coo C O L U B E ' R 
55. Coluber crafficaudus, or thick-tailed viper; of a 
Iky-blue colour, with a thick tail. It is a native of Africa, 
and defc'ribed by Se'oa as mottled or fpotted with black. 
Abdominal fcuta 142,.fub-caudal fquamae Co; total 202. 
56. Coluber nsevius, the freckled viper. The ground 
colour is white, freckled with dulky fpots, and interlaced 
with black lines or bands. Abdominal fcuta 153, fub- 
caudal fquamae 50; total 203. 
57. Coluber cobella, the cobellaviper. Itisofaduficy 
colour, with fmall white bands, a very common inha¬ 
bitant of America, from two to three feet long. The 
bead is broad, with an oblique lead-coloured fpot behind 
each eye; the tail becomes very fuddenly taper, the tip 
©fit the fifth or fixth part of an inch, and obtufe ; the co¬ 
lours as well as the fcuta and fquamae are various; fome- 
times it is grey with little oblique lines ; fometimes the 
upper part brown with oblique black lines, and die under 
part white,with ftripes fringed with white and brown; fome¬ 
times the upper part is of a dark grey, the under itriped 
with white, with the lateral fcales of a dirty white, freak¬ 
ed with, brown ; fometimes the under part is ftriped, and 
the upper plain brown, with faintilh lines, at firft oblique, 
afterwards forming angles ; fometimes the under part 
is Itriped, the upper of a pale brown with dorfal fcales, 
here and there white on the edges ; fometimes the upper 
part is Itriped with black, the under white; with,faintilh 
oblique lines and tranfverfe black and brown ftripes. The 
fcuta and fub-caudal fquamae have been found to differin 
no lefs than thirteen varieties of thisfpecies of viper. 
5.8. Coluber purpurans, the purple viper.' It is of a 
purple colour, decorated with black fpots. The abdo¬ 
minal fcuta 144., fub-caudal fquamae 72, making 216. 
59. Coluber regin-ae, the royal viper; a native of South 
America, ac,d India. The upper part is brown, with a 
purple tinge ; but white underneath the chin and tail. 
The abdominal fcuta are alternately white, and partly 
brown and black, abdominal fcuta 137, fub-caudal Iquamae 
70 ; total 207 : or in others 143, and 74, making 217. 
60. Coluber doliatus, the crafty viper; a native of Ca¬ 
rolina. The ground colour is white, with black equi- 
dilcant belts ; the fcuta not entirely encircling the abdo¬ 
men, but joined on each fide to the more remote, by 
which means the dorfal belts become perfect; abdominal 
fcuta 164, fub-caudal fquamae 43; total 207 3 or in other 
Varieties 166 and 40, making 206. 
61. Coluber ordinatus, the regular-marked viper. The 
ground colour is a very light blue, fliaded with black, 
and decorated with equi-diftant fpeckled black and white 
belts, and a row of black fpecks on the fides : called by 
Seba, ferpent ibi bofoca of Brafii. A native of Carolina, 
and other parts of North America. The abdominal fcuta 
138, the fub-caudal fquamae 725 total 210, or 138, 74, 
making 212. _ v 
62. Coluber coccineus, the crimfon viper; a native of 
Florida, and New Spain, an ell in length, but the thick- 
nef; only of the little finger. The Ikin is ufed by the in¬ 
habitants for ropes ; the head is very {mall; the face crim- 
fon, the eyebrows black, the forehead yellow ; the neck is 
Unmarked ; twenty-three crimfon fpots decorate the back, 
tranfverfely rounded, or of an obtufe fauare form, edged 
with black, and moft of them imperfect at the Tides, 
and marked with yellow lines fpotted with black. The 
abdomen is of a fnining filvery white; abdominal fcuta 
175, fub-caudal fquamae 35, making 210. 
63. Coluber Mexicanus, the Mexican viper. A native 
of South America, with 134 abdominal fcuta, and 77 fub- 
caudal fquamae, in all 211. * 
64. Coluber leverus, the cruel viper; called the deaf 
adder. It is a native of Afia, from fixteen inches to two 
feet in length, cinereous grey with white irregular bands 
and tranfverfe dark {trite converging towards the back, 
the under part white, with the bands divided on the out- 
fide ; fometimes the upper part is brown, with tranfverfe 
narrow cinereous bands, white on the edges, the under 
part of a pale colour, fpotted with brown towards the 
tail ; the back of the bead brown ; a (ingle brown ftripg 
between the eyes, and another behind them. Its bite is 
venomous and cruel, feidom letting go its hold till the 
head is levered from the body : abdominal fcuta 170 ; 
fub-caudal fquamae 42; making 212. But thtfe vary 
in the different varieties. 
65. Coluber Aurora, the Aurora viper; a native of 
America. It has a livid-coloured ground, with a yellow 
back, forming a broad longitudinal band from head to 
tail; the tail and neck fomewhat thick, but like the plica- 
tiiis; abdominal fcuta 179, .fub-caudal fquamae 37; in 
ail 2x6. 
66. Coluba Sipedon, the Sipedon viper; alj over of a 
plain brown ; and a native of North America. It has 144 
abdominal fcuta, and 73 fub-caudal fquamae; total 217. 
67. Coluber maurus, or moorifti viper; a native of Al¬ 
giers., The upper part of the body is brown, with two 
dorfal lines, the under part black; and numberlefs black 
ftripes on both fides from the dorfal lines to the abdomen. 
It is (urnilhed with 152 abdominal fcuta, and 66 fub-cau¬ 
dal fquamae ; in all 218. 
68. Coluber ftolatus, the long-robed viper; a native of 
Afia. The ground colour is a yellowilh brown, with 
two white longitudinal fillets in the back, forming the 
ground colour into three brown broad ftripes. The head 
and the fcuta on the abdomen marked on both fides with 
a black fpeck ; on the neck are light, dark brown, fliort 
{pots on a light ground 5 abdominal fcuta 143, fub-cau¬ 
dal fquamae 76; total 219. The two following varieties 
of this viper are defcribed by Dr. Rufieii, among the fer- 
pents he examined on the coaft of Coromandel. The 
firft has 143 abdominal fcuta, and 70 fub-caudal fquamae} 
making 213; and is called by the natives wanna pam. 
The head is fomewhat broader than the neck, obtufe- 
ovate, deprdfed, rather fhort, covered with nine princi¬ 
pal laminae befides forne fmaller. The anterior pair, fmall, 
fub-rotund ; the next irregularly pentagonal; the central 
lamina between the eyes narrow, lhield-form, the lateral 
conical; the large pofterior pair, oblique, oblong, ieini- 
cordate, with two of three lmall laminae on each fide. 
The mouth large, the lower jaw fomewhat ftiorter than 
the upper. Tne teeth, fmall, (harp, reflex; a marginal 
and two palatal rows in the upper jaw. The eyes large, 
orbicular, protuberant. The nollrils near the point of 
the roftrum, large, and open. The trunk round, inveft- 
ed with oval, thick-fit, carinated kales; two rows only 
next the fcuta, not carinated. The length, one foot and 
a half; the circumference of the neck one inch and a 
fourth ; the trunk, where thickeft, feidom exceeds two 
inches and a fourth. The tail tapers rapidly, the iaft 
inch becoming exceflively {lender: in length four inches 
and a half. The colour of the head and neck a very 
dark green ; the cheeks and throat yellow. On the neck.*’ 
are two blackilli bands, from which a yellowifh-brown 
fillet runs on each fide along the trunk and part of the 
tail, variegated with fmall white {pots nearly at equal dif- 
tances, and oppofiteto each other. Befides thefe, moft part 
of the trunk between the fillets is adorned with broader, 
tranfverfe, whitifti bands; and between the fillets and the 
abdomen, with waving, interrupted, longitudinal, white 
lines. The ground colour between all thefe, approaches 
to black. From within a few inches of the anus, the 
trunk and part of the tail retain only the plain yellow- 
iflt-brown fillet 011 each fide. The fcuta and iub caudal 
fquamae are of a dull pearl colour, and the former often 
have a black dot on each fide. Dr. Ruflell had no op¬ 
portunity of making trials with the living fnake, but from 
its want of poifon organs, he concludes it to be innocu¬ 
ous. In the Syftema Naturae of Linnaeus, it is marked 
poifonous ; but that this is a miftake, has been very juftly 
obferved by Dr. Gray in the 79th volume of the Pbilofo- 
phical Tranfaftions. 
The fecond variety has 145 abdominal fcuta, and 66 
fub-caudal fquamae, in all 2ti ; and is called by the na¬ 
tives of India wanna cogl't. Tim agrees in all material 
4 ' points 
