n a t u r a l h i s t o r y
J fb f
count of the mud inguana, an amphibious bipes from South Carolina„
that the water-eft, or newt,, is only the larva of the land-eft, as
tadpoles are of frogs. Left I ihould be fufpecied to mifunder-
ftand his meaning, I lhall give it in his own words. Speaking o f
the oper.c-ula or coverings to the gills, of the mud inguana, he proceeds
to fay that “ The form of thefe pennatgd coverings
“ approach very near to what I have fome time ago obferyed in.
“ the larva or aquatic ftate of our EngTtfb lacerta, known by the
“ name of eft-,;or newt;.which ferve them for coverings to their
“ gills, and for fins to. fwim with while in this fthte; and which
“ they Iofe, as well- as the fins of their tails, when they, 'change. their ’
“ ftate and become land animals, as I have, -obferyed, by keeping,
“ them alive for fome time myfelf.” x
lim ans, in his Syjlema Natura, hints at. what Mr. Ellis.advances
more than once.
Providence has been fb indulgent, to us as to allow of but one
venomous reptile of the ferpent kind in thefe kingdoms, and th^t
is the viper. As you propofe the good of mankind to be, an objedt
of your publications, you will not omit to mention common fallad-
oil as a fovereign remedy againft the bite of the viper. As to the
blind worm (anguis fragilis, fo called becaufe .it fnaps.in funder
with a fmall blow), I have found, on examination, that it . is perfectly
innocuous. A neighbouring yeoman (to whom. I am,
indebted for fome good hints) killed and opened a female viper
about the twenty-feventh of May: he found her filled with a chain
of eleven eggs, about the fize of thofe of a blackbird ; but none
of them were advanced fo far towards. a ftate of maturity as to
contain any rudiments of young. Though they are ovipatous,
yet they are viviparous alfo, hatching their young within their
bellies, and then bringing them forth. Whereas fnakes lay
+ ____< chains
,-y . ■ ' - ■/'« *-
O F S E L B O R N E . 51
chains of eggs every fummer in my melon beds, in fpite of all
that my people can do to prevent them ; which eggs do not
hatch till the fpring following, as I have often experienced.
Several intelligent folks aflure me that they have feen the viper
open her mouth and admit her helplefs young down her throat
on fudden furprifes, juft as the female opoffum does her brood
into the pouch under her belly, upon the like emergencies; and
yet. the London viper-catchers infift on it, to Mr. Barrington, that
no fuch thing ever happens. The ferpent kind eat, I believe, but
pnce in a year ;. or, rather, but only.juft at one feafon of the year.
Country people talk much of a water-fnake, but, I am pretty fure,
without any reafon ; for the common, fnake' ( coluber natrix) delights
much to fport in the water, perhaps with a view to procure,
frogs and other food.
I cannot well guefs how you are to make out your twelve fpecies
of reptiles, unlefs.it be by the various fpecies,. or rather varieties,
of our lacerti, of which Ray enumerates five. I have not had opportunity
of afoertaining thefe; but remember well to have feen,
formerly, feveral beautiful green lacerti on the funny fandbanks
near Farnham, in Surrey; mid Ray admits there are fuch in Ireland.
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