SERPENTS. 113 



In vol. i., p. 67, Mr. Bennett remarks that no 

 Serpents are found on the Society Islands, though 

 water snakes are not uncommonly seen on their 

 coasts. On the margin of the page, there is an 

 annotation as follows : " There was no such Sneaks in 

 nay time." 



With all his prejudices against the "Rascelly 

 Iggerent Mishunnarys," with whose misdeeds the 

 book is plentifully sprinkled, his notes are really 

 valuable when he comes to his own practical experi- 

 ence ; and among them are many upon subjects of 

 natural history, which have the advantage of being 

 written by a man who merely relates his own obser- 

 vations, without having any theory to carry out. 



For example, in vol. ii., p. 74, Mr. Bennett makes 

 the following remarks on a species of water snake : 

 " While we were yet engaged in the strait, my tow- 

 net captured a Water Snake (Hydrtiphis bicolor). It 

 was two feet in length ; the upper surface of the body 

 uniformly black; the inferior of a bright-yellow colour; 

 the tail vandyked with black and white. It had the 

 ordinary form of a land snake, with the exception that 

 the belly was keel-shaped, and the tail compressed (to 

 facilitate swimming), and blunt at the extremity. 

 The teeth were similar to those of innocuous land 

 snakes. 



" It should be remembered that some sea snakes 

 have tubular, or poisonous, teeth mingled with the 

 true teeth. 



" It did not appear much inconvenienced by being 

 removed from its natural element; and when taken oh 

 board the ship, resembled the terrestrial snakes in its 



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