34 SNAKE. Class III. 



body thickefl; the back and fides covered with 

 fmall fcales, the belly with oblong, narrow, tranf- 

 verfe plates. The firft Linn^us diftinguifhes by 

 the name of fquam^^ the lad he calls fcuta^ and 

 from them forms his genera of ferpents. 



Thofe that have both y^//^;/?^ and y^-^/^ he calls 

 Coliihri^ thofe that have only fqiiama^ Angues. 

 The viper and fnake are comprehended in the firft 

 genus, the blind- worm under the fecond \ but we 

 chufe (to avoid multiplying our genera) to take m 

 the few ferpents we have by a fingle genus, their 

 marks being too evident to be confounded. 

 Descrip,^ The color of the back and fides of the fnake 

 are dufky or brov/n ; the middle of the back 

 marked with two rows of fmail black fpots run- 

 ning from head to tail ; and from them are multi- 

 tudes of lines of fpots crofling the fides , the plates 

 on the belly are dulky, the fcales on the fides of a 

 bluifh white. 



On each fide the neck is a fpot of pale yellow, 

 and the bafe of each is a triangular black fpot, one 

 angle of which points towards the tail. 



The teeth are fmall and ferrated, lying each fide 

 the jaw in two rows. 



This fpecies is perfedlly inoffenfive ; it frequents 

 ' and lodges itfelf among bufhes in moid places, and 

 will readily take the water, fwimming very well. 



It preys on frogs, infedls, worms, and mice, 

 and, confidering the fmallnefs of the neck, it is a- 



mazing how large an animal it will fwallow. 



The 



