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v 
THE 
ROSE-COLOURED AMPHISBiENA. 
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Generic Character. 
The whole animal marked by annuli or circular 
fegments. 
Specific Character. 
AMPHISBdENA with the annuli of the body 
amounting to about 223 ; of the tail 16. 
The animals of the genus AmphifbtBna, which con¬ 
tains but very few fpecies, differ fo much from die ma¬ 
jor part of the ferpent tribe, as to be almoft liable, on a 
curfory view, to be miftaken for worms rather than 
fnakes; being totally deftitute of fcales; inftead of 
which the whole animal is marked with equidiftant an¬ 
nuli, or circular fpaces furrounding the body, and de- 
cuffated by an infinite number of longitudinal divifions 
or ftriffi. The head is marked with a few large divifions 
or fpaces analogous to the large fcales in the major part 
of the genus Coluber; and the tail, inftead of tapering 
gradually, is fcarce diftinguifhable from the proportion 
of the reft of the body; and is extremely obtufe or 
rounded. This peculiarity of fhape in the genus Am- 
phifbaena, gave rife to the erroneous idea of the Am- 
phifbtena being furniflied with a head at each extre¬ 
mity : 
