578 



ANGUIS. SLOW-WORM. 



Generic Character. 



Squama abdominales et sub- 

 caudales. 



Scales both on the abdomen 

 and beneath the tail. 



HIS genus is easily distinguished by having 

 the abdomen and under part of the tail covered 

 with scales of similar appearance to those on 

 the rest of the animal, except that in some few 

 species they are rather larger: to this may be 

 added, that the body is of a shorter and more uni- 

 formly cylindric form than in the genus Coluber, 

 and that the eyes are, in general, small, and the 

 tail rather obtuse : no poisonous species of Anguis 

 has yet been discovered. To the English generic 

 title, SloW'IVorm, some objection may perhaps be 

 made, and it is not to be imagined that all the 

 animals of this genus are remarkably slow in their 

 motions ; though, from the want of scuta, they 

 perhaps may be allowed to move with less rapidity 

 than the generality of Snakes, 



