OF SERPENTS. 217 



some will hardly credit at any rate, such notes, however 

 pleasing, can give but very little delight, when we call to 

 mind the malignity 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. 



Though all serpents are amphibious, some are 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 ease. 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 favor- 

 ite 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 elpmeiit lighter than their bodies, they are obliged 

 10 increase their surface in a very artificial manner. On 

 earth their windings are perpendicular to the surface ; in wa- 

 ter they are parallel to it. 



The last distinction that we shall mention, but the most 

 material among serpents, is, that some are venomous, and 

 some inoffensive. If we consider the poison of serpents as it 

 relates to man, there is no doubt but that it is a scourge and 

 an affliction. The various calamities that the poison of se'r- 

 })ents is capable of producing, are not only inflicted by the 

 animal itself, but by men, more mischievous than even ser- 



