen the Amphisbcena in this country, and named 

 the places : not that there is any serpent that hath two 

 heads, or a head at each end, but only that it hath a 

 faculty of going backward as well as forward; and the 

 tail is turrit, and somewhat resembles a head. I confess 

 I did formerly distrust the very being of an Amphisbana, 

 but considering that worms, and some Erucce, can and 

 do move nimbly backward and forward, I see no reason 

 but some serpents may do so too, and we have pretty 



