SERPENTES. 



fangs in a ferpent is their tubular ftrufture, which may al- 

 ways be ealily detefted by the afliftance of a proper magnifier. 

 It is to be obfervcd, th^t all ferpents, whether poifonous or 

 not, have, befides the teeth, whether fangs or fimple teeth, 

 in the fides of the upper jaw, two additional or interior 

 rows, which are generally much fmaller than the reft, and 

 frequently fcarcely vifible. The general rule, therefore, h, 

 that all venomous ferpents have only two rows of true or 

 proper teeth in the upper jaw, and that all others have 

 four. 



A head entirely covered with fniall fcales is, in fome de- 

 gree, a charafter, but by no means an univerfal one, of 

 poifonous ferpents ; as are alfo cariiiated fcales on the head 

 and body, or fuch as are furni(hed with a prominent middle 

 line. All ferpents call their Mns at certain periods : in the 

 temperate regions, annually ; in the warmer climates, per- 

 haps more frequently. The ferpents of the temperate and 

 cold climate alfo conceal themfelves, during winter, in 

 cavities beneath the furface of the ground, or in fome other 

 convenient places of retirement, and pafs the winter in a 

 ftate more or lefs approaching, m the different fpecies, to 

 complete torpidity. Some lerpents are viviparous, as the 

 rattle-fnake, the viper, and many other of the poifonous 

 kind ; while the common fnake, and probably the greater 

 part of the innoxious ferpents, are oviparous, depofiting, 

 as we have already obferved, their eggs, in a kind of ftring 

 or chain, in any warm and clofe fituation, where they are 

 afterwards hatched. The broad undivided lamiua:, or fcaly 

 plates, on the bellies of ferpent?, are termed fcuta ; and the 

 fmaller or divided plates, beneath the tail, are called fub- 

 caudal fcales ; and from thefe different kinds of laminx, 

 the Linnasan genera of ferpents are chiefly inflituted. In 

 the edition of the Syflema Naturx by Gmelin, feven genera 

 are enumerated and defcribed, viz. 



Acrochordus, Caecilia, 



Amphilbasna, Coluber, 



Anguis, Crotalus. 



Boa, 



Having, in our alphabetical arrangement, omitted a de- 

 fcription of fome of the above genera, and referred to the 

 fpecies of others which have not yet been given, we Ihall 

 take the opportunity which the order itfelf gives us, of 

 making up for the defefts that have efcaped our notice, be- 

 ginning with 



Acrochordus, of which the generic character is, that 

 it has tubercles covering the whole body. Gmelin gives 

 but a finale fpecies, viz. the javanicus ; but Dr. Shaw has 

 defcribed three 



Species. 



Javanicus ; or Warted Snake. Brown, beneath paler ; 

 the fides obfcurely variegated with whitifh. 



This, as its fpecific name denotes, inhabits Java, chiefly 

 among the pepper plantations ; it grows fometimes to the 

 length of feven or eight feet. The warts or prominences 

 appear, by a magnifying glafs, to be convex carinate fcales, 

 and the fmaller ones are furnifhed with two fmaller promi- 

 nences, one on each fide the larger. The head is fomewhat 

 flattened, hardly wider than the neck ; the body is gradu- 

 ally thicker towards the middle, and fuddenly contrafting 

 near the tail, which is Ihort and (lightly acuminate. 



This remarkable fnake, which gave rife to the inftitution 

 of the genus, was firit defcribed by Mr. Hornfted, in the 

 Swedifh Tranfaftions for the year 1787. It was found in 

 a large pepper-ground near Sangafan, in the year 1784, and 

 meafured eight feet in length. Its neck was fix inches thick, 

 that of the largeft part of the body ten inches, and that of 



the tail an inch and a half; the colour of the upper part of 

 the animal was blackifh, and of the undjr part whitifh ; the 

 fides are marked with duilcy fpots ; the head u truncated, 

 depreffej, and fcaly ; the jaws equal, the fuperior being 

 emargiiiatcd beneath, the i.iferior curved ; the eyes lateral, 

 on the fore part of the head, the iridcs livid ; tiie noftrils 

 circular, fmall, approximated, and fituated above the tip 

 of the fnout ; the body was entirely covered, as well as the 

 tail, with rough tri-carinated warts ; the vent is fmall, the 

 body very fuddenly tapering towards the tail. This animal 

 was fecured by a Chinefe, by means of a fplit bamboo palfed 

 over its neck, and thus carried to Batavia, where, on being 

 fkinned and opened, exclufive of a quantity of undigefted 

 fruit, were found completely formed five young, meafuring 

 nine inches each ; the ilefh of the animal was eaten by the 

 Chinefe, who affirmed that it was excellent food, and the 

 flvin being preferved in fpirits, was brought over to Europe 

 by Mr. Hornfted, and depofited in the mufeum of the king 

 of Sweden. 



Dumcs, or Brown Acrochordus, has a carinated abdo- 

 men, and its fides are fpotted with black. In its general 

 appearance and proportion, this very nearly refembles the 

 javanicus juif defcribed ; but the head of the dubius is co- 

 vered with very minute rough or warted fcales, differing in 

 fize alone from thofe on other parts of tlie animal. It is not 

 more than about three feet in length ; its colour is of an ob- 

 fcure brown, with fome ill-defined clouds and patches of a 

 darker colour, difperled along the fides and abdomen. The 

 fpecimen from which this defcription is taken, is in the 

 Britifh Mufeum ; but its native place is not afcertained. 



Fasciatus, or Fuliginous Acrochordus, called alfo the 

 Hydrus granulatus, has a carinated abdomen, with whitifh 

 afcendant lateral bands. This is fo much allied to the du- 

 bius, that it may be doubted whether it really differs in any 

 other refpeft than age, fize, and in the cafl of colours, mea- 

 furing about eighteen inches in length, and being of a dufky 

 brown colour, with feveral paler fafcix, which take their 

 rife from the abdomen, and afcend on the fides ; the abdo- 

 men is carinated as in the former. " This," fays Dr. Shaw, 

 " is certainly the Hydruii granulatus of Mr. Schneider, who, 

 in his work on the Amphibia, defcribes it as a water-fnake, 

 though, feemingly, without any other foundation than its 

 having a carinated abdomen ; its other charaders by no 

 means agreeing with thofe of the genuine Hydri." Its na- 

 tive place is not known. A fpecimen is preferved in the 

 Britifh Mufeum. 



Anguis, or Snake. This genus of ferpents was noticed in 

 its place, and the names of the fpecies enumerated, with the 

 intention of defcribing each fpecies in the alphabetical order : 

 after this the plan of the work was fomewhat altered, and 

 the fpecies will now be given with their appropriate defcrip- 

 tion. The generic charafter is, fcales on the belly and fcales 

 under the tail. 



Species. 



Stri.\tu.s. The fcales of the belly are 179 in number; 

 thofe of the tail feven ; the body is furrounded with tranf- 

 verfe lines. 



Meleagris. The fcales on the belly of this are 165; 

 thofe of the tail 32. It inhabits South America and fome 

 parts of India. It refembles the Lacerta bipes (fee Li- 

 zard) ; it is glaucous, with numerous longitudinal rows of 

 black dots. There are two varieties, one dotted, with 

 brown, and one charafterized by its long tail. 



CoLUBBiNUS. Scales of the belly 180; of the tail 18. 

 It inhabits Egypt : is varied with brown and pale ochre. 



MiLiAHis. Scales of the bellj 170; of the tail 32. 



Found 



