ORDER OPHIDIA. 365 



centre to the periphery. Generous wine, mingled with 

 theriaca, is very useful for this purpose. 



The ancient chemists having supposed in vipers the exist 

 ence of an active and penetrating salt, and an exciting oil, ■ 

 recommended these animals, and various preparations of 

 them, against leprosy, elephantiasis, itch, tetters, scrofula, 

 and malignant and pestilential fevers, because they accelerated 

 the circulation of the blood, and were a solvent for lympha- 

 tic concretions. But these notions are now almost universally 

 exploded. 



The CherscBa {Swedish vipe?', Shaw) is common in the 

 environs of Upsal, in Sweden : also in Smaland, Scania, and 

 Pomerania, where it retires into thickets, under hedges, and 

 to the foot of tufted trees. It is sometimes seen in Prussia, 

 Poland, Denmark, and in the Pyrenees. 



In Sweden it is known under the name of oesping, which 

 seems evidently a corruption of aspic, and it has been some- 

 times called the red viper. It is erroneously located by 

 Linnaeus, Wolf, and Laurenti, in the genus coluber. Its 

 resemblance to the common viper is very striking. 



The chersffia of Sweden is a small reptile, about six inches 

 long, and as thick as one's little finger. That of Switzer- 

 land and France differs from it much both in size and number 

 of plates. Herpetologists, however, admit the identity of 

 these animals, and make but one species of them. 



Be this as it may, the Swedish viper is a reptile of the 

 most dangerous kind. Its bite is often mortal, and its dele- 

 terious effects are manifested with greater rapidity than those 

 which follow from the bite of the common viper. Acrell 

 tells us that Linnaeus beheld a woman perish in consequence 

 of it, and this in spite of all the assistance which he could 

 afford her. We are also told by the latter, that many of the 

 inhabitants of Smaland are destroyed in this kind of way. 



The accidents which follow the bite of the oesping are. 



