NORTH AMERICA. 
fpringing beyond their length. They feem deftitute 
of the pacific difpofition and magnanimity of the 
rattle make, and are unworthy of an alliance with 
him. No man ever faves their lives, yet they remain 
too numerous, even in the oldeft fettled parts of the 
country. 
The green fnake is a beautiful innocent creature : 
they are from two to three feet in length, but not 
fo thick as a perfon's little finger : of the fineft green 
colour. They are very abundant, commonly feea 
on the limbs of trees and Ihrubs : they prey upon 
infects and reptiles, particularly the little green cha- 
meleon : and the forked tailed hawk or kite feeds 
on both of them, fnatching them off the boughs of 
the trees. 
The ribband fnake is another very beautiful inno- 
cent ferpent : they are eighteen inches in length, 
and/ about the thicknefs of a man's little linger ; the 
head is very fmall ; the ground colour of a full, 
clear vermilion, variegated with tranfverfe bars or 
zones of a dark brown, which people fancy repre- 
fents a ribband wound round the creature's body : 
they are altogether inoffenfive to man, and are in a 
manner domeftic, frequenting old wooden buildings, 
open grounds and plantations. 
The chicken fnake is a large, flrong and fwift 
ferpent, fix or feven feet in length, but fcarcely 
fo thick as a man's wrift ; they are of a cinereous, 
earthly colour, and ftriped longitudinally with broad 
lines or lifts, of a dufky or blackilh colour. They 
are a domeftic fnake, haunting about houfes and 
plantations ; and would be ufeful to man if tamed 
and properly tutored, being great devourers of rats, 
but 
