SERPENTES. 



Found near the Cafpian fea : it is 14. inches long, and is 

 about as thick as one's finger ; black, with numerous pale 

 fcales or dots on the fides, and grey ones on -he back ; the 

 head is grey, fprinkled with black ; the tail is two inches 

 long, much thinner than the body, cylindrical, obtufe, va- 

 ried with white. 



Jaculus. The fcales of the belly of this fpecies are 

 1 86, thofe of the tail 23 : it inhabits Egypt. 



Maculatus. There are on this 200 abdominal fcales ; 

 12 fubcaudal ones. It inhabits America ; above it is yellow, 

 with a brown dorfal ftript- and linear bands. A variety 

 i« decuflate with red bands dotted with black. It inhabits 

 Afia. 



Reticulata. Scales on the belly 177 ; of the tail 37. 

 This is an American fnake. The fcales are brown with a 

 white difk. 



Cerastes. Abdominal fcales 200 ; fubcaudal 15. It 

 is found in Egypt. 



Nasutus. On the belly of this are 218 fcales ; on the 

 tail 22. It is about a foot long ; the colour is of a grecnifti- 

 black ; beneath, at the fides, on the tip of the head, a broad 

 band on the tail, and dots on the tip, all yellow. The fnout 

 is prominent ; it has no teeth ; the eyes are on the top of 

 the head, not lateral ; the trunk is funound d with 20 rows 

 of hexagonal fcales ; the tail not quite half an inch long, 

 with minute fcales, and obtufe, rigid at the tip. 



LuMBKlCALls. In this the fcales of the belly are 230 ; 

 thofe of the tail feven ; it inhabits America. In colour it 

 is whitilh, inclining to yellow. 



Laticauda. The abdominal fcales are 200 ; the fub- 

 caudal 50. This if, found at Surinam ; the tail is compreiled, 

 Iharp, pale, with brown bands. 



ScvTALE. Scalcsof the belly 240; of the tail 13. As Dr. 

 Shaw calls all the fpecies of this genus by the Englifh name 

 flow-worm, fo he denominates this the painted flow-worm, 

 from its fingular beauty ; its general length is from eiirhteen 

 inches to two feet, and its diameter in proportion ; the ground 

 colour is a rich yellowifh-ferruginous or orange, on which 

 are difpofcd throughout the whole length of the animal, nu- 

 merous, moderately broad, equidiltant, jet-black tranfverfe 

 bands, not continued entirely round the body, but alternat- 

 ing with each <<tlier, and terminating in rounded extremities ; 

 the fcales on the nitermediate parts are generally tipped with 

 brown, exhibiting more or lefs of a fpeckled appearance on 

 the fkin. When this animal has been preferved a confiderable 

 length ot time in fpirits, many of its fine colours fade into 

 white, in confequence of which, the fpecimens ufually feen 

 in mufeum?, appear variegated only with black and white ; 

 the head is finall, and the tail is very (hort, beinf not more 

 than the twentieth of the whole length, and terminating 

 obtufely. This fpecies is a native of South America, and 

 fome of tlie Well Indian illands. 



•Ekvx; Aberdeen Snake. The fcales on this fpecies 

 of the belly are 126; thofe on the t^il 136. It inhabits 

 America and England. Above it is cinereous, with black 

 lines the whole length, beneath it is lead-colour, with white 

 fpots. It has been thouglit to be only a variety of the next 

 fpecies. 



* Fhaoilis ; Blind Worm. Scales of the belly 13J, 

 and the fame number on the tail. This fpecies is found in 

 almoft all parts of Europe, in ourown iflands, and in Siberia, 

 in fimilar fituations witli the common Inake. It is a per- 

 feftly innoxious animal, living on worms and infefts ; its 

 ufual length is from ten to twelve inches, and fometimes even 

 more ; its colour is pale rufous-brown above, with three 

 narrow longitudinal dorfal ftreaks of a darker caft ; and be- 

 neath a deep lead-colour. The head is rather fmall, and 



covered in front with large fcales, as in moft other innoxious 

 ferpents ; the eyes are very fmall ; the tail meafures more 

 than half the length of the animal, and terminates rather 

 fuddenly in a flightly acuminated tip. It is a viviparous ani- 

 mal, and fometimes produces a very numerous offspring ; 

 like other ferpents, it varies in the intenfity of its eolours 

 at different periods, and the young are commonly of a deeper 

 caft than the parent ; the general motions of this animal are 

 rather flow than otherwife, except when endeavouring to 

 efcape, and the young feem to move more (lowly than thofe 

 that are full-grown. Slow-worms can, however, exert a con- 

 fiderable degree of fwiftnefs, and can readily penetrate the 

 loofe loil, in order to conceal themfelves from purfuit; they 

 are often found in confiderable numbers, during the winter 

 feafon, at fome depth beneath the furface, retiring on the 

 approach of winter, and lying in a flate of torpidity, and 

 again emerging from their concealments on the approach of 

 fpring, when they call their Jlcin and recover their former 

 livelinefs. It has been obferved by fome naturaliils, that 

 if the individuals of this fpecies, and of fome others likewife, 

 be ftrvick with any degree of violence, the body not only 

 breaks abruptly on the flruck part, but even frequently 

 at different parts ; the flcin is remarkably Itrong, and the 

 animal, when handled or irritated, has a mode of ftifFen- 

 iiig itfelf by ilrctchingto its ntmofl: length, in which Itate, if 

 any part of the flcin be injured, the feparation foon take* 

 place in confequence of this rigidity. The fragments will 

 live a long time after their feparation. 



Ventualis. Abdominal fcales 127 ; fubcaudal 223. 

 This is an inhabitant of South Carolina. The body is of 

 an afhy-green, flriate : lateral band black ; belly fhort, 

 and appearing as if annexed by a hollow future ; the tail is 

 verticillate, three times as long as the body. A fmall blow 

 will caufe the animal to break into feveral pieces, the mufcles 

 being articulated quite through the vertcbrx. 



Platurus. Tail cpmpreffed, obtufe. It is a native 

 of the fhores of Pine ifland, in the Pacific ocean. The 

 body is a foot and a half long ; above it is black, and be- 

 neath it is white ; the fcales are minute, fub-tnbicular, 

 not imbricate ; head oblong ; it is toothlefs, fmoothifh ; 

 the back is fubcarinate ; the tail is variegated with black 

 and white. 



LiNEATUs. Blackifh, but on the upper part it is white : 

 a curved line runs down the whole body. 



Clivicus. Cinereous-brown ; the plate of the front is 

 larger and heart-fhaped. It is found in fome parts of Ger- 

 many. 



Annulati's. White, with ftraight brown bands meet- 

 ing beneath, tail tapering, beneath witli a double row of im- 

 bricate fcales. 



ScuTATUs. This is a very flender fpecies ; waved with 

 white and black bands ; pl.ites of the head broad ; tail 

 iTiarpifh. This is found at Surinam. The belly and tail be- 

 neath with tranfverfe broad fcales, like the boa. Gmclin 

 thinks it docs not belong to this fpecies. 



CoiiALLiNUS. This IS named by Shaw the pale-red flow- 

 worm, withblood-red variegations, and by Scbait is called the 

 red Brafilian ferpent, fo named probably from its colour, it 

 being red with paler bands ; the fcales arc tipped with black. 

 This is a very elegant fpecies ; it is about a foot and a half 

 long, the tliicknefs is very confiderable ; the ground-colour 

 is of a pale-red, with very broad, alternating fafeix, and 

 variegations of a deep coral red ; the fcales are moderately 

 large, and of a rounded form, and the head and tail are re- 

 markably obtufe. This highly beautiful animal is a native 

 of the warmer parts of South America, wliere it is faid to 

 be found in woods, and to derive its iuflcnance from the 

 II larger 



