OF SERPENTS. 



others with the Tail that terminates in a Sting, which is an 

 Apparatus in the Body of certain Infedls liJce a little Lance, 

 ferving them as a Weapon of Offence. Mention is made by 

 Hiftorians of harmlefs Serpents, and of Perfons who have tamed 

 Serpents, and whofe Hair has been kifled by a tame Dragon, and 

 which, with its Tongue, gently lick'd its Mafter's Face *. 



The Serpent feems to be one of the diftinguifhed Favourites 

 of the Air, feeing it fubllfts by aerial Food all Winter -, that is, in 

 thofe Regions where it dare not turn Ranger. Sleep is the Nurfe 

 of Nature, a Nurfe that greatly indulges the animal Spirits, and, 

 by •arreting voluntary Motion, prevents their daily Confumpdon, 

 and, at the fame time, allows the perpetual Motion of the Ar- 

 teries, Veins, Heart. We know but little of the real peculiar 

 Nature of what we call Air, only that it is the moft heterogeneous 

 Body in the World, a kind of fecondary Chaos, being a Compound 

 of minute Particles of various Kinds, Earth, Water, Minerals, 

 Vegetables, Animals, (^c. coUedted either by folar or artificial 

 Heat. 



These Particles together conftitute an Appendage to our 

 Earth, called Atmofphere ; or that thin, elaftic, fluid Mals, wherein 

 we live, m.ove, and have our being ; which Air we continually 

 receive, and expel by Refpiration, and no Animal can live, or 

 Vegetable grow without it. 



Thus Serpents inclofed in the Receiver, are immediately 

 (I may fay) ftarved when deprived of Air, which is their only 



Winter-Food. N. B. Whatever is put in a Receiver fo ex- 



haufced, is laid to be put hi Vacuo : Animals that have two Ven- 

 tricles, and no Foramen Ovale, as Birds, Dogs, Cats, Mice, 

 die in it in lefs than half a Minute ; a Mole died in one Minute j 

 a Bat lived feven or eight ; Infed;s, as Wafps, Bees, GralLop- 

 pers, feem dead in two Minutes -f. 



Nor will any Vegetation proceed /« /^^/a/o, or without Air: 

 Seeds planted will not grow. Objection. Beans groiv in Va- 

 cuo. I anfwer, they grow a little tumid, but that kind of Vege- 

 tation is only owing to the Dilatation of the Air within them ; 

 they fwell a little by the Expanfion of the Air, but they never 

 bud. 



B 2 Amoks 



* Rail Sympfis, /Elian. Hijl. f Derbam. 



