of North Carolina. 153 



The long Blaclc-siiahe is very common, and generally six 

 Feet in length, it frequents the Land altogether, and is the 

 nimblest Creature living, it has no manner of Venom in it's 

 bite, but the part sometimes swells and turns to a running 

 Sore. These Snakes are the best Mousers that can be, for 

 wherever they frequent, they destroy Lizards, Frogs, Rats, 

 and Mice, leaving not one of those Vermine alive. They are 

 very mischievous about Dairies and amongst Eggs, skimming 

 the Cream of the former, and swallowing the latter. They 

 will sometimes swallow all the Eggs from under the lien that 

 sits, and Quoil themselves under her in the Xcst, where they 

 are often found by the House-wife : They kill the Battle- 

 snake where-ever they find him, by twisting their Head about 

 his ]^eck, and so whip him to death with their Tails ; and 

 notwithstanding the Agility of this Snake, yet it is so brittle, 

 that w^hen it is pursued, and gets it's Head into the hole of a 

 Tree or Wall, if any one gets hold of it at the other end, it 

 will twist it self in pieces. One of these Snakes, whose Xeck 

 seems to be no thicker than a Woman's little Finger, will swal- 

 low a Squirrel or Rat, which I have taken out of their Bellies ; 

 so much does that part stretch in all those Creatures. It like- 

 wise feeds on small Insects and Flies, taking them betwixt 

 the forks of its Tongue. 



The Eel-snahe, though improperly so called, because it is 

 nothing but a kind of Leech that sucks and cannot bite, as 

 other Snakes do, but is very large, being commonly eighteen 

 or ninteen Inches long, and has all the Properties that other 

 Leeches have, and lives in Ponds as they do. There is like- 

 wise a Leech in this Province, of the same bigness of those 

 with us in Europe. 



Having given as large an Account as is yet known of the 

 Snakes in these Parts ; I will in the next Place proceed to 



U treat 



