All objections, however, are not removed by this reading. 574. Pars, folidis adlifa, lapis rejecta

Lapis is here given for the locis of fame copies.

One manufcript having permissa, the editor juilly prefers it ; and, in a judicious note, he thus writes:

Utra fit genuina lectio, patebit liquidiffime, fi veras rationes dictionum teneas, pauciffimis eruditorum, quantum intelligere valeam, vel leviter, ne dum accurate, cognitas. Qui permittitur, "de uno loco ufque ad alterum permeat;" qui rurfus promittitur, "quodam tenus folummodo mittitur:" majus ergo eft permitti, quam promitti. Vides autem, canum vim in Lucretio ufque ad feras pervenire, omni intervallo peragrato: non fequitur folum, sed confequitur. Vera igitur lectio eft permiffa; nec promissa quidem mentem poëtæ adimpleverit.'

996. Degere, fæpe levem ex oculis volucremque foporem.

He omits this verfe, as it does not appear to have been written by Lucretius, though it is given in feveral of the editions.

1123.

aç Melitenfia, Ceaque, vortunt.

The rectification of this paffage, he fays, gave him great trouble; but he did not regret the lofs of his time, when he found reafon to conclude, that the poet had written atque Alidenfia, Chiaque.

1188, 9.

conmunia quaerens

Gaudia, folicitat fpatium decurrere amoris.

He is inclined to alter quærens to quondam, and admit the folicitant of fome of the copies: but, prudently checking himfelf, he declines fuch a violation of the text.

(To be continued.)

An Account of Indian Serpents, collected on the Coaft of Coromandel; containing Defcriptions and Drawings of each Species; together with Experiments and Remarks on their several Poifons. By Patrick Ruffell, M. D. F. R. S. prefented to the Hon. the Court of Directors of the Eaft India Company, and published by their Order, under the Superintendence of the Author. Folio. 31. 13s. 6d. Boards. Nicol.

THE advantages of the Indian commerce, in promoting the progress of science in general, and particularly that of

natural history, have been pointed out in fome of our articles, when we have had occafion to follow the fteps of thofe enlightened inquirers, who have joined scientific refearch to their principal object. The current century has added greatly, from this fource, to the ftock of our knowledge: within this period more has been added to fcience, than it could boaft in the three preceding centuries.

The prefent work, published under the aufpices of the Eaft-India company, reflects credit on the liberality of the directors, and their zeal in the promotion of scientific inquiries and useful purfuits. But it must not be concealed, that it is incomplete, though it deferves attention for what has been done in it, and for its tendency to excite the industry of others.

In this volume, forty-three ferpents are described; and the defcriptions are illuftrated by coloured plates. Only three ge nera, however, are noticed the boa, coluber, and anguis. Of the boa four fpecies are mentioned, of which the laft is not poisonous. The diftinction between poisonous and innocuous ferpents was long ago pointed out by Dr. Gray, in the Philofophical Tranfactions for 1789, Vol. LXXIX (noticed in our LXVIIIth volume, p. 415). The principal diftinction, on which our author infifts, is the outer row of teeth. Serpents have ufually an external row, which Dr. Ruffell styles marginal, befides an internal fet called palatal. Venemous ferpents have not a regular fet of marginal teeth, like thofe of the harmlefs kind. The four fpecies of boa are new: they do not occur in the Syftema Naturæ of Linnæus, or in Gmelin's enlarged edition of that work. The firft, which has two hundred and nine abdominal fcuta and forty-feven fubcaudal scales (we fhall in future employ the two numbers only, 209-47), is not very poifonous. The fecond (150, 25) is apparently much more fo; and the third (233, 36) is highly virulent. The fourth (209, 19) is, as we have faid, innocent.

Thirty-fix fpecies of the coluber are defcribed. The first is the famous cobra de capello, the coluber naja of Linnæus, of which feveral varieties are mentioned. It is known to be poisonous; and, as it will be a standard of the poisonous quality of the other fpecies, we may add that its bite proves fatal to a dog in twenty-feven minutes, and to a chick in half a minute. The fecond fpecies (168, 59) is not lefs dangerous: the third (241, 32), though poisonous, is flightly fo; and the fourth (170, 58) nearly refembles the third. The next fpecies is the coluber ftolatus of Linnæus, an innocent animal; and the fixth is only a variety of it. The c. mycterizans of Linnæus follows, which Dr. Gray has proved not to be poifonous. The fourteen next are new and innocent, though fome of these are large and ferocious; and, in one or two inftances, there is a fpur or claw near the anus, which, it is said,

fometimes ferves for a weapon of offence. The twenty-fecond fpecies is the c. lineatus of Linnæus, which certainly poffeffes no poisonous organs. The remaining fourteen species are innocuous with refpect to poisoning, though many of them are ferocious, and swallow small birds, which they previously ftrangle. We fhall felect a fpecimen of our author's manner from his account of one of these.

Called by the natives Mega Rekula Poda.

The head fmall, but broader than the neck, ovate, depreffed, and covered with twelve principal laminæ, befides feven of smaller fize. The middlemoft of thofe next the roftrum, emarginate; the lateral, perforated by the noftrils; a pair, fmall, roundish, between the noftrils: the next pair larger, angular, with two fmall, round, laminæ, on each fide; the fhield-form lamina, between the eyes, acuminate; the large femicordate pair, irregularly shaped, and truncate, with three fmall lamina on each fide. The fcales under the eve white.

The mouth, moderate fize; the jaws of nearly equal length. The teeth, finall, numerous, reflex; two palatal rows, and one marginal, in the upper jaw.

The eyes high, not large, orbicular, prominent: the noftrils near each other, very small.

The trunk round, fwelling gradually from the neck to two inches and a half circumference, then tapering to the tail: the fcales, ovate, clofe, imbricate.

The length, two feet three inches and a half. The tail very taper, terminates in a fharp point: it meafures five inches three fourths.

The colour of the head, an olive-yellow, with a short, oblique, bluish-black, freak, behind each eye; two long ftreaks of the fame colour, with two or three ovate rings between, adorn the neck, while two other ftreaks cross the throat obliquely. On the rest of the neck, and part of the trunk, a faint pink is blended with the olive-yellow; and a narrow thread of dark blue, with white fpots at the angles, runs zigzag, or waving, along the back. But neither the pencil, nor verbal defcription, can convey an adequate idea of the elegant colouring of this fake, when provoked and fwelling with rage; the colours inceffantly fliding into each other, and varying in brilliancy.

The colours of the remainder of the trunk, with the tail, are more uniform and permanent; the waving thread fades gradually, the olive-yellow of the back becomes darker, and a dark-brown fillet is continued along each fide to the fharp point of the tail;

between which and the fcuta, is interpofed a double row of white fcales. The fcuta and fquamæ are of a pearl colour.

OBSERVATIONS.

This fnake was found at Vizagapatam, in the month of April, and brought to me in an hour or two after it was caught. It ap peared fingularly alert in its movements, and fnapped at every thing presented to it. In preparing to attack, it wreathed its neck, and part of the trunk, into close turns, and at the fame time, retracting its head, prefented, at a distance, fomething of the appearance of a hooded fnake. When it fnapped, the body being more raised by affiftance of the tail, the wreaths were rapidly unwreathed, and the head darted obliquely forward, with a motion fo rapid, that the animal, without rifing from the ground, feemed to fly on his prey. In this manner it could unexpectedly feize an object which in appearance lay far beyond its reach.

A chicken, intended for experiment, having made its efcape, was accidentally purfued into the chamber where the fnake had been left at liberty, and was no fooner perceived, than the fnake flew furiously at him, fnapped feveral times as he paffed, and foon feized and fecured him, by wreathing round the body. In two minutes the bird was found dead, having been ftrangled by the fnake's tail.

A fecond chicken was attacked in like manner, and had he not been relieved in time, would have fuffered the fame fate. He was bitten in feveral places, but without any confequence.

It was remarkable that, ferocious as this fnake appeared to be, he could not, when held in the hand, be provoked to bite a chicken repeatedly prefented to him.' P. 37.

Four fpecies of anguis are defcribed; none of them with poifonous organs. Some of thefe are fuppofed to have a head at each extremity, as they move with equal ease in both directions; but the idea is unfounded; for the anus is as diftinguishable as the head.

The experiments on different ferpents follow; viz. on the firft fpecies of boa, gediparagoodoo; on the firft fpccies of coluber, cobra de capello; on the katuka rekula poda, the fecond fpecies; and bodroo pam, the fourth. The moft numerous trials were with the two first fpecies of coluber.

The effects of the poifon greatly resemble those of the European viper, or the rattle-fnake. Yet the venom of the latter is much more deleterious than that of the Eaft-Indian ferpents, in thefe experiments. There is inuch reafon to prefume, however, that there are kinds much inore noxious than thofe defcribed in the prefent volume.

It is painful to purfue thefe experiments in all the variety of mifery produced. It is fufficient to fay, that the venom of

the boa, and that of the cobra de capello, were highly deleterious, though the former was lefs fo than the latter: the two other colubers were lefs noxious than the cobra de capello.

• From the experiments detailed, it fufficiently appears, that the feveral poifons mentioned, though in different degrees, are all deleterious.

That the fymptoms produced by them in the bodies of different animals are very much alike.

That the progrefs of thefe fymptoms, after they commence, is nearly in the fame order of progreffion, though in different degrees of rapidity.

That a like variation is obferved in the commencement of the fymptoms. Sometimes it is almoft inftantaneous; in general from three to ten minutes; but very feldom later than half an hour.

That when the snake is first caught, its bite infects with mare certainty than when kept fome time: but the deleterious quality of the poifon, though impaired, is not by captivity (even where accompanied by long fafting) deftroyed. When it appears to have loft the power of killing larger quadrupeds, it ftill retains that of killing birds, though lefs fpeedily than at firft.

That when the fnake is made to bite feveral times fucceffively in the fame day, the first bite, other circumftances being equal, is not only more certain of infecting, but in general proves more quickly deleterious.

That the poison of fnakes does not invariably kill animals; and that they fometimes unexpectedly escape from a concourfe of dangerous fymptoms; though in general the danger of death is in proportion to the violence, and early appearance of thefe fymptoms.

That the period of death varies confiderably. Dogs, in no inftance, were killed in fo short a time as birds; but the variation, with refpect to both, fo far as my experiments go, does not feem ftrictly correfpondent to the fize of the animals.

That the artificial infertion of poifon is lefs fecure of taking effect than the bite of the animal; but the confequent fymptoms are exactly the fame, and the event, with refpect to the faller animals, not lefs fatal. For the trial of remedies, however, the bite of the reptile itself was always preferred to the artificial infer tion of the poifon.

• Several of the above inferences will be found of fervice to prevent certain effects, whether good or bad, from being afcribed erroneously to medicines, which properly belong to the difeafe in its natural course.' P. 66.

The remedies were next examined. The Tanjore pill ap peared to be useless. Its compofition is of white arfenic, pepper, quickfilver, the roots of velli-navi (a poisonous vegetable from the Malabar coaft), the roots of neri-vitham, and the