114 REPTILIAN WATER TRESPASSERS. 



mode of rearing the head, gazing fixedly, and rapidly 

 protruding and retracting a cloven tongue. It did 

 not appear, however, to possess any power of pro- 

 gressing on land ; since, when placed on the deck of 

 the ship, it made the lateral motions usual with land 

 snakes, but could not advance. Tt uttered no sound, 

 nor did it make any attempt to bite. On dissection 

 after death, I found several small fish in its stomach." 



This passage is annotated as follows : 



" Thees Sneaks are Numerous at the fegee Isslanes, 

 and bask in the Sun on the Rocks, the breed on 

 Shore/' 



This species is a very pretty one, being black 

 above, and light yellow beneath and on the sides, 

 whence it derives its name of "bicolor," or two- 

 coloured. It scarcely ever comes on shore, except for 

 the purpose of depositing its eggs, which it lays 

 tolerably near high-water mark, so that when the 

 young are hatched by the heat of the sun, they can 

 make their way into the sea with very little trouble. 

 It is, on the average, about three feet in length. 



Before examining the different species of water 

 snakes, we will glance at a few details of structure. 

 The first point is, as has already been noticed in all 

 water trespassers, the power of respiration. 



In the Serpent tribe, there is no necessity for 

 special structures for the use of the water snakes. 

 The lungs are most curiously formed. They are long, 

 nearly cylindrical sacs, looking, when inflated, very 

 much as if they were meant to receive sausage-meat. 

 If carefully injected, it is seen that only the upper 

 part is vascular ; so that nearly the whole of the lung 



