102 A VOYAGE TO Book II. 



the tree, forms himfelf into a ball, and drops from 

 the branches. At the foot of this tree, he Gontlnuea 

 till all the fruits are confumed, never flirring till 

 hunger forces him to feek again for food. 



Serpe^tts are here as numerous and deadly as at 

 Carthagjena i and toads * innumerable, fwarminor not 

 only in the damp and mariliy places, as in other coun- 

 tries, but even in the (Ireets, courts of great houfes, and 

 all open places in general. The great numbers of them, 

 and their appearance after the lead fhower, has induced 

 fome to imagine, that every drop of v/ater becomes ^ 

 toad ; and though they allege, as a proof, the extraor- 

 dinary inereafe of them on the finalleft (hower, their 

 opinion does not feem to me well founded. It is 

 evident, that thefe reptiles abound both in the forefts 

 and neighbouring rivers, and even in the town itfelf; 

 and produce a prodigious quantity of animalcula, from 

 whence, according to the beil: naturalifts, thefe reptiles 

 are formed. Thefe animalcula either rife in the va- 

 pours ; which form the rains and failing together with 

 it on the ground, which is extremely heated by - the 

 rays of the fan, or being already depofited in it by the 

 toads, grow, and become animated, in no lefs numbers 

 than were formerly feen in Europe. But fome of them 

 which appear after rains being fo large as to meafure 

 fix inches in length, they cannot be imagined the ef» 

 fe6t of an inftantaneous produ6lion ^ I am therefore 

 inclined to think, from my own obfervations, that this 

 part of the country, being remarkably moid, is very 

 well adapted to nourifh the breed of thofe creatures, 

 which love watery places ; and therefore avoid thofe 

 parts of the ground expofed to the rays of the fun, 

 ifeeking others where the earth is foft, and there form 

 themfelves cavities in the ground, to enjoy the moif- 



* Called by the natives ferpos ; they appear every dewy even- 

 ing ia as great numbers as after a (liower, I never heard of the, 

 opinion the author fpeaks oL A. , . 



■ ' ture ; 



