A YOUNG NATURALIST. 



205 



judge from the direction from which the report of his gun 

 proceeded. Fortunately, from the position of the spot, 

 there was not much likelihood of his missing his way : al- 

 though we had full confidence in his instinct, we feared to 

 what extent his ardor might carry him. 



We now kept on the look-out, hoping that chance would 

 throw us in contact with some game. All at once there 

 was a movement to our right in the high grass, and its 

 waving about pointed out the presence of some reptile. In 

 a minute or two we saw a serpent making its way towards 

 the pool ; it was the species which is called by the Indians, 

 as formerly by the Greeks, the double-headed serpent. The 

 amphisbasna was about a foot and a half long, and its tail 

 was swollen at the end, which gave it a very curious ap- 

 pearance. Its skin, covered with large scales, had a bluish 

 metallic glitter. It crawled slowly, and stopped every in- 

 stant as if to bore into the ground, but in reality to pick up 

 insects or ants. This singular snake quite enchanted 

 Lucien, and Sumichrast told him to fire his gun at it, so as 

 to be able to study it more closely. He had no need to re- 

 peat his instructions ; the young sportsman, who had begun 

 to handle his weapon very skillfully, at once placed it to 

 his shoulder ; the shot was fired, and the amphisbaena, tum- 

 bling over, disappeared in the grass. The reptile had been 

 hit, and we all of us clambered down the rock as fast as we 

 could, in the hopes of finding it dead. We sought for it in 

 vain ; the snake had made its escape into some hole, from 

 which it would be in vain to try to dislodge it. 



Gringalet now showed himself, soon followed by FEncue- 

 rado. When he caught sight of us, the Indian raised a 

 loud " Hiou ! hiou !" Waving his hat in the air, he threw 

 upon the ground some dark object, which fell heavily on 

 the turf, and then he began dancing. We roared with 

 laughter at his grotesque steps, and Lucien ran towards the 



