COL 
*nany thus armed, do pretty much the fame feats as thofe 
that pofleffed the exemption naturally; the drugs were 
given me, and i feveral times armed myl'elf, as I thought, 
refolved to try the experiment, but my heart always 
failed me when I came to the trial; becaufe among thefe 
wretched people it was a pretence they might very pro¬ 
bably have- (heltered themfdves under, that I was a 
Chriltian, that therefore it had. no effect upon me.” 
16. Coluber verlicolor, the camelion viper; a beauti¬ 
ful and harmlefs fpecies, of a bright ferruginous colour, 
mixed with blue, green, and white, changing or varying 
in different lights, as it writhes and folds itfelf about. It 
has 136 abdominal icuta, and 39 fub-caudal fquamae; in 
the whole 175. 
17. Coluber melanis, the violet-coloured viper; re- 
fembling the berus in fize and appearance, and frequent¬ 
ing the dunghills and putrid marlhes about the Volga and 
Samar. The iris is brown, the pupil vertically pointed, 
the e ’ge filvery, the body black, thick, and the under 
part fmooth, with darkifh fpots ; of a fky-colour towards 
the fides and at the throat, the tail (hort, and conical. 
It has 14S abdominal fcuta, and 27 fub-caudal fquamae; 
making in the whole 175. 
18 Coluber exalbidus, the whitilh viper; the body of 
a white ground, with very broad tranfverfe fpots mixed 
with black and white. The abdominal fcuta confilt of 
133, the fub-caudal Iquamae of 4.2; in all 177. 
19. Coluber plicatilis, or folding viper ; a native of the 
Ternatian ifles. Its colour is livid; the under part of 
the body marked with a quadruple row of brown dots; 
upon the fides it has a conneited line of deep chefnut- 
brown fpots very clofe together, and fmall white fpecks 
like little eyes in the front of each; the pupil of the eye 
is white. The head is oblong, and covered with broad 
plates or lamina;, (hield-form, and tapering, on each fide, 
but are wanting round the mouth and near the nofe. The 
body much relemblts that of the natrix, but is more ro- 
buft and flefhy; the tail is thick, and fomewhat obtufe. 
The abdominal fcuta 131, the fub-caudal fquamas 46; in 
all 177. The bite of this is reprefented by Seba as very 
hurtful, but it is not marked by Linnaeus as poil'onous. 
20. Coluber Novae Hifpanige, or viper of New Spain ; 
the upper part of the body black, the under white, ob¬ 
lique Itrise on that part of the back neareft the head, and 
oblique (tripes on the part towards the tail. A native of 
Mexico; relembling the plicatilis in the head, body, and 
tail. The fcales are very fparkiing, tinged the greateft 
part with white, and forming broadifh belts with the 
black to the end of the tail, which is obtufe. The fub- 
caudal fquamae are tranfverfe, of a bright white, marked 
by fmall black ftripes or bands. This fpecies is not to 
be clafled with the poifonous, as it inhabits promifcuoufly 
with the human fpecies in South America, feeding upon 
mice and rats, dor-mice, locufts, beetles, &c. upon which 
account it is much valued by the natives. 
21. Coluber coronatus, the crowned viper; an elegant 
fpecies. The forehead is fhort and broad, and beauti¬ 
fully ornamented with variegated laminae ; on the middle 
one of which is raifed as it were an oblong triangle, de¬ 
corated with a perfect crown elegantly diiplayed on the 
forehead. The reft of the laminae are variegated with 
red and white. The eyes are bright, the cheeks broad, 
and the noftrils much expanded. The fcuta and fquamae 
are marked with handfome reddifh lpots, with a mixture 
of the cinereous. 
22. Coluber domicilla, or houfe viper; a native of Afia. 
This elegant ferpent is covered from the head to the ex¬ 
tremity of the tail by a white texture or veft of round 
fcales, encircled with the blackelt fillets, broad above, 
narrower below ; a black filming learn divides the white 
fcuta and fquamae from the fides. The head is adorned 
with large and fmall lamina;, beautifully variegated with 
white and black. It is a beautiful little creature, every 
way fo handfome and harmlefs, that the natives in the 
Lalt Indies are not only delighted at the light of it, but in 
Vol. IV« No. 239, 
USER. 797 
the extremity of the heat put it in their bofom for re- 
frefhment. They likewife inhabit their houfes, deftroying 
rats and mice, and other fimilnr vermin. The abdominal 
fcuta are 11S, the fub-caudal fquarr.se 60; in all 178. 
23. Coluber Alidras, the Alidras viper; a native of 
South America and India, entirely white. It has 121 
abdominal fcuta, and 58 fub-caudal fquanise; in all 179. 
24. Coluber pundfatus, the dotted viper. The body is 
grey, with a triple row of fmall black dots; the under 
part of the body is yellow, to the very tip of the tail. It 
is a native of Carolina, having 136 abdominal Icuta, and 
43 fub-caudal fquani 3 s ; making 179. 
25. Coluber bu'c.catus, the trumpet-chet-ked viper; a 
native of South America, and of India. The ground co¬ 
lour is white, with-a triangular fpot on the head, juifc 
above the noftrils; two dots or) the crown of the head, 
and very broad brown double lpots on the back, cover¬ 
ing almoft the whole furface of the body. The head is 
alinoft triangular, narrow, at the nofe, and very broad be¬ 
hind ; the upper part cleft, fiat, comprtfied laterally, the 
lower covered with laminae, three of which, being the 
large!!, are fituated between the eyes; above it is imbri¬ 
cated with ftrong fcales. The upper part of the cheeks 
fwell out on each fide; the body is like that of the natrix. 
The abdominal fcuta conlift of 107, the fub-caudal (qua¬ 
nta; of 72 ; in all 179. 
26. Coluber elegantiflimus, the mof! elegant viper. The 
ground colour of this beautiful fpecies is a fnowy white, 
with a red crofs on the forehead, and a triple row of little 
red fpecks, like beads of coral, extending all down the 
back; the fides are beautifully ornamented with a fingle 
row of bright red fpots, all of which feem bedded in a 
foft nidus of gold green. The crofs 011 the forehead is 
mottled with red fpecks, from whence a remarkably fmall 
fillet runs down the middle of the back. Though beau¬ 
tiful, it is a very poifonous reptile. 
27. Coluber Javanus, or viper of Java. It is white, 
with a red and brown tranfverfe band before the eyes, 
and a white one behind them ; a longitudinal fiilet runs 
from the crown of the head on the upper part of the back; 
on the middle and lower part it is variegated with white 
rhomboid?! fpots, dotted in the centre. A native of Java, 
and harmlefs. 
28. Coluber ignobilis, or ignoble viper. The ground 
colour is a greyilh yellow, with roundifh black fpots on 
the back, forming a band; and on both fides a row of 
fmall black dots. On the head are three fhining black 
ftripes, with the points meeting in the centre, and form¬ 
ing a triangle. It is long and (lender, of a very glofly 
hue, and is abundant in Virginia, and other parts of 
North America. It preys on,birds, which it catches by 
pretending to be afieep, until the victim conies within its 
reach. 
29. Coluber nexa, the netted viper : the ground -co¬ 
lour of which is red, with a double angular band on the 
back, the angles cutting each other like net-work. It is 
a native of Africa, and in the form of its head and body- 
much refembles the buccatus. 
30. Coluber berus, the common viper of Europe. Seba 
furnifhes four varieties of this fpecies, and there certainly 
are a great many more. The firft he deferibes as having 
roundifh fpots on the top of the back, uniting in tranl- 
verfe irregular bands, thofe at the extremity of the tail 
very fmall ; the fecond, as reddifh, the head variegated, 
the neck (lender: the third with the bend at the back of 
the head feparated by a white fpot: the fourth with fpots 
on the head of various forms and fizes. It is found all 
over Europe, in Siberia, and in India ; in the i(lands of 
St. Eufiatia, and Celebes; in forefts and woods, l'ome- 
times in open places, but feldom in the populous parts 
of Italy. It is a viper undoubtedly hurtful to molt ani¬ 
mals, but feldom fatal; the bite, however, caufes a fud- 
den and powerful inflammation, attended with fever and 
reftlefl'neis. It is from a foot and a half long, to two feet 
and a half, or more 5 and is fold in the (hops for medi- 
9 R dual 
