72 A NATURAL HISTORY 



Clouds often appear very beautifully coloured ; they confift 

 of aqueous Particles, between which Air is interfperfed ; therefore, 

 according to the various Thicknefs of thofe aqueous Particles, the 

 Cloud will be of a different Colour *. 



IX. AMPHISBJENA Serpent, fo called from a/>.?). Gf /3a,va, 

 5/V^/J, aMonfter with two Heads. This is a fmall and weak Crea- 

 ture, equal in Bulk to a little Finger, and about a Foot long, of a 

 whitifli or terraceous Colour} of the oviparous Family, of fmall 

 Eyes, no otherways vifible than the Prick of a little Needle ; lives 

 much under ground, and is often found by digging; feeds upon 

 Ants. Under this Head, the Hiftorian mentions three Serpents, 

 •viz. 

 /' The Brafilian^ that has two Heads, and moves as a Crab -f-. 

 / The Taprobanenjian, with four Heads j and he who believes it 



\ muft have a four-headed Faith. 



The Hungarian ; of which elfewhere. 



The fame Hiftorian adds, that the marine y^mphisbcena, 

 taken in the EngUJlo Sea, has two Heads. Ibid. Pliny, Mlian^ 



Lucan, Mantuan, affirm it has two Heads j Matthiolus denies 



it, HeJ'ychius is doubtful. Mention is made of a Serpent found 

 near Chippi7ig-Norton, not far fromOxford, having two Heads, and 

 Faces like Women ; one being fliaped after the new Tyre of that 

 Time ; the other was habited after the old Fafhion, and had great 

 Wings refembling thofe of the Flinder-Moufe or Bat J. This 

 happened in the Reign of Edward III. 



A Spafjifi Author fays, that in Chiapa he found a two-headed 



, Serpent, 1 8 Inches long, in the Form of a Rotnan T, and very ve- 



nemous ; it does not only kill, adds he, by its Bite, but if any 



tread upon that part of the Ground over which 'twas juft gone, it 



proves fatal ||. The Poet alfo fubfcribes to two Heads **. If 



this two-headed Serpent has flain its Thoufands, there is a certain 

 metaphorical three-headed Serpent on the Banks oiTyber, that has 

 flain its Ten Thoufands. 



Perhaps 



" "Bcerhaave, Gravefand. f Acofla. % •S'oiu's Annals, Z,o»^o», printed, 1(^31. 



II A?itonio tie Herrtra s¥i'\Q.Of^ oi America, i 



** Ei gravis !J!geninm furgetis ca^ut Am^hishana. — Lucan, p. 270. 



