( 2°7 ) 
The tDouhle-headed Snake 
I S drawn here of its natural Bignefs. I did not propofe at fir ft in this Natural 
Hijiory to exhibit Monfters, but our prefent Subject (confidered even v/ith a 
fingle Head) may be looked on as a natural Production of a Species little or not at 
all known to us. 
It had two very diftinCt Heads, joined together at the Crania . See Letter B. The 
Heads were not in an horizontal Pofition when the Snake lay on its Belly, but in¬ 
clined to each other on their under Sides, leaving an Opening for the Throat to 
come in between the two Heads underneath, as is exprefted at A. I found, by 
opening the Mouths, that each of them had a forked Tongue, and the Teeth were 
feen in each Mouth. It was not of the Viper-Kind, there being no Appearance of 
Tulks or Fangs. The Tops of the Heads were cover’d with broad flattifh Scales: 
The Neck was flenderj the Body increafed gradually to near half its Length, then de- 
creafed to the Tail, which ended in a Point. The upper Side, for the whole Length, 
was covered with fmall Scales, falling one over another ; the Belly was cover’d with 
fingle Scales running acrofs it, in the Form of half Rings. It was all over of a 
yellowifti Colour, without any Spots or Variation. Since I drew this, a Perfon 
brought a common Engiifh Snake to me, which had two Heads quite feparate from 
each other, the Necks parting about an Inch from the Heads. 
The above defcribed came from the Ifland of Barbadoes , and was faid to be taken 
out of an Egg of the Size of a fmall Pullet’s Egg, by a Man who found it under 
Ground as he was digging. It was brought November 5, 1747, to the Royal Society, 
where it was examined : I afterwards procur’d it to make a Drawing : It feems to me 
to be of the fame Species with the Yellow Snake defcribed and figur’d in Sir Hans 
Sloane’s. Natural Hiftory oj 'Jamaica, Vol. II. P. 335. Tab. 274. 
The Black Butterflies. 
I S U P P O S E thefe two Butterflies to be Male and Female ; the Bodies 
and Ground-work of the Wings in both are of a very black Velvet-like Colour on 
their upper Side -, and a more rufty Black beneath \ the biggeft Fly has a large irregular 
white Spot on each of the upper or longer Wings; on the under Wings it has feven 
fine, red, longifh Spots on each ; befides fix little Half-Moons of red between the 
Points of the Scalloping of the Wings, it hath alfo four fmall red Spots on the 
Body. The lefler Fly hath acrofs each of the upper Wings a Cloud of broken 
Spots of a yellowifti Colour; the lower Wings have longifh Spots of Red, much 
like thofe in the larger Fly, but the fmall Half-Moons between the Scallops are 
White. 
I take thefe to be fcarce Flies; I have not feen them in any Collections; they were 
given to. me by the late Mr. William Goupy , Fan-Maker in the Strand, London, who 
told me he received them from the Weft Indies ; they are drawn of the exadt Size of 
Nature, as are all the Infe&s defcribed in this Work. 
The 
