38 NATURAL HISTORY of NORWAY, 



pointed tail, with four legs, covered with fcales, lefs than the 

 fcales of a herring. This creature is, as well as I can carry it in 

 my eye, two German ells long. This I have feen, and perhaps 

 many thoufands befides me may have feen it ; and it is ftill to be 

 feen at Mr. Stampeel's, an eminent merchant in Hamburgh * 

 to whofe fore-fathers it was pawn'd for a confiderable fum of 

 money, by the Konigfmark's family, who got it, among other 

 booty, at the plundering of Prague. A painting of it is to be 

 feen at Copenhagen, in the king's cabinet of curiofities, and 

 which I can truly atteft is perfectly done from the original. The 

 emblematic Dragon with feven heads, which the Scripture takes 

 notice of, has not alone an imaginatioa, but a natural truth for 

 its foundation ; and I take this opportunity to obferve it : but I 

 have no ground to confirm what the often quoted Ol. Magnus, 

 cap. 19. fays about fome birch-trees in this country, which are 

 feen green Winter and Summer, from a number of Snakes that 

 have made their nefts under the roots, and fo keep them warm. 

 The fame author fays alfo, cap. 30. that the Norvegians are {o 

 fuperftitious, as to hold Serpents facred, and fet milk to them 

 for food ; but that fuperftition is thrown off long ago. 



SECT. III. 



WatcrSnakes. Water Snakes, Vand-flanger, which are commonly dark- coloured, 

 and are not reckoned fo poifonous as tbofe on land, are found 

 here every where in frefh water 5 but that they, according to 

 an old faying, are many fathom long, particularly in Store Mios 

 on Hedemarken, and ftrong enough to overfet a boat, I have 

 not found confirmed by experience ; tho* I will not deny the 

 poflibility of it \ in consideration of what Livy, Pliny, Strabo> 

 and others report, concerning the bloody fight of Atilius Regulus 

 againft a Serpent, 120 feet long, which oppofed the Romiill 

 army in crofling the feaBagrada in Africa, and killed great num- 

 bers of the foldiers before he could be deftroyed ; which was 

 done at laft with pickaxes, for he did not regard their arrows. 



Odoard. Dapper, in his African Travels, p. 394, takes notice, 

 that in the land of Quoia there is a fort of Serpents called Minia, 

 the bignefs of which may be concluded from their fwallowing up 

 a whole flag. 



The great Sea-fnakes I once held only for a chimera, but am 

 now fully convinced that they are found in the North fea, as fure 

 as any other fifh : it is faid, by the people who inhabit the coaft, 



* This is probably fome arcful impofitign \ for there is not known to be any fuch 

 creature in nature, 



that 



