264 
BLUEFIELDS. 
become dingy, and scarcely a vestige of the elegance 
and beauty of the animal is left. Unhappily this is 
the case with a great proportion of the reptiles of 
foreign countries ; they are known to European na- 
turalists only by specimens sent home in spirits, or 
by still more hideous skins : they are described in 
this condition, which admits, it is true, of a recogni- 
tion of their technical characters ; but the beauty of 
their varied hues, and often the grace of their living 
forms remain as unknown as ever. Hence reptiles, 
more than any other animals, are indebted to de- 
scriptive observations and carefully coloured figures 
made from them, while in the enjoyment of life and 
health. 
Several specimens of this little animal, one of the 
forms that connect the true Serpents with the Sau- 
rian tribes, have occurred to me. The first I took 
myself, when some men were digging out and re- 
moving some stones from Bluefields pasture. It was 
not without difficulty that I secured it, as its agility 
and power of burrowing were very great. Another 
was brought me alive, inclosed in a long bottle, 
otherwise empty ; whence on my removing the cork, 
it poked up its head, and glided out repeatedly, with 
perfect ease, and was near escaping several times, it 
was so slippery and so agile. While crawling, it 
frequently protruded and retracted quickly the little 
white forked tongue. I perceived no vestige of eyes, 
nor did it appear to have the power of vision ; for on 
any object being presented to the head, no notice 
was taken until it came into actual contact, when 
the creature shrank back in sudden alarm. 
