153 



in a slight degree, and of a black inclining to blue ; 

 the head is elevated and rather long, the eyes large 

 and yellow with a blue pupil, and the nostrils open 

 with a fleshy border ; its nose is pointed^ the mouth 

 wide and furnished with two rows of small crooked 

 teeth ; the tongue is large, of a bright red, and at- 

 tached at the base to the gullet, in which is a large 

 crop that the animal can contract and expand at plea- 

 sure ; like other water lizards it is without ears, and 

 from the top of its head to the extremity of its tail 

 extends a kind of indented crest. The fore feet are 

 much shorter than the hind, they have each five toes, 

 which, instead of nails, are furnished with round car- 

 tilages ; the tail is strait and rounded at the base, but 

 towards the end becomes flattened and expanded 

 like a spatula ; it is about two inches in breadth, and 

 the edges are notched like a saw. 



The only serpent of Chili is that known to natu- 

 ralists by the name of coluber esculapii. It is striped 

 with black, yellow and white, sometimes mingled 

 with brown. The largest that I have seen was not 

 more than three feet in length, it is perfectly harm- 

 less, and the peasants handle it without the least ap- 

 prehension. 



Sect. IV. Fishes. — The various kinds of escu- 

 lent fish, found on the coast of Chili, are by the 

 fishermen computed to be seventy- six, the most of 

 which differ from those of the northern hemisphere, 

 and appear to be peculiar to that sea. There are 

 many, however, that are merely varieties of species 



that are common to almost all seas. Such, among 

 Vol. I. Y 



