234 THE SERPENT-STONE. [1697, 



sort of Hood upon his Head, much like that meiition'd by 

 Monsieur Tavernier. M. de la Case was so terribly frightened 

 at this Serpent, and dreaded so much to meet with another 

 of them, that he did not mind looking after the Stone they 

 say they have under their Hoods, which is an admirable 

 Antidote.^ There are another sort of Serpents, which are at 

 least fifty Foot long. They preserve at Batavia the Skin of 

 one that devour'd a young Girl, and which was not above 

 twenty foot long. 



Whilst I am upon this Article of Animals in Java, I shall 

 speak something concerning an extraordinary Ape, which I 

 my self have often seen on the Point of the Bastion call'd 

 Sa2')hire, where she had a little house. It was a Female, very 

 tall, and who walk'd upright on its hind-Legs. It conceal'd 

 the Parts that distinguishes the Sexes, by one of its Hands, 

 which was neither hairy without nor within. Its Face had 

 no other Hair upon it than the Eye-brows, and in general it 

 much resembled one of those Grotesque Faces which the 

 Female Hottentots have at the Caije. It made its Bed neatly 

 every Day, went into it, laid its Head upon a Pillow, and 

 cover'd its self with a Coverlet, after the manner practis'd 



1 " The Serpent-stone, which is about the Bigness of a Double, is 

 ahnost Oval, thick in the Middle and thin about the Sides ; the Indians 

 say 'tis bred in the Head of certain Serpents, but 'tis more probable, 

 'tis a Composition of certain Drugs, because they are to be had of the 

 Brambles only ; but however it be, it is of excellent Virtue to drive 

 away venom from such as are bitten by venomous beasts; for being 

 laid to the Wound, 'twill not come off till it has drawn out all the 

 Poison, and being steep'd in Women's or Cows' Milk like Corruption. 

 There is another Stone called the Serpent-Stone with the Hood, because 

 that kind of Serpent has a Hood hanging down behind the Head, in 

 which this Stone is found. It is many times as big as a Pullet's Egg, 

 but it is not found in any less than 2 foot long. . . . This Stone being 

 rubb'd against another Stone yields a Slime, which being drunk in 

 Water by the Person that is poison'd powerfully expels the Venom. 

 These Serpents are found only on the Coasts of Melinda, but the 

 Stones are bought of the Portuguese Mariners and Soldiers that come 

 from Mozambique." (Tavernier, Ilunis's Voyages, vol. ii, p. 375.) 



