SER 
v.igers of the earth, gained it much more deferv- 
edly than their fucceffors, who acquired their re- 
putation only from their fkill and prowefs in de- 
flroying each other. But, as we defcend into 
more enlightened antiquity, we find thefe animals 
lefs formidable, from their having been attacked 
in a more fuccefsful manner. We are told that, 
while Regulus led his army along the banks of 
the Bagrada, in Africa, an enormous Serpent dif- 
puted his paffage. Pliny, who fays that he faw 
it's ficin, affures us that it was one hundred and 
twenty feet long; and that it deftroyed numbers 
of the army before it was vanquifhed. At laft, 
however, the battering engines were oppofed to 
the animal; which affailing at a diftance, foon de- 
ftroyed it. It's fpoils were carried to Rome, and 
the general was decreed an ovation on account of 
his fuccefs. 
Few hiftoricai events are perhaps better afcer- 
talned than the above. An ovation was a remark- 
able honour, and the reward only of fome very 
fingular exploit, inferior to the honour of a tri- 
umph; and it is certain no hiftorian would have 
prefumed to invent that part of the ftory at lead, 
becoufe it would have fubjefted him to the moft 
fliameful deteftion. At prefent, indeed, fuch re- 
fiftance from Serpents is hardly known in any part 
of the world; though in Africa and America, fome 
of them are powerful enough to brave the attacks 
of the human fpecies to this very day. Fortu- 
nately for us, we are fituated at fuch a diftance 
from this baneful tribe of animals, as to take a 
view of them, without fearing for our fafety: to 
tis, their flender form, their undulating motion, 
their vivid colouring, their horrid ftench, their 
forky tongues, and their envenomed fangs, are to- 
tally harmlefs; and, in this ifland, their ufes even 
ferve to counterbalance the mifchiefs they fome- 
times occafion. 
If we take a general furvey of Serpents, we 
fiiall find fufficient marks to diftinguifli them 
from all the reft of animated nature. They pof- 
fefs the length and pliancy of eels, but want fins 
to fwim with; they have the fcaly coverings and 
pointed tails of lizards, but are deftitute of legs; 
they have the crawling motion of worms ; but, un- 
like thofe animals, they are furniflied with lungs; 
like all the reptile kind, they are refentful when 
offended; and nature has fupplied them with the 
moft terrible arms, to revenge every infult. 
Though the malignity of thefe reptiles is very 
different in it's degrees, they are all formidable to 
man, and have a ftrong fimilitude to each other. 
With refpeft to their conformation, all Serpents 
have very wide mouths in proportion to the flze 
of their heads: and, what is very extraordinary, 
they can fwallow the head of another animal thrice 
as big as their own. To illuftrate this, it muft be 
obferved that the jaws of the Serpent are held to- 
gether at the roots by a ftretching mufcular fl<in; 
by v/hich means they open as wide as the animal 
inclines, and admit a fubftance much thicker than 
it's own body: the throat, like elaftic gum, di- 
lates, in order to admit the morfel; the ftomach 
receives it in part; and the reft remains in the gul- 
let, till putrefailion and the juices of the reptile's 
body unite to dilTolve it. As to the teeth, it is 
remarkable that fome Serpents have fangs, or ca- 
nine teeth ; and that others are wholly deftitute of 
them : in all, however, they are crooked and hol- 
low; and, by a peculiar contrivance, capable of 
being ere£ted or depreffed at pleafure. 
The eyes of all Serpents are Imall when com- 
SER 
pared with the length of their bodies : though dif- 
ferently coloured in diftin6l kinds, the appearance 
of all is malignant and heavy; and, from their 
knoysfn qualities, they ftrike the imagination with 
the idea of a mifchievous nature. -In fome, the 
upper eye-lid is wanting, and the Serpent winks 
only with that below ; in others, the animal has a 
nidtitating membrane or fkin, refembling that 
found in birds, by which the eye is guarded, and 
the fight preferved. In all, the fubftance of the 
eye is hard and corneous ; the chryftalline.humour 
occupying a great part of the globe. 
The auditory du£ls are very perceptible in the 
Serpent kind: but theyhave no conduits for fmell- 
ing; though it is probable that fome fpecies en- 
joy that fcnfe in tolerable pcrfedlion. 
In all thefe animals, the tongue is long and 
forky;" is compofed of two Jong flefhy fubftances; 
is very pliable; terminates in lharp points; and 
at the root is very ftrongly conneded to the neck 
by two tendons, which give it a variety of mo- 
tion. Some of the viper kind have tongues a 
fifth part of the length of their bodies ; which 
they are continually darting out, to the great ter- 
ror of fuch perfons as are ignorant of the true 
fituation of their poifon. 
If from the jaws we proceed to the gullet, we 
fhall find it very wide for the animal's fize, and 
capable of vaft diftenfion. ■ At the bottom of the 
throat lies the ftomach, which is Icfs capacious, 
and receives only a part of the food, while the 
reft continues in the gullet for digeftion : and af- 
ter the fubftance in the ftomach is chylified, it 
pafles into the inteftincs; from thence it goes ci- 
ther to nourilliment, or to be excluded by the 
vent. 
Like moft other animals. Serpents are furnifhed 
with lungs, which probably afTift them in breath- 
ing, notwithftanding the manner by which that 
operation is performed is difficult to be traced : 
for though thefe creatures are obferved apparently 
to draw in their breath, there is not the fmalleft 
vifible fign of their ever refpiring it again. Their 
lungs, however, are long and large, and doubtlefs 
contribute to accelerate their languid circulation. 
The heart is formed as in the tortoife, the frog, 
and the lizard kinds, fo as to exert it's powers 
without the affiftance of the lungs: it is fingle, 
the greatcft part of the blood flowing from the 
large vein to the great artery by the ftiorteft courfe. 
Hence it may be inferred, that fnakes are amphi- 
bious, being equally capable of living on land as 
in the water ; and that they are alfo torpid during 
the winter, like the bat, the lizard, and other ani- 
mals formed in a fimilar manner. 
In thefe reptiles, the vent ferves for the emiffisn 
of the urine and the fasces, as well as for the pur- 
pofcs of generation. The inftrument of propa- 
gation in the male is double, being forked like 
the tongue : the ovaries in the female are alfo dou- 
ble ; and the aperture is very wide, in order to ad- 
mit the double inftrument of the male. They 
copulate in their retreats ; and in this fituation, if 
we may credit the ancients, they exhibit the ap- 
pearance of one Serpent with two heads. 
As the body of the Serpent is long, flender, 
and capable of extreme flexibility, the vertebras 
are numerous beyond what might naturally be 
imagined. In the generality of quadrupeds they 
amount to no more than thirty or forty j but in the 
Serpent tribe, they rife to one hundred and forty- 
five from the head to the vent, and twenty-five' 
more from that to the tail. • The number of thefe 
joints 
