192 REPTILES. 



The Naja, or Spectacled Serpent^ is among the mofl: beautiful by his 

 colours, and the mofl fatal by his poifon. Far from fuppofina him 

 mxious, he may be viewed with pleafure and admiration. On the back 

 of his neck is placed a curved ftripe, which rifing in the middle/ and 

 turning up at the ends, has fome refcmblance to eyes, or to thofe- kind 

 of fpeftacles which are mounted on the nofe : in reality, however, the 

 eye^ and nofe of this ferpent are at his fnout. General colour yellow ; 

 a broad band of brown on the junction of the neck and body; whitifh 

 under the belly; the fpedtacles are a white ftripe, bordered by deep- 

 coloured ftripes. The upper part of his head has nine large fcales, dif- 

 pofed in four rows ; two in the firft, two in the fecond, three in the third, 

 and two in the fourth ; yet this ferpent is an exception to a rule given, 

 and^among the nrfoft venomous. Eyes lively and fiery; fcales oval, fiat, and 

 lengthened ; attached to the fkin only at one part, and capable of con- 

 fiderable eredion ; are not fo clofe as to touch each other on the inflated 

 part of the neck, but form rows, and fliewthe fkin between them. Thefe 

 fcales in the fun-fliine glitter like burnilhed gold. The inflation of the 

 neck is formed by the ribs, which here are longer than elfewhere, and 

 are covered by a loofe membrane, which the ferpent can dilate at will : 

 this he does efpecially when angry; at which time he is ere£b, and holds 

 hs head horizontally: this has the appearance of a hood, or coronet; 

 whence he has been called the hooded Jerpent. The female has this ex- 

 tenfion, but not the fpeftacles. Generally three or four feet long, or 

 more, fome feven or eight. Ferocious and fatal ; his poifon produces 

 convulfions or gangrene, which are fpeedy death. 



Greatly feared by the Indians ; yet their mountebanks educate him to 

 dance, and as a fhow : going from city to city, and pretending to be 

 preftrved by virtue of a certain root. They take their ferpent out of 

 the vafe in which he is kept; then prefenting a ftick, or often the fift 

 only, he raifes himfelf on his tail, fwelling his hoody opening his chaps, 

 and thrufting our bis forked tongue, hifllng ; his eyes fparkling, and his 

 adljons lively ; he begins a kind of combat againft his matter, who pre- 

 fenting his fill now to the right, now to the left, produces correfponding 

 motions in the ferpent; and to this he gives the idea of a dance, by fing- 

 ing and moving himfelf. The Naja endures this exercife for feveral 

 minutes ; but when his maflier perceives that his anger becomes ferious, 

 he withdraws his hand, ccafes to fing, the ferpent lies down, and the 

 Ihow is over. The ferpent is brought to this by having been long ac- 

 cuftomed to fimilar provocation ; and, when ftriking at the fift, his vafe is 



prefcntcd 



