NORTH AMERICA. 
269 
creature a moft terrifying appearance. They arc 
from three to four and even five feet in length? 
and as thick as a man's leg; they are not numerous? 
yet too common, and a fufficient terror to the mi- 
ferable naked flaves, 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 T am convinced it is highly 
prudent for every perfon to be on their guard a- 
gainfl 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 moccafin, very different from this ; which 
is a very beautiful creature, and I believe not of 
a deftrudtive 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 fkin fcaly 
but fmooth and Alining, 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 
to efcape from one ; they have no poifonous fangs. 
Thefe are feen in hi c h for eft lands, about rot ten 
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, inPenfyl- 
vania and Virginia, is called the warn pom fnake; but 
I here 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 
