SERPENTS. 47 



One species is very common throughout Europe; Anguis fragilis, 

 L., Lacep. II, xix, 1, which has very smooth, sliining scales, silvery 

 yellow above and blackish beneath ; three black lines along the back, 

 which change by age into various series of points, and finally disap- 

 pear. Its tail is as long as the body, the whole animal being a foot 

 and some inches ; it feeds on lumbrici and insects, and produces its 

 young alive *. 

 These three genera still have an imperfect pelvis, a small sternum, a 



scapula, and clavicle, hidden under the skin. The absence of all these 



bony parts compels us to separate the subgenus I call 



AcoNTiAsf, Cuv. 



Which still resemble the preceding in the structure of the head, and in 

 the eye-lids, but in which there is neither sternum nor vestige of a shoulder 

 or pelvis. The anterior ribs unite with each other beneath the trunk, by 

 cartilaginous prolongations. I have only found one moderate sized lung, 

 and another that is very small. The teeth are small and conical, and I 

 think I have perceived them in the palate. These animals are easily re- 

 cognized by their muzzle, which is enclosed as in a sort of mask. 



The well-known species, Anguis meleagris, L., Seb. II, xxi, 1 J, 

 inhabits the Cape of Good Hope. It resembles the A. fragilis, but 

 its obtuse tail is much shorter; eight longitudinal rows of brown 

 spots decorate its back. The same country produces other species, 

 one of which is completely blind, the Ac. ccecus, Cuv. 



FAMILY II. 



SERPENTIA. 



The true Serpents, which are by far the most numerous, comprise the 

 genera without either sternum or the vestige of a shoulder, but the ribs 

 still surround a great part of the circumference of the trunk, and in 

 w'hich the body of each vertebra is still articulated by a convex surface to 

 a cavity in the succeeding one ; the third eye-lid and the tympanum are 



* The Anguis erix, L., is merely a young specimen of the fragilis, in which the 

 dorsal lines are still well marked; the A. cUvicus, of which Daudin makes an Erix, 

 no one knows why, is an old animal of the same species, with a truncated tail. It is 

 only quoted from Grouovius, who cites the Coluber of Gesner. This Coluher is an 

 o\A fragilis. 



f Acontias (javelin) the Greek name of a Serpent, which was believed to dart upon 

 the passenger, from Akontizo, jaculor. 



X Daudin has also made an Erix of the Angvis meleagris, but without any reason, 

 for its inferior scales are not larger than .the others. I have ascertained, by dissec- 

 tion, that this Serpent has no sternum, so that the supposition of M. Oppel to the 

 contrary is erroneous. 



