&ORTH AMERICA* 
creature a molt terrifying appearance. They are 
from three to four and even five feel in length, and 
as thick as a man's leg • they are not numerous, yet 
too common, and a fufficient terror to the miferahle 
naked Haves, who are compelled to labour in the 
fwamps and low lands where only they abound. 
I never could find any that knew an inftance of 
any perfon's lofing their life from the bite of them, 
only by hearfay. Yet I am convinced it is highly 
prudent for every perfon to be on their guard 
againft them. They appear to be of the viper tribe, 
from their fwelling of their body and flattening their" 
neck when provoked, and from their large poifon- 
ous fangs : their head, mouth and eyes are remark^ 
ably large. 
There is another fnake in Carolina and Florida 
called the moccafm, very different from this ; which 
is a very beautiful creature, and I believe not of 
a deftru&ive or vindictive nature. Thefe when grown 
to their greateft fize are about five feet in length, 
and near as thick as a man's arm $ their {kin fcaly 
but finooth and mining, of a pale grey and fky co- 
lour ground, uniformly marked with tranfverfe un~ 
dulatory ringlets or blotches of a deep nut brown, 
edged with red or bright Spanifh brown. They ap^* 
pear innocent, very active and fwift, endeavouring 
lo efcape from one j they have no poifonous fangs. 
Thefe are feen in high fore ft lands, about rotten 
logs or decayed fallen limbs of trees, and they har- 
bour about old log buildings. They feem to be a 
fpecies, if not the very fame fnake which, in Penlyl- 
vania and Virginia, is called the warapom fnake ; but 
foere in warmer Southern climes they grow to a much 
larger fize, and from the fame accident their colour 
may be more variable and deeper. They are by 
the 
i 
