MEGAERA. 40/ 



It is a native of the island of Martinico, and some 

 of the neighbouring islands, and may justly be 

 considered as one of the most formidable of the 

 Transatlantic Serpents. The Count de Cepede 

 very properly observes, that the name of Yellow 

 Martinico Snake, by which it is generally called 

 in the works of voyagers, is highly improper, 

 since yellow is often not the predominating co- 

 lour : that of a fine specimen in the British Mu- 

 seum is a rich deep brown, with yellow variega- 

 tions ; the back being marked throughout the 

 whole length of the animal by pretty numerous, 

 equidistant, broken, and slightly alternating bars 

 of dull yellow, which, descending and joining at 

 intervals with the neighbouring ones, form ob- 

 scurely annular and somewhat irregular markings 

 of similar colour along the sides, with still more 

 obscure crossings on the part nearest the scuta, 

 intermixed with smaller patches and spots : the 

 abdomen is dull yellow, clouded and speckled on 

 the sides with pale brown : the head is large, flat, 

 cordate, and covered with very small carinated 

 scales ; but the terminal scale of the nose, and 

 those at the sides of the mouth, are very large : 

 above each eye is also a very large scale : the nos- 

 trils are small, and between them and the eyes on 

 each side is a large orifice, the use of which is per- 

 haps not distinctly understood, but which has 

 been regarded as a passage to the organ of hear- 

 ing : the scales on the whole upper parts of the 

 body are moderately large, ovate, and carinated, 

 the back slightly elevated, the sides rather sloping, 



