VEGETABLE POISONS. 159 



wisely and humanely ordered it otherwise. For 

 we find that this mode of defence is not only 

 confined to two species, serpents and insects, 

 both of which fly at the approach of man, and 

 only attack when escape becomes impracticable; 

 but that out of two hundred and thirty species of 

 serpents, not forty have been found to possess 

 poisonous fangs, and that of the bites of these, 

 not twelve are fatal. While that of the insect 

 tribe, the proportion of innocuous, to those which 

 are offensive, is still much greater. 



Of the venomous serpents, the rattle snake of 

 America, and the cobra de capella of India are 

 the most formidable out of Europe ; while the 

 viper, which, compared with the former, is of 

 little import, is the only European serpent which 

 bears a venomous character ; and the latter ani- 

 mal is annually so diminishing in numbers, that 

 its complete extinction may be calculated on at 

 no very distant period. Climate, we know, has 

 a great influence in the production and increase 

 of reptiles of every kind, as well as in imparting 

 activity to the poison peculiar to venomous ani- 

 mals; and from this circumstance, we can readily 

 comprehend, why the most formidable animals 

 are to be met with in the warmest latitudes. 

 But it is well understood, if any credit can be 

 given to historians, that ancient Europe was 

 infested with serpents, both in number and cha- 

 racter, of which we hear nothing at the present 



