112 



character: calyx six-petaled, spreading star-like 

 regular ; stamens inserted in the bottom of the 

 petals ; anthers burst at the back ; styles three ; 

 capsule three-celled, three-valved ; seeds numerous, 

 roundish. 



ANGUILLID^E. Eel-shaped fishes, which are 

 arranged into the following divisions, or genera 

 Anguilla, Apkitnont, Murcenaphis, Sphagobranchus, 

 Monapterut, Unibranch-apterus, Alabes, Aschioqua 

 thus, Gymnotvj;, Gyannarchus, Aphidium, and Ammo- 

 dytcs, which see. 



ANGUIS (snake). A genus of Ophidian reptiles, or 

 " serpents," but differing in much of their structure and 

 most of their characters from the true serpents ; so 

 much as to form a sort of link between them and the 

 most simple of the saurian reptiles, or reptiles with 

 produced tails and feet. 



The animals which are included in the genus An- 

 guif, are among the most harmless, inoffensive, gentle, 

 and retiring on the face of the earth ; more so than 

 almost any of those which the most refined and ami- 

 able of the human race cherish with the fondest affec- 

 tion, and caress to the display of an excessive and 

 not (infrequently ludicrous degree of affection. To 

 such, the gentle snakes are objects of aversion and 

 horror, and they seem to have a " Cain's mark " set 

 on them ; for, even where the parties would be a little 

 squeamish in the case of other creatures really noxi- 

 ous, " whcso findeth ' the poor snakes,' slays them," 

 without mercy, and even with exultation. 



This is one of those evils which can be removed 

 only by a more general diffusion of the knowledge of 

 natural history ; and leaving the gratuitous murder 

 of the poor snakes, and the mischief done by the 

 prey which it is their province in nature to keep 

 within due bounds, out of the question, the evil is 

 really a serious one ; and many a human being has 

 suffered more mental agony at the sight of a little 

 creature which could not have killed a kitten, than 

 if about to be pierced by the fangs of the bushmaster, 

 or crushed in the folds of the boa constrictor. All 

 this, too, has been again and again suffered, simply 

 because the snake has, in so far, the form of a serpent, 

 and because there is a prejudice against the whole 

 race. 



Thus it is very important to understand the nature 

 of the snake_; and the more so, that it is common in 

 many parts of Britain, and apt to be mistaken for the 

 poisonous viper, which is not so common, and the 

 venom of which is rendered far more virulent than it 

 otherwise would be, by the fears of the parties that 

 happen to get bit : for even the viper never bites 

 man, or any large animal, if it can help it. 



There are several species, or rather genera, of 

 harmless snakes, that is, of snakes with neither crush 

 nor poison, varying from the common blind worm of 

 Britain (Angids fragilis) to the Acontlas of warmer 

 climates ; but they arc all equally harmless. 



The external characters are, the scales on the 

 back and belly alike in size, whereas the true serpents 

 have those on the belly larger and free at their pos- 

 terior edges. Their large scales, or scuta; (shields), 

 are, in fact, the substitutes for feet in the true serpents. 

 [See OPHIDIA]. The upper jaw-bones are articulated 

 immediately to the skull and the intermaxillary bones, 

 so that on opening the mouth, the animals cannot 

 raise the upper jaw ; and the lower jaw is so articu- 

 lated to the ossa quadrata, that they can depress it 



ANGUILLID^S ANGUIS. 



narrow, and does not extend far backward. Their 

 eves are very small, and furnished with a third eye- 

 lid. Their motion is not the motion of a serpent, 

 but that which we might imagine to be resorted to 

 by an animal with a flexible backbone, if deprived of 

 its feet. They advance by steps which consist of al- 

 ternate straightenings and archings, the forepart of the 

 body being advanced during the first, and the hind 

 part brought up during the second. Their move- 

 ment is thus a sort of gallop ; but it is a singular one, 

 being made without external legs. 



The internal structure corresponds : there are 

 shoulder bones and clavicles under the skin ; and the 

 rudiments of a breast bone, and the bones of a pelvis 

 resembling that to which the posterior extremities 

 of footed animals arc articulated. These characters 

 are most distinct in the blind worm ; they gradually 

 become less and less so in the others, and are almost 

 entirely obliterated in the acontias, which have some 

 resemblance to the more harmless of the true ser- 

 pents, the first of which is the amphisbaeua, which is 

 as gentle a creature as the acontias ; but even the 

 amphisbagna has no vestige of shoulder bones, ster- 

 num, or pelvis, and no third eye-lid ; but, like the 

 true snakes, it can move both ways, which the ser- 

 pents cannot do. 



When the blind worm moves fust, its muscles arc 

 in so rigid action, that it may be broken in pieces by 

 a slight tap with a small switch. It is for this reason 

 that it is called/ragi/w, " easily broken." The others 

 are less and less fragile as they depart from it in 

 structure ; but none of them can bear a severe blow, 

 especially if hit when in the form of a bow. 



In Britain, the blind worm is butsmall of size, seldom 

 more than a foot in length, and never more than 

 eighteen inches. The upper part is greyish, with 

 two brown stripes down the back, and one on each 

 side, from the eye backwards. The head is small, 

 the neck slender, the body rather thicker, and con- 

 tinuing nearly the same to the tail, the tip of which 

 is blunt. There are four rows of scales on the head ; 

 first one, then two, three, and four, in succession. It 

 las small recurved teeth in each jaw. The scales 

 on the neck are very small and imbricated. It lives 

 in holes in woods, among heaps of rubbish ; feeds 

 upon very small animals ; lies dormant in the winter. 

 It is ovo-viviparous, or hatches its eggs internally. 



The above described is the only species of the genus 

 Anguis found in Britain. The other harmless species, 

 which is more common, and grows to a larger size, is 

 the " ringed snake," natrlx torquata. The latter 

 consists of a yellow spot and a black one on each side 

 of the neck. The colour above is brown, with two 

 rows of black spots, and irregular bands of the same 

 across ; and the under part dusky, with a black tinge. 

 The head is flattened, the muzzle round ; four rows 

 of scales on the head, first two, then two, three, and 

 two again toward the neck. It is oviparous. It fre- 

 quents marshy places, and feeds on insects, frogs, and 

 mice. It is mild and gentle in its disposition, and 

 easily tamed. The viper, the only poisonous one in 

 Britain, is rather smaller, and found in dry heathy 

 places. Its head is broad behind, and has large 

 scales on the edges of.the jaws. It is black between 

 the eyes, and has two black spots on the crown. 

 There are three rows of spots on the body, one down 

 the back of four-cornered ones, and one down each 

 side of three-cornered. The ground colours of the 



only a little way ; their gape is in consequence very body are apt to vary ; but they are generally ycl- 



