202 May 1749; 



fcriptions, I was not able to guefs what 

 plants they meant. By going away fo early 

 as the beginning of April, I would have 

 remained in uncertainty in regard to thefe 

 things. It was therefore fit, that I mould 

 fpend a part of the fpring at Raccoon, efpe- 

 cially as I had Hill time enough left for my 

 tcur to the North. 



On the road we faw a Black Snake, 

 which we killed, and found jufl five foot 

 Jong. Cafe/by has defcribed it and its quali- 

 ties, and alio drawn it *. The full-grown 

 Black Snakes are commonly about five feet 

 l©ng, but very {lender ; the thickeft I ever 

 faw was in the broadeff. part hardly three 

 inches thick ; the back is black, mining, 

 and fmooth ; the chin white and fmooth ; 

 the belly whitifh turning into blue, mining, 

 and very fmooth ; I believe there are fome 

 varieties of this fnake. One which was 

 nineteen inches long, had a hundred and 

 eighty-fix fcales en the belly, (Scuta Ab- 

 dominalia) and ninety- two half fcales on the 

 tail f Squama? fubcaudaks), which I found 

 to be true, by a repeated counting of the 

 fcales. Another, which was fevent'een 

 inches and a half in length, had a hundred 

 and eighty-four fcales on the belly, and 

 only fixty-lbur half fcales on the tail j this 



I HI e- 



* Anguis n'gtr. Sec Cate/hy's Nat. Hift. of Carol, ij. 

 t.48. 



