THE YELLOW SNAKE. 
315 
the appellation of Yellow Snake. It commonly at- 
tains a length of eight or ten feet, and a diameter of 
two inches and a half in the thickest part of the body. 
The ground colour is yellow, varying from bright 
golden to a clay-colour, marked with black in irregu- 
lar spots and confluent bands. These are very few 
and remote at the fore-parts, but increase posteriorly, 
the yellow at length disappearing except as scattered 
spots on an uniform black ground. In the female 
there is comparatively little black colour ; and the 
tail is very obtuse. The trivial name inornatus, 
which MM. Dumeril and Bibron have selected to 
designate the species, must be considered as compara- 
tive ; for this Boa, when seen alive, in its black and 
yellow livery, is, I think, far from unadorned, the con- 
trast of colours being flne, and the purple iridescent 
glow that is reflected in the playing light from the 
dark parts of its polished armour is very rich and 
brilliant. (See Plate IV.) 
From its size and aspect the Yellow Snake is 
looked on with considerable terror by the inhabitants, 
though no one pretends to have known of a fatal 
result from its bite. The worst evils that I hear of 
as consequent upon its attacks are flesh wounds 
attended with local inflammation, and rendered difii- 
cult to heal by the teeth sometimes breaking off in 
the flesh: terror, however, will occasionally induce 
fever in the patient. Instances are rare of even these 
results ; the reptile usually retreating with precipita- 
tion if attacked. It is not infrequently found in 
houses and even in beds. I have been told of a 
gentleman, who on awaking in the morning felt a 
