730 



A HISTORY OP 



arc much fonder of the water than others ; 

 and, though destitute of fins or gills, remain at 

 the bottom, or swim along the surface with 

 great case. From their internal structure, 

 just sketched above, we see how well adapted 

 they are for either element ; and how capable 

 their blood is of circulating at the bottom, as 

 freely as in the frog or the tortoise. They 

 can, however, endure to live in fresh water 

 only : for salt is an effectual bane to the whole 

 tribe. The greatest serpents are most usually 

 found in fresh-water, either choosing it as 

 their favourite element, or finding their prey 

 in such places in the greatest abundance. 

 But that all will live and swim in liquids, ap- 

 pears from the experiment of Rhedi ; who put 

 a serpent into a large glass vessel of wine, 

 where it lived swimming about six hours ; 

 though, when it was by force immersed and 

 kept under that liquid, it lived only one hour 

 and a half. He put another in common 

 water, where it lived three days ; but when it 

 was kept under water, it lived only about 

 twelve hours." Their motion there, however, 

 is perfectly the reverse of what it is upon land ; 

 for, in order to support themselves upon an 

 clement lighter than their bodies, they are 

 obliged to increase their surface in a very 

 artificial manner. On earth their windings 

 are perpendicular to the surface ; in water 

 they are parallel to it : in other words, if I 

 should wave my hand up and down, it will 

 give an idea of the animal's progress on land; 

 if I should wave it to the right and left, it 

 will give some idea of its progress on the 

 water. 



Some serpents have a most horrible faetor 

 attending them, which is alone capable of 

 intimidating the brave. This proceeds from 

 two glands near the vent, like those in the 

 weael or polecat ; and, like those animals, in 

 proportion as they are excited by rage or by 

 fear, the scent grows stronger. It would seem, t 

 however, that such serpents as are most ve- 

 nomous, are least offensive in this particular ; i 

 since the rattle -snake and the viper have no 

 smell whatever : nay, we are told that at Ca- 

 licut and Cranganon, in the East Indies, there 

 are some very noxious serpents, who are so 

 far from being disagreeable, that their excre- 

 ments are sought after, and kept as the most 



Rhedi, Exper. p. 170. 



pleasing perfume. The Esculapian Serpent is 

 also of this number. , 



Some serpents bring forth their young alive, 

 as the viper ; some bring forth eggs, which 

 are hatched by the heat of their situation ; as 

 the common black snake, and the majority of 

 the serpent tribe. When a reader, ignorant of 

 anatomy, is told, that some of those animals 

 produce their young alive, and that some pro- 

 duce eggs only, he is apt to suppose a very 

 great difference in the internal conformation, 

 which makes such a variety in the manner of 

 bringing forth. But this is not the case : these 

 animals are internally alike, in whatever man- 

 ner they produce their young ; and the variety 

 in their bringing forth, is rather a slight than 

 a real discrimination. The only difference is, 

 that the viper hatches her eggs, and brings 

 them to maturity within her body ; the snake 

 is more premature in her productions, and 

 sends her eggs into the light some time before 

 the young ones are capable of leaving the shell. 

 Thus, if either are opened, the eggs will be 

 found in the womb, covered with their mem- 

 branous shell, and adhering to each other like 

 large beads on a string. In the eggs of both, 

 young ones will be found, though at different 

 stages of maturity : those of the viper will 

 crawl and bite the moment the shell that en- 

 closes them is broke open ; those of the snake 

 are not yet arrived at their perfect form. 



Father Labat took a serpent of the viper 

 kind, that was nine feet long, and ordered it 

 to be opened in his presence. He then saw 

 the manner in which the eggs of these animals 

 lie in the womb. In this creature there were 

 six eggs, each of the size of a goose egg, but 

 longer, more pointed, and covered with a 

 membranous skin, by which also they were 

 united to each other. Each of these eggs con- 

 tained, from thirteen to fifteen young ones, 

 about six inches long, and as thick as a goose- 

 quill. Though the female from whence they 

 were taken was spotted, the young seemed to 

 have a variety of colours very different from 

 the parent ; and this led the traveller to sup- 

 pose that the colour was no characteristic 

 mark among serpents. These little mischiev- 

 ous animals were no sooner let loose from the 

 shell, than they crept about, and put them- 

 selves into a threatening posture, coiling them- 

 selves up, and biting the stick with which he 

 was destroying them. In this manner he kill- 



