THE B L I N D W O R M. 20t 



Itngtb : five or fix feet long : he hangs on' branches of trees that are 

 fufpended over ftrearns, and dartsd own on fifh that are pafiing : purfues 

 and feiz^s them in the water, and brings thenn to land to devour i fome- 

 times falls in the fame manner on men. 



THE BLIND WORM* 



THE Blind Worm is a harmlefs reptile, with a formidable appear- 

 ance. Has nine large fcales on his head ; firft one, then two; a 

 third and fourth row, three each : his fcales are very fmall : his tail is lon- 

 ger than his body : the bones of his under jaw are not feparated, as in moft 

 ferpents. The ufual length of this fpecies is eleven inches, but in fome 

 countries three ieet^ The eyes are red ; the head fmall j the neck (lender ; 

 from that part the body grows fuddenly, and continues equal, to the 

 tail, which ends quite blunt: the colour of the back is cinereous, 

 marked with very fmall lines, compofed of minute black fpecks ; the 

 fides are of a reddilh caft ; the belly dufky, and marked like the back. 

 The motion of this ferpent is flow: from which, and from the fmallnefs 

 of the eyes, are derived its names; fome calling it the Slow, and fomc 

 the Blind Worm. Like all the reft of the kindj in our climates, they lie 

 torpid during winters and are fometimes found, in vaft numbers, twifted 

 together. The mod remarkable property of this ferpent is, that when ir- 

 ritated it becomes as ftifF as a board j and, if fmartly ftruck in this ftate, 

 is eafily broken ; its mufcles being compofed of fibres that readily fepa- 

 rate. Hence it is called by fome the Gla/s Snake, and by Linn^us Anguis 

 fragiiis. 



THE AMPHISBENiS 



AR E eafily diftinguilhed from all other ferpents, as they have, pro- 

 perly fpeaking, no fcales, but rings round their bodies : their upper 

 and under fides are lb finiilar, that, were their head and vent hidden, 



their 



