Inhabits Carolina: fwims well, and is very dexterous in catching fish. During fummer, numbers of them are feen hanging on the boughs of trees over the rivers, watching the approach of fish or fowl, and frequently drop into the boats paffing beneath. They plunge on their prey, and purfue it with great fwiftnefs; and as foon as they catch it, swim afhore to devour it are called the Water Rattlefnake, and are fuppofed to be as fatab in their bite. The little horn at the tail gives it a dreadful name, as if armed with death at both extremities. The fuperftitious believe, that by a jerk of that part it can mortally wound any animal, and even caufe a tree to wither by transfixing the bark. BOA, *This is an immenfe animal; it often exceeds thirty-fix feet in length, the body is very thick, of a dusky white colour, and its back is intersperfed with twenty-four Large pale irregular spots; the tail is of a darker colour, and the fides are beautifully variegated with pale fpots: befides, the whole body is interfperfed with fmal brown fpors. The head is covered with fmall scales, and has no broad lamine betwist the eyes, but has a black belt behind the eyes. It wants the large dog-fangs, and of courfe its bite is not poisonous. The tongue is ficthy and forked. Above the eyes, on each fide, the head rifes high. The scales of this ferpent are all very small, roundifh and fmooth. The tail does not exceed one-eighth of the whole length of the animal, The Indians, who adore this monftrous animal, use the skin for clothes, on account of its fmoothnefs and beauty. There are feveral of these skins of the above dimensions preferved, and to be seen in the different mufcums of Europe, particularly in the library and botanic garden of Upfal in Sweden, which has of late been greatly enriched by Count Grillinborg. The fleth of this ferpest is eat by the Indians and the negrocs. Pifo, Margraave and Kempfer, give the following account of its method of living and catching its prey. It frequents caves and thick forests, where it conceals itfelf, and fuddenly darts out upon ftrangers, wild beafts, &c. When it chooses a tree for its watching-place, it supports itself by twisting its tail round the trunk or a branch, and darts down upon theep, goats, tigers, or any animal that comes within its reach. When it lays hold of animals, especially any of the larger kinds, it twifts itself feveral times round their body, and by the vaft force of its circular muscles bruifes and breaks all their bones: after the bones are broke, it licks the fkin of the animal all over, befmearing it with a glutinous kind of faliva. This operation is intended to facilitate deglutition, and is a preparation for fallowing the whole animal. If it be a stag, or any horned animal, it begins to fwallow the feet firft, and gradually fucks in the body, and laft of all the head; when the horns happen to be large, this ferpent has been obferved to go about for a long time with the horns of a stag ficking out from its mouth as the animal digefts, the horns putrefy and fall off. After this ferpent has swallowed a flag or a tiger, it is unable for fome days to move; the hunters, who are well acquainted with this circumftance, always take this opportunity of detoying it. When irritated it makes a loud hiling noife. It is faid to cover itfelf over with leaves in fuch places as ftags or other animals frequent, in order to conceal irfelf from their fight, and that it may the more easily lay hold of them. N. B. The figure given in the annexed plate, by mistake of the calie! The Black Snake. is improperly TWO-HEADED SNAKE. This has in general been confidered as a monftrous production; but Mr. Morse fays, he is disposed to believe that it is a distinct fpecies; he obferves that he has seen one, and received accounts of three others, found in different parts of the United States: one of these was about eight inches long, and both heads, as to every outward appearance, were equally perfect, and branching out from the meck at an acute angle, VOL. IV. 3 FISH |