SOUTH AMERICA. 205 

 my wife, there could not have been more continued and Third 



Journey. 



disagreeable hissing in the bed-chamber that night. At 



daybreak, I sent to borrow ten of the negroes who Avere 

 cutting wood at a distance ; I could have done with half 

 that number, but judged it most prudent to have a good 

 force, in case he should try to escape from the house when 

 we opened the bag. However, nothing serious occurred. 



We untied the mouth of the bag, kept him down by Kills and 



dissects the 



main force, and then I cut his throat. He bled like an Snake, 

 ox. By six o'clock the same evening, he was completely 

 dissected. On examining his teeth, I observed that they 

 were all bent like tenter-hooks, pointing down his throat, 

 and not so large or strong as I expected to have found 

 them ; but they are exactly suited to what they are intended 

 by nature to perform. The snake does not masticate his 

 food, and thus the only service his teeth have to perform 

 is to seize his prey, and hold it till he swallows it whole. 



In general, the skins of snakes are sent to museums 

 without the head : for when the Indians and Negroes kill 

 a snake, they seldom fail to cut off the head, and then 

 they run no risk from its teeth. When the skin is stuffed 

 in the museum, a wooden head is substituted, armed with 

 teeth which are large enough to suit a tiger's jaw; and 

 this tends to mislead the spectator, and give him erro- 

 neous ideas. 



During this fray with the serpent, the old negro. Daddy 

 Quashi, was in George-town procuring provisions, and just 



