S E R 
of the Country. This animal, which travellers 
defcribe as enormoufly large, has it's habitation, 
it's temple, and it's priefts'. thele laft imprels the 
Vulgar with f.n opinion of it's virtues ; and multi- 
tudes daily become the dupes of their artifice. 
The deluded populace not only offer their goods, 
their provifions, and their prayers, at the fhrine of 
this hideous god; but alfo their wives and daugh- 
ters: thefe the priefts readily accept; and, after 
fome days of penance, return the females to their 
fuppliants, much benefited by the Serpent's fup- 
pofed embraces. Such a complicated pifture of 
ignorance and impofture give us a very mean idea 
ci^ the rationality of the natives: but, in defence 
of human nature, it fliould be remarked, that the 
moft uncultivated and barbarous of mankind 
alone pay their veneration to fuch a defpicable di- 
vinity, 
SERPENT-EATER. Edwards, who firft 
defcribed and figured a bird of this kind, confi- 
ders it as a diftinifl genus; in it's general fhape 
approaching to the crane, but in the conforma- 
tion of it's feet and bill differing confiderably 
from that tribe. The bill is aquiline; and the ta- 
lons are fmall, and but ill adapted for a bird of 
prey. The eyes, which are dark, are fituated in 
fpaces covered with a bare orange-coloured fkin; 
the licad is adorned with a beautiful crefl:, com- 
pofed of many long party-coloured feathers, tipt 
with black, and hanging backwards; the beak, 
head, neck, back, bread, and upper coverts of the 
wings, are of a blueifli afh-colour, fomewhat 
lighter on the breafl than the back ; the belly, 
thighs, greater wing-feathers, and tail, are black, 
the latter tipt with white; the legs and feet are of 
a reddifh flefh-colour; and the claws are black. 
The Dutch at the Cape of Good Hope give 
this bird the appellation of flang-eater, from the 
avidity with which it devours Inakes. Three 
fpecies of this genus have been imported into Eu- 
rope; the largeft of which mcafured three feet 
from the extremity of the tail to the crown of the 
head. 
This fingular bird is faid to be held in the 
higheft veneration in the interior parts of Africa. 
Some affert that it is the ibis of antiquity : and 
Jofephus tells us, that iVIofes preferved his army 
from a m.ultitude of deftroying ferpents by means 
of the ibis, of which he collefled numbers during 
his travels. 
SERPENT FISH, RED; the Serpens Ru- 
befcens of fom.e ichthyologifts. A fifli properly 
belonging to the tjenia genus; refembling the 
common fnake in figure; of a ftrong red colour; 
and marked down the fides v.'ith oblique lines, ex- 
clufive of a long; line on each fide reaching- from 
the gills to the tail. The mouth is fmall; and 
the teeth are fharp and ferrated. Over the back 
there are a number of fine capillaments at inter- 
vals, which extend to the tail ; and the fame are 
likev/ife perceptible on the belly. 
SERPULA. A genus of fbells of a tubular 
fnape, found adhering to other bodies. The in- 
clofed animal is a terebella. Pennant enumerates 
the fpiral, angular, complicated, twined, and 
worm Serpulas; all which are natives of the Bri- 
tifn coafts. 
SERRA PISCIS. An appellation by which 
many authors exprefs the priftis, or faw-fifli. 
Serra is alfo a name given by Pliny to the 
baliftes, more generally denominated Icolopax. 
Artedi diftinguifnes it by that of the baliftes with 
Vol. II. 
S H A 
two fpines in the place of the ventral fins, and one 
behind the anus. See Trumpet-Fish. 
SERRATE FLIES. A term by which feme 
naturalifb exprefs a clafs of flies, diftinguifhed 
from all other kinds by their having a weapon, re - 
fem.bling a double faw, at the extremity of their 
bodies; which affifts them in making repofitories 
for their eggs in the branches of trees. Of this 
kind is the rofe-fly. See Rose-Fly. 
SERVAL; the Catus Pardus of naturalilfs in 
general. This animal is of the feline kind, and 
a native of Malabar. It refe-s-ibles the panther in 
it's fpots; bat the lynx in it's fize, the robuftnefs 
of it's make, and the fhortnefs of it's tail. 
SERULA. A marine bird of the mergus 
kind, very common in the neighbourhood of Ve^ 
nice. Ray calls it the mergus cirratus fufcus, 
the brown-crefted, or leffcr- toothed diver; and 
fuppofes it fynonymous with the anas longiroftra, 
or long-beaked duck of Gefner; while Pennant 
gives it the name of the red-breafted merganfcr. 
See Merganser, Red-Breasted. 
SESERINIJS, An appellation whereby Ron- 
deletius, and fome other ichthyologitl:s, have ex- 
preffed an Italian fea-fifh of a broad, fliort figure* 
apparently the fame with the lampuga of the Ita- 
lian fifhermen, and moft commonly known by the 
name of ftromateus. 
SETACEUS VERMIS. A name by which 
Lifter exprelTes that very long flender water- 
worm, the amphiftiffina aquatica of naturalifts in 
general. Thefe worms, which the vulgar fuppofe 
to be animated hairs, are a peculiar fort of infefts, 
bred and nourifhed within the bodies of other in- 
fers, as the worms of the ichneumon flies are in 
the bodies of caterpillars. 
SETICAUDiE. A term by which naturalifts 
denote fuch flies as have one or more hairs iffuing 
from their tails. A great number of fpecies fall 
under this definition. 
SEWIN. A provincial appellation for the fifh 
more ufually denominated the grey. See Grey. 
SHAD; the Ciupea Alofa of Li nnaus. A 
fea-fifh of the harrengiform kind; called alio the 
mother of herrings: by fome ichthyologifts, 
ciupea and triffa ; and by the ancients, as is gene- 
rally fuppofed, trichis or trichias. 
The Shad bears a ftrong refemblance to the her- 
ring in it's general conformation; but it is more 
depreffed, and broader. The head flopes dov/n 
confiderably from the back, which at the rife is 
very convex, or rather fharp; and die body gra- 
dually diminiflies from thence to the tail. The 
under jaw is fomewhat longer than the upper; the 
teeth are very minute; the dorfal fin is fmall, with 
the middle rays longtft, and placed very near the 
centre; the tail is much forked; and the belly is 
extremely ftiarp, and ftrongly ferrated. The back 
is of a duflcy blue colour; above the gills a line 
of dark fpots commences, marking the upper part 
of the back on each fide; the number of the fpots 
differing in different fifh, but being ufually from 
four to ten. 
Shadr, are very common in many feas; and alfo 
in fome of our large rivers, efpecially near their 
mouths : tiiefe they afcend in prodigious numbers, 
at a feafbn when they are very fat; but afterwards 
becoming lean, they revifit the fea, and generally 
herd in large fhoals. 
The Severn affords the fineft Shads in Great 
Britain : in warm feafons, they m'ake their ap- 
pearance in that river about the end of April, but 
3 Y more 
