( * 9 * ) 
bigger. His upper fide was chefnut colour, 
the under fide deep yellow : thefe two 
colours were divided on its Tides, for its 
whole length, by blue lines fpeckled with 
fmall black Tpots. It has a Tort of collar 
of yellow fpots round its neck. The eyes 
are of a gold colour. The make of the 
whole figure agrees with the fpecies figured 
on the plate. This is alfo inoffenfive. 
Mott Terpents are dreaded by men as poi- 
fonous and dangerous animals. It would 
therefore be highly expedient, by all the 
methods we can, to obferve and dilcover, 
from certain experience, which of the 
fpecies are hurtful, and which are not, 
and record them, in order to free mankind 
from unnecefifary fears. I fhall give, as a 
hint to Tuch observations, part of the fub- 
ttance of a paper read before the Royal 
Society, March n, 3.762. which gives 
two different inttances of labouring people 
in their works being bitten by the Slow- 
Worm, or Blind- Worm, as it is called in 
England, without their receiving any harm 
from the bite ; tho’ the Worms fattened 
and hung to the hands of the perfons 
bitten, and blood followed the bites. The 
bite of this Worm is accounted by vulgar 
opinion very dangerous, if not mortal ; 
tho’ the above account Teems to prove its 
bite no ways, poifonous. 
luu Le dejfus de ce dernier etoit couleitr- 
de chataigne le deffous etoit d y un jaune 
fonce 3 et fur les cotes , tout le long du Ser- 
pent , ces deux couleurs etoient feparees par 
des lignes bleues tachetees de t aches wires* 
II y a une efpece de colier de taches jaunes 
aat.our du cou. Les yeux font couleur d’or., 
Sa figure entiere efi la meme que celle de 
V efpece grave e fur cette plmiche . Ce Ser- 
pent , de meme que le premier , ne fait point 
de maL Les Serpens , pour la plupart , font 
craints par les hommes comme des animaux 
vemmeux et mal - fa fans, II feroit d'une 
grande utilite de decouvrir par des expe* 
riences cer tames, quelles efpeces de Serpens 
font innocens , et quelles autres font dange- 
reufes', et que I on publiat ces experiences , 
pour delivrer les hommes des craintes malr 
fo?zdees. Je donnerai ici, comme un echaw 
tillon de remarques tendantes d ce but, la 
fubfiance d'un memoir e qut a ete lu dev ant 
la Socle te Roy ale en 1762. II y efi dit , 
que deux ouvriers ay ant ete mordu en tra- 
vaillant par une Anvoie, nont eprouves 
aucun mal enfuite de la morfure, quoiques 
ces animaux s dttacherent aux mains de ces 
gens , et que le fang senfuivoit de la morfure y 
et quoiquelle foit efiimee par le vulgaire etre 
tres dangereufe, fi meme elle nefi pas mor- 
telle ; mais la relation que je viens d'abreger, , 
femble montrer que cette morfure nefi. point 
venimeufe. 
