SERPENTES. 



larger infL-fts, as Icolopendrx, &c.; in colour it fomctimes 

 varies, a mixture of black in different proportions being 

 blended with the red on the fides, and the bands are alfo 

 more numerous in fome fpeciniens than in others. 



Ater. Tiiis, as its name denotes, is black, with white 

 bands ; fcales tipt with black. This is nearly allied in ge- 

 neral appearance to the coraUinus, but diffL-ring in colour ; 

 being white with black bands ; the abdominal fcales sre di- 

 lated according to Seba's figure, on the authority of which, 

 a beautiful engraving of it is given by Shaw. It is a native 

 of South America. 



RuFUS. Tawny, with tranfverfe but interrupted white 

 lines ; beneath it is variegated. This is found at Surinam. 



Hepatic us. Line on the top of the back, and a waved 

 line on each fide, of liver-colour, the fpaces between paler, 

 with roundilh whitifh fpots. It inhabits Surinam. 



Te.ssei.latus. This fpecies is of a faffron colour, with 

 numerous bands, and three ftripes : the head is white, and 

 fpotted with brown. It inhabits Paraguay. 



Albus. The individuals of this fpecies are entirely 

 white ; tapering towards each end. 



Boa, another genus of the ferpent race, has been gene- 

 rally defcribed in the alphabetical arrangement, with refer- 

 ences to the fpecies, which having been neglefted in their 

 places, muft be noticed now. (See BoA.) The genus, ac- 

 cording to Gmelin, includes ten fpecies, but Shaw mentions 

 others ; we (hall firft mention thofe given by Gmelin. 



Species. 



CoNTORTRiX ; Hog-nofed Boa. The plates of the 

 belly are 150 in number, and thofe on the tail 40. It 

 inhabits Carolina ; it is broad, and its back is convex ; 

 it is cinereous, with lateral round fpots ; it has a poi- 

 fonous bag, but no fangs ; the tail is about half the length 

 of the body. 



Canina. This fpecies has 203 plates on the belly, and 

 77 on the tail. It inhabits America. By Shaw it is named 

 the Green Boa, with tranfverle, undulated, white dorfal 

 bands. It is a highly beautiful fnake, meafuring, when 

 fuU-grown, about four feet in length, and of a proportionable 

 thicknefs ; the head is large, and (haped like that of a dog ; 

 the colour of the whole animal on the upper parts is a mod 

 beautiful Saxon green, with feveral (hort, undulating, tranf- 

 verfe white bars down the back, the edges of which are of a 

 deeper or Itronger green than the ground-colour of the 

 body ; the under or abdominal part is white. There is a 

 fpecimen of this fpecies in the Britiih Mufeum. 



A variety of this fpecies is defcribed by Seba; the ground- 

 colour is of a bright orange, the dorfal bands are of a pale 

 yellow, edged with red, and the abdomen is of a pale yellow. 

 It is a native of the Eaft Indies, differing merely in colour 

 from the former. 



HiPNALE. The plates on the belly arc 1 79 : thofo on the 

 tail 120. It is found at Siam, and is of ayellowifh colour, 

 with white ocellate fpots on the back. 



CoN.STRiCTOR. This, by fome naturalifls, is denominated 

 the yellowifh-grcy boa, with a large chefnut-coloured chain- 

 like pattern down the back, and fubitrigonal fpots on the 

 fides. Dr. Shaw gives the generic charafter thus : fcuta, or 

 undivided plates, both on the abdomen and beneath the tail. 

 But by Gmelin it is charatterized fimply by the 240 plates 

 on the belly, and 60 on the tail. 



Of all the box, the moll confpicuous is the B. conltridlor, 

 which is at once pre-eminent, from fuperiority of fize, and 

 beauty of colours ; in this refpeft it appears to be fuhjeft to 

 confiderable variation from age, fex, and climate, but may 

 be diftinguifhed in every Itate from the reft of its tribe 



by the peculiar pattern or difpofition of its variegations. 

 The ground-colour of the whole animal in the younger 

 fpecimens is a yellowifh-grey, and fometimes even a bright 

 yellow; on which is difpofed along the whole length of the 

 back, a feries of large, chain-like, reddifh-brown, and 

 fometimes perfectly red variegations, leaving large, open, 

 oval fpaces of the ground-colour at regular intervals: the 

 largeft or principal marks compofing the chain-like pattern 

 above-mentioned are of a fquarifh form, accompanied on their 

 exterior fides by large triangular fpots, with their points 

 direfted downwards ; between thefe larger marks are dif- 

 pofed many fmaller ones of uncertain forms, and more or lefs 

 numerous in different parts : the ground-colour itfelf is alfo 

 fcattered over by a great many fmall fpecks of the fame co- 

 lour with the variegations ; the exterior edges of all the 

 larger fpots and markings are commonly blackifh, or of a 

 much deeper call than the middle part, and the ground- 

 colour immediately accompanying the outward edges of the 

 fpots if, on the contrary, lighter than on other parts, or 

 even whitifh, thus conllituting a general richnefs of pattern, 

 of which nothing but an aftual view of a highly-coloured 

 fpecimen of the animal itfelf can convey a complete idea. 

 In the larger fpecimen?, the yellow tinge is often loft in an 

 uniform grey call, and the red tinge of the variegations finks 

 into a deep chefnut : and in fome the general regularity of 

 the pattern before defcribed is dilturbed by a kind of con- 

 fluent appearance : the head is always marked above by a 

 large longitudinal dark band, and by a narrower lateral 

 band paffing acrofs the eye towards the neck. 



The boa conftriftor is a native of Africa, India, the 

 larger Indian iflands, and South America, where it chiefly 

 refides in the molt retired fituations in woody and marfhy 

 regions. 



It was, in all probability, an enormous fpecimen of tliis 

 very ferpent that once diffufed fo violent a terror amongft the 

 moft valiant of mankind, and threw a whole Roman army 

 into difmay. Hiftorians relate this furprifing event in terms 

 of confiderable luxuriance. Valerius Maximus mentions 

 it from Livy, in one of the loft books of whofe hiitory it 

 was related more at large, and the learned Frienfhemius, in 

 his Supplementa Liviana, has attempted a more ample and 

 circumtlantial narrative of the fame event, of which the 

 following is a quotation. 



" In the mean time Regulus, every where viftorious, led 

 his army into a region watered by the river Bagrada, near 

 which an unlooked-for misfortune awaited them, and at once 

 afleited the Roman camp with confiderable lofs, and with 

 appreheafions ftill more terrible ; for a ferpent of prodigious 

 fize attacked the foldiers who were fent for water, and while 

 they were overwhelmed with terror, and unequal to the con- 

 flift, engulphed feveral of them in its enormous mouth, and 

 killed others by writhing round them with its fpires, and 

 bruifiiig them with the itrokes of its tail : and fome were 

 even deftroyed by the peftilential effluvia proceeding from 

 its breath : it caufed fo much trouble to Regulus, that he 

 found it neceflary to conteft the poffcfTion of the river with 

 it, by employing the whole force of his army ; during 

 which a confiderable number of foldiers were loft, while the 

 ferpent could neither be vanquifhed nor wounded ; the ftrong 

 armour of its fcales eafily repelling the force of all the wea- 

 pons that were diredled againft it ; upon which recourfe was 

 had to battering engines, with which the animal was attacked 

 in the manner of a fortified tower, and was thus at length 

 overpowered. Several difcharges were made againft it with- 

 out fuccefs, till its back being broken by an immeafe ftone, 

 the formidable moiiller began to lole its powers, and was 

 yet with difficulty deftroyed ; after having diffufed fuch a 



horror 



