AVOYAGETO Book VI. 

 attra6live quality attributed to its breath, which ir- 

 refiilibly draws any creature to it, which happens to 

 be within the fphere of its attraction : but this, I 

 muft own, feems to furpafs all belief. The Indians 

 call it jacumama, i. e. mother of water : for as it de- 

 lights in lakes and niarfhy places, it may in fome 

 fenfe be confidered as amphibious. I have taken a 

 great deal of pains to enquire into this particular ; 

 and all I can fay is, that the reptile's magnitude is 

 really furprizing. Some perfons whofe veracity is not 

 to be queftioned, and who have feen it in the pro- 

 vinces of New Spain, agreed in their account of the 

 enormous corpulency of this ferpent, but with re- 

 gard to its attradiive quality could fay nothing de- 

 cifive 



Suspending therefore for the prefent all pofitive 

 judgement, without giving entire credit to all the qua- 

 lities vulgarly attributed to this animal, efpeciaily the 

 more fufpe6led, as not improbably flowing from ado- 

 nifhment, which frequently adopts abfurdities, it being 

 impoffible, in fo great a perturbation, to confult rea- 

 fon let me be indulged with fome variation of the ac- 



* I have feen three of thefe ferpents killed ; out of the body of 

 one of them was taken a hog about lo ftone in weight. The 

 largett was about ii feet long, and 23 inches in circumference; 

 the fmallell: about 9 feet long, and 19 in circumference. They 

 gen-erally lie coiled up, and wait till their prey pafTes near enough 

 to be feized. As they are not eafily diftinguiftied from the large 

 rotten wood (which lies about in plenty in thefe parts), they have 

 opportunities enough to feize their prey and fatiate their hunger. 

 The Indians watch this opportunity, and when they have half 

 gorged their prey, kill them without danger. As I was walking 

 in the woods one day, attended by two Indians and a Negro boy, 

 we were within 10 yards of one of thefe ferpents, when the Negro 

 cried out. Cobra, Senhor 1 Cobra, Senhor 1 on which it made away 

 into a neighbouring thicket, which concealed from our fight the 

 moH hideous creature I at that time had ever feen. In its motion, 

 which was flow and peculiar to that ferpent, it appeared like a 

 Terpentine log, with two bright gems for eyes, placed within three 

 or four inches from the end v/hich was fartheft from us, from which 

 rays of azure light feemed to dart. A, 



6 cidents 



