THE SERPENT KIND. 



729 



petite and its activity. But should any ac- 

 cident prevent it from issuing once more from 

 its cell, it still can continue to bear famine 

 for weeks, months, nay, for years together. 

 Vipers are often kept in boxes for six or eight 

 months, without any food whatever; and there 

 are little serpents sometimes sent over to 

 Europe from Grand Cairo, the name of which 

 I have not been able to learn, that live for 

 several years in glasses, and never eat at all, 

 nor even stain the glass with their excrements. 

 Thus the serpent tribe unite in themselves 

 two very opposite qualities; wonderful ab- 

 stinence, and yet incredible rapacity. 



If, leaving the consideration of their appe- 

 tites, we corne to compare serpents as to their 

 voices, some are found silent, some have a 

 peculiar cry; but hissing is the sound which 

 they most commonly send forth, either as a 

 call to their kind, or as a threat to their ene- 

 mies. In the countries where they abound ; 

 they are generally silent in the middle of the 

 day, when they are obliged to retire from the 

 heat of the climate ; but as the cool of the 

 evening approaches, they are then heard is- 

 suing from their cells, with continued hissings; 

 and such is the variety of their notes, that 

 some have assured me they very much re- 

 semble the music of an English grove. This 

 some will hardly credk at any rate, such 

 notes, how over pleasing, can give but very 

 little delight, when we call to mind the ma- 

 lignity of the minstrel. If considered, indeed, 

 as they answer the animal's own occasions, 

 they will be found well adapted to its nature, 

 and fully answering the purposes of terrifying 

 such as would venture to offend it. 



With respect to motion, some serpents, par- 

 ticularly those of the viper kind, move slowly ; 

 while others, such as the Ammodytes, dart 

 with amazing swiftness. The motion in all 

 is similar; but the strength of body in some 

 gives a yery different appearance. The viper, 

 that is but a slow feeble-bodied: animal, makes 

 way in a heavy undulating manner; ad- 

 vancing its head, then drawing up its tail be- 

 hind, and beading the body into a bow; then 

 from the spot where the head and tail were 

 united, advancing the head forward as before. 

 This, which is the motion of all serpents, is 

 very different from that of the earth-worm 

 or the naked snail. The serpent, as was said 



above, has a back-bone with numerous joints, 

 and this bone the animal has a pow er of bend- 

 ing in every direction, but without being able 

 to shorten or lengthen it at pleasure. The 

 earth-worm, on the other hand, has no back- 

 bone ; but its body is composed of rings, v Inch, 

 like a barber's puff, it can lengthen or shorten 

 as it finds necessary. The earth-worm, there- 

 fore, in order to move forward, lengthens the 

 body ; then, by the fore part clings to the 

 ground, where it has reached, and then con- 

 tracts and brings up its rear: then when the 

 body is thus shortened, the fore part is length- 

 ened again for another progression; and so 

 on. The serpent, instead of shortening the 

 body, bends it into an arch; and this is the 

 principal difference between serpentine and 

 vermicular progression. 



I have instanced this motion in the viper, 

 as most easily discerned ; but there are many 

 serpents that dart with such amazing swiftness, 

 that they appear rather to leap than crawl. 

 It is most probable, however, that no serpent 

 can dart upon even ground farther than its 

 own length at one effort. Our fears, indeed, 

 may increase the force of their speed, which 

 is sometimes found so fatal. We are told by 

 some, that they will dart to a very great dis- 

 tance; but this my inquiries have never been 

 able to ascertain. The manner of progression 

 in the swiftest serpent we know, which is the 

 jaculus, is by instantly coiling itself upoirits 

 tail, and darting from thence to its full extent; 

 then carrying the tail as quick as lightning to 

 the head, coiling and darting again ; and by 

 this means proceeding with extreme rapidity, 

 without ever quilting the ground. Indeed, 

 if we consider the length and the weakness 

 of the back-bone in all these animals; if we 

 regard the make of their vertebra, in which 

 we shall find the junctures all formed to give 

 play, and none to give power; we cannot be of 

 opinion that they have a faculty of springing 

 from the ground, as they entirely want a ful- 

 crum, if I may so express it, from whence to 

 take their spring ; the whole body being com- 

 posed of unsupported muscles and joints that 

 are yielding. It must be confessed, that they 

 dart down from trees upon their prey; but 

 their weight alone is sufficient for that pur- 

 pose, without much effort of their own* 

 Though all serpents are amphibious, some 



