Ethiopia. St. Jerom, in his life of Hilarion, denominates such a serpent, draco, a dragon; saying, that they were called boas, because they could swallow, boves, beeves, and waste whole provinces. Bosman says, entire men have, frequently, been found in the gullets of serpents, on the Gold Coast; but, the longest serpent I have read of, is that mentioned by Livy, and by Pliny, which opposed the Roman army under Regulus, at the river Bagrada in Africa. It devoured several of the soldiers; and so hard were its scales, that they resisted darts and spears: at length it was, as it were, besieged, and the military engines were employed against it, as against a fortified city. It was an hundred and twenty feet in length. Its skin was sent to Rome as a trophy, and was preserved in one of the temples there, Pliny, lib. xviii. cap. 14. Add the following testimonies :

"At Batavia was once taken a serpent, which had swallowed an entire stag of a large size : one taken at Bauda had done the same, by a negro woman," Baldeus, in Churchill, vol. iii. p. 732.

"Leguat in his Travels says, there are serpents fifty feet long in the island of Java. At Batavia they still keep the skin of one, which though but twenty feet in length, is said to have swallowed a young maid whole," Barbot, in Churchill, vol. v. p. 560.

"The serpent guaku, or liboya, [boa] is questionless the biggest of all serpents; some being eighteen, twenty-four, nay, thirty feet long, and of the thickness of a man in the middle. The Portuguese call it kobre de hado, or the roebuck serpent, because it will swallow a whole roebuck, or other deer; and this is performed by sucking it through the throat, which is pretty narrow, but the belly vastly big. Such an one I saw near Paraiba, which was thirty feet long, and as big as a barrel. Some negroes accidentally saw it swallow a roebuck, whereupon thirteen musketeers were sent out, who shot it, and cut the roebuck out of its belly . . . It is not venomous... This serpent, being a very devouring creature, greedy of prey, leaps from among the hedges and woods, and standing upright on its tail, wrestles both with men and wild beasts: sometimes it leaps from the trees upon the traveller, whom it fastens on, and beats the breath out of his body with its tail," Nieuhoff, in Churchill, vol. ii. p. 13.

2dly, I would call the attention of the reader to the immense serpent of Regulus, especially because there is a strong probability that it might have been in the mind of the writer of the Revelations; who, as we bave seen, describes a power most terribly distressing, under the figure of a dragon: a red dragon. On which observe, 1st, That the dragon of antiquity was, no doubt, a prodigious serpent, such as is described in our extracts above; for which acceptation Jerom's authority may be at present sufficient. 2dly, That the colour most conspicuous in the great boa is red, which is very handsomely formed into figures, and

composes a beautiful maculated pattern; so that the idea of red, but not exclusively blood red, in this instance, is drawn from nature; and perhaps the colours of some individuals of this species may be of a deeper red than those of others. It is impossible to convey the idea of this redness, and its application to the boa, without colours, but, so far as I recollect, the redness is rather that of bricks than of blood. Our extracts assert, that this serpent strikes vehemently with his tail; which is (according to the representation of the apocalyptic writer.

3dly, As to the seven heads of the great red dragon, it is well known, that there is a species of snake amphisbena, or double headed, but, the apparent heads of this snake are, one at each end of him, and one of these is apparent only, not real. There is, indeed, a kind of serpent which is so often found with two heads growing from one neck, that some have fancied it might form a species, but we have as yet no authority adequate to that effect. It follows, that the number of heads is entirely allegorical. I only remark, that this dragon of the apocalypse is not absolutely singular, if the fable of the dragon having seven heads, compared with the dragon having seven tails, was extant anciently.

4thly, The ten horns of this dragon must be ailegorical also.

As to the flood of water ejected by this dragon, I do not know of any receptacle which serpents have for containing such a provision; and the nearest approach toward it, which I have been able to find, is the following:

Beverly, in his account of Virginia, mentions, pressing the roof of the mouth of a rattlesnake, whose head was recently cut off, and the venom spirted out like the current of blood in blood letting.

Gregory, the friend of Ludolph, says, Hist. Eth. lib. i. cap. 13. "We have in our province a sort of serpent as long as the arm. He is of a glowing red colour, but somewhat brownish; he hides himself under bushes and grass. This animal has an offensive breath; and he breaths out [spirts out, ejects, I rather think] a poison so venomous and stinking, that a man or beast within reach of it, is sure to perish quickly by it, unless immediate assistance be given.'

"At Mouree, a great snake being half under a heap of stones, and the other half out, a man cut it in two at the part which was out from among the stones; and as soon as the heap was removed, the reptile, turning, made up to the man, and spit such venom into his face as quite blinded him, and so he continued some days, but at last recovered his sight," Barbot, in Churchill, vol. v. p. 213.

This history is remarkable, because the venom of poisonous serpents is usually ejected by a perforation in their cheek teeth, or fangs; this ejection accompa nies the act of biting: and it does not appear that this man was bitten. Moreover, whether the matter

spirted by this serpent was venom, does not appear, nor what effect it had, or might have had, on parts not so tender as the eye. Nevertheless, we learn from this instance, that serpents have a power of throwing out from their mouth a quantity of fluid, of an injurious nature, and a quantity of such fiuid proportionate to the immense size of his dragon, is what in the Revelations is called a stream, which, happily for the woman at whom it was aimed, was received by the opening earth. [I rather think this was not properly venom, and the writer of the apocalypse does not say it was; these great serpents not being venomous, strictly speaking.]

Having thus admitted the real dragon of Scripture to its proper place, and proved not only the existence, but the manners of this reptile, in conformity to Scripture accounts, it may not be amiss to consider, whether he does not pretty closely represent the Hebrew nahash; which, perhaps, is sometimes taken generically for all the serpent tribes; and sometimes for the largest kind, "the serpent," or dragon, by eminence. Of the first acceptation of the word nahash, we have an instance, Jer. viii. 17. where we read of serpents, nahashim, which is explained by tjephonim, hereby determining what kind of nahashim should be selected as most venomous and fatal. The second acceptation of this word is not uncommon; and Parkhurst assimilates it to the dragon of the Greeks.

But we ought to observe the application of this word, nahash, to a sea serpent also; and here I confess want of information. Is there more than one kind of sea serpent? if so, what are their differences? These questions I have not been so happy as to answer to my own satisfaction; but, observe, 1st, That most serpents are amphibious, and take to the water readily. 2dly, That the great boa is not afraid even of wide rivers, and high waves: he may be destroyed by fire, but water he does not fear. Let us combine our evidence on this difficult article.

There seems to be at least one kind of large serpent, which ventures a considerable distance out to sea; this appears to be a land serpent, equally as it is a water serpent; but, I have read of proper water serpents, seen too far out at sea to be supposed natives of the land: these are true hydras; but their varieties, colours, manners, and other particularities, are not, I believe, well understood. The following histories seem rather to belong to amphibious serpents. "Serpents are very common all over the isle of Ceylon the SEA SERPENTS are sometimes eight, nine, or ten yards long. The most dangerous serpents are the cobras di capellas. The Malabars call the serpents pambo and naja, and give their cattle and children their names; nay, they feed them because they should do them no harm," Baldæus in Churchill, vol. iii. p. 731.

"Peter van Coerden, admiral of the Dutch fleet in the East Indies, says, that while he was at anchor on the coast of Mozambic, a boy that was washing him

self by the ship's side was seized by the middle by a serpent of enormous size, that dragged him under wa ter at once in the sight of the whole fleet," Harris, Voyages, vol. ii. p. 475.

"P. van den Broek says, that at Golconda there are serpents of prodigious size, the bite of which is instantly mortal; and observes further, that whenever these creatures are seen at sea, it is a certain sign of their being near the Indian coast.'

"Admiral Verhoven tells us a singular story of a sea serpent in the straits of Sincapoua. A seaman, washing himself by the ship's side, was seized by one of these creatures, on which he roared so loud, that one of his companions threw him a rope, and pulled him into the ship: but the serpent had torn such a piece out of his side, that he died immediately. The serpent continued about the ship, till at last it was taken, and was the largest they had ever seen. On opening its belly, they found therein the piece of flesh which he had torn from the sailor, and which they buried with him," Harris, ib. Adm. Verhoven's Voyage, p. 92.

I see no reason for doubting the existence of true sea serpents at least equal in dimensions with land serpents: I think I have read of some eight or nine feet long; but whether these possess venom I do not know. However, the stories quoted may justify the sacred writers in speaking of sea serpents, which they call nahash: as Amos ix. 3. "Though they hide in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, nahash, and he shall bite them."

The reader will connect with this, the recollection that we have a nahash also in the heavens; for so Job expresses himself, xxvi. 13. "By his Spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent." This crooked serpent, whatever constellation it may be, is clearly referred to the heavens; and whether it is, as some have supposed, a constellation around the north pole, or, as others think, the milky way, whose tortuous course not unaptly represents the windings of a serpent's form and track, can only be hinted at, not fully discussed, in this place.

I would merely hint further, that since it was a nahash which tempted Eve, not a peten, nor a ljephon, it is of consequence to notice the application of this word; lest, peradventure, we should attribute that action to a serpent of a kind totally different from what was designed by the sacred writer; which error could only be the occasion of others, perhaps not equally innoxious.

I take the present opportunity of suggesting a thought or two, on the existence of flying serpents; as Scripture is usually understood to mention them.

Michaelis says, Quest. lxxxiii. speaking of such serpents," Although modern naturalists have not communicated any satisfactory information respecting flying serpents, yet they are so often spoken of by the ancient writers of nations near to the equator, who may be better acquainted with the nature of serpents

than we are, that I dare boldly recommend further inquiries to travellers, respecting the existence of flying serpents. If there be any, and if they have been seen by witnesses deserving of credit, I beg every information, name, &c." This inquiry is interesting; and though we are unable to affirm, that serpents, flying by means of wings, inhabit those countries to which Scripture more particularly refers, yet if they exist now in any country, it will be so much in proof of the possibility, that they formerly might exist in other countries.

Barbot, after mentioning serpents on the coast of Guinea thirty feet long, as the blacks assured him, says, "They also told me, there are winged serpents or dragons, having a forked tail, and a prodigious wide mouth, full of sharp teeth; extremely mischievous to mankind, more particularly to small children. If we may credit this account of the blacks, these are of the same sort of winged serpents, which some authors assure us, are to be found in Abyssinia, being very great enemies to the elephants, Barbot, in Churchill, vol. v. p. 213.

"In the woods of Java are certain flying snakes, or rather drakes, [drakos] they have four legs, a long tail, and their skins speckled with many spots; their wings are not unlike those of a bat, which they move in flying, but otherwise keep them almost unperceived close to the body. They fly nimbly, but cannot hold it long, so that they fly from tree to tree, at about twenty or thirty paces distance. On the outside of the throat are two bladders, which, being extended when they fly, serve them instead of a sail. They feed on flies and other insects. The Javaneses do not in the least account them poisonous, but handle them just like common snakes, without the least danger," Nieuhoff in Churchill, vol. ii. p. 296. [These are flying lizards, not serpents.]

Niebuhr says, "There are at Bazra a sort of serpents called heie sursurie, or heie thiâre. They commonly keep on the date-trees; and as it would be troublesome to them to come down a high tree, and creep up another, they hang by the tail to a branch of one tree, and by swinging that about, take advantage of its motion to leap to a second. These the modern Arabs call flying serpents, heie thiâre. I do not know whether the ancient Arabs saw any other kind of flying serpent. Some Europeans from Bombay assured me, that they had seen serpents with two heads; and others with two feet," [which is certainly true.] Then he alludes to Anson's Voyage in further proof.

The words in Anson's Voyage are, "The Spaniards too, informed us, that there was often found in the woods a most mischievous serpent, called the flying snake; which, they said, darted itself from the boughs of trees, on either man or beast that came within its reach, and whose sting they believed to be

inevitable death," p. 308. 8vo. The reader will observe, this is report.

To conclude by returning to the dragon:

The following is the latest, and most distinct, account of one of these large serpents which I have been able to procure: I hope no apology is necessary for alluding to an inhabitant of South America; I have been extremely jealous on such excursions. It combines several particulars which coincide with our purpose, though it differs certainly from the red dragon of Asia or Africa.

"We had not gone above twenty yards through mud and water, the negro looking every way with an uncommon degree of vivacity and attention; when, starting behind me, he called out, "Me see snakee!" and in effect, there lay the animal, rolled up under the falling leaves and rubbish of the trees; and so well covered, that it was some time before I distinctly perceived the head of this monster, distant from me not above sixteen feet, moving its forked tongue, while its eyes, from their uncommon brightness, appeared to emit sparks of fire. I now, resting my piece upon a branch, for the purpose of taking a surer aim, fired; but missing the head, the ball went through the body, when the animal struck round, and with such astonishing force as to cut away all the underwood around him with the facility of a sithe mowing grass; and by flouncing his tail, caused the mud and dirt to fly over our heads to a considerable distance. Of this proceeding however we were not torpid spectators, but took to our heels, and crowded into the canoe I now found the snake a little removed from his former station, but very quiet, with his head as before, lying out among the fallen leaves, rotten bark, and old moss. I fired at it immediately, but with no better success than the other time: and now, being but slightly wounded, he sent up such a cloud of dust and dirt, as I never saw but in a whirlwind, and made us once more suddenly retreat... Having once more discovered the snake, we discharged both our pieces at once, and with this good effect, that he was now by one of us shot through the head. David, who was made completely happy by this successful conclusion, ran leaping with joy, and lost no time in bringing the boat rope, in order to drag him down to the canoe ; but this again proved not a very easy undertaking, since the creature, notwithstanding its being mortally wounded, still continued to writhe and twist about, in such a manner as rendered it dangerous for any person to approach him. The negro, however, having made a running noose on the rope, after some fruitless attempts to make an approach, threw it over his head with much dexterity; and now, all taking hold of the rope, we dragged him to the beach, and tied him to the stern of the canoe, to take him in tow. Being still alive, he kept swimming like an eel; and I having no relish for such a shipmate on board, whose

THE cerastes, or horned viper, is among the most fatal of the serpent tribe. It is, moreover, well distinguished from all others, by the peculiarity of its horns; and it is abundant in Egypt and in Syria, so that it could not escape the notice and allusions of the sacred writers. I believe it is agreed, on all hands, that this serpent is mentioned in Scripture; but the difficulty is to determine which of the Hebrew appellations of serpents describes this species especial

ty.

Mr. Bruce has favoured us with a figure of this creature, and with a considerable account of its manners, part of which we shall extract. He says, "There is no article of natural history the ancients bave dwelt on more than that of the viper, whether poets, physicians, or historians. All have enlarged upon the particular sizes, colours, and qualities, yet the knowledge of their manners is but little extended. "I have travelled across the Cyrenaicum in all its directions, and never saw but one species of viper, which was the cerastes, or horned viper, now before us: neither did I ever see any of the snake kind that could be mistaken for the viper.

"The basilisk is a species of serpent, frequently made mention of in Scripture, though never described, further than that he cannot be charmed so as to do no hurt, nor trained so as to delight in music: which all travellers who have been in Egypt know is exceeding possible, and frequently seen. "For be hold I will send basilisks among you," saith the Scripture, "which will not be charmed; and they shall bite you, saith the Lord." [Jer. viii. 17.] And [Psalm ix. 13.] "Thou shalt tread upon the lion and basilisk," &c. It is to be observed here, it is the Greek text that calls it basilisk: the Hebrew, for the most part, calls it tsepha, which are a species of serpents real and known. Our English translation, very improperly, renders it cockatrice, a fabulous animal, that never did exist. I shall only further observe, that the basilisk, in Scripture, would seem to be a snake, not a viper, as there are frequent mention made of their eggs, as in Isai. Ixix. 5. whereas it is known to be the characteristic of the viper to bring forth living young.

"I shall mention one name more, under which the cerastes goes, because it is equivocal, and has been misunderstood in Scripture; that is tseboa, which name is given it in Hebrew from its different colours and spots. And hence the Greeks, [Elian, Hist. lib. i. cap. 25; Horia. Hieroglyph. lib. ii. chap. 65.] have called it by the name of hyæna, because it is of the same reddish colour, marked with black spots, as that quadruped And the same fable is applied to the serpent and the quadruped, that they change their sex yearly.

"The cerastes is mentioned by name in Lucan, and without warranting the separate existence of any of the rest, I can see several that are but the cerastes under another term. The thebanus ophites, the ammodytes, the torrida dipsas, and the prester [Lucan, lib. ix.] all of them are but this viper described from the form of its parts, or its colours. The cerastes hides itself all day in holes in the sand, where it lives in contiguous and similar houses to those of the jerboa; and I have already said, that I never but once found any animal in this viper's belly, but one jerboa, in a gravid female cerastes.

I kept two of these last mentioned creatures in a glass jar, such as is used for keeping sweetmeats, for two years, without having given them any food: they did not sleep, that I observed, in winter, but cast their skins the last days of April.

"The cerastes moves with great rapidity, and in all directions, forward, backward, and sideways. When he inclines to surprise any one who is too far from him, he creeps with his side toward the person, and his head averted, till judging his distance, he turns round, springs upon him, and fastens upon the part next to him; for it is not true what is said, that the cerastes does not leap or spring. I saw one of them at Cairo, in the house of Julian and Rosa, crawl up the side of a box, in which there were many, and there lie still as if hiding himself, till one of the people who brought them to us came near him, and, though in a very disadvantageous posture, sticking, as it were, perpendic ular to the side of the box, he leaped nearly the distance of three feet, and fastened between the man's fore finger and thumb, so as to bring the blood. The fellow showed no signs of either pain or fear; and we kept him with us full four hours, without applying any sort of remedy, or his seeming inclined to do so.

"To make myself assured that the animal was in its perfect state, I made the man hold him by the neck, so as to force him to open his mouth, and lacerate the thigh of a pelican, a bird I had tamed, as big as a swan. The bird died in about 13 minutes, though it was apparently affected in 50 seconds; and we cannot think this was a fair trial, because a very few minutes before it had bit and so discharged part of its virus, and it was made to scratch the pelican by force, without any irritation or action of its own.

"The cerastes inhabits the greatest part of the eastern continent, especially the desert sandy parts of it. It abounds in Syria, in the three Arabias, and in Africa. I never saw so many of them as in the Cyrenaicum, where the jerboa is frequent in proportion. He is a great lover of heat; for though the sun was burning hot all day, when we made a fire at night, by digging a hole, and burning wood to charcoal in it,