or Snake, in zoology, a genus belonging to the order of amphibia serpentes. The characters of the anguis are these: They are squamous or scaly in the belly and under the tail; without any

*See Plates Icuta*. There are 15 species of the anguis, viz:

1. The eryx, a native of Britain and likewise of America, is about a span in length, and about the thickness of a man's finger. One from Aberdeenshire, described by Mr Pennant, was 15 inches long; tongue broad and forked; nostrils small, round, and placed near the tip of the nose; eyes lodged in oblong fissures above the angle of the mouth; belly of a bluish lead colour, marked with small white spots irregularly disposed: The rest of the body of a greyish brown, with three longitudinal dusky lines; one extending from the head along the back to the point of the tail; the others broader, and extending the whole length of the sides. It was entirely covered with small scales; largest on the upper part of the head.

2. The fragillis, blindworm, or flow-worm, grows to about a foot in length, and to the thickness of a man's little finger: the irides are red; the head is small; the neck still more slender; from that part the body grows suddenly, and continues of an equal bulk to the tail, which ends quite blunt. The colour of the back is cinerous, marked with very small lines composed of minute black specks; the sides are of a reddish cast; the belly dusky; both marked like the back. The tongue is broad and forked; the teeth are minute, but numerous; the scales small. The motion of this serpent is slow, from which, and from the smallness of the eyes, is derived its name. It resembles the viper in the manner of producing its young, which are put forth alive. It is frequent with us in gardens and pastures, where it lives principally underground feeding on worms. Like others of the genus, they lie torpid during winter, and are sometimes found in vast quantities twisted together.

3. The ventralis, or glafo-snake of Cateby, has 127 squamae on the belly, and 223 on the tail. The head is very small, and the tongue of a singular form. The upper part of the body is of a colour blended brown and green, most regularly and elegantly spotted with yellow, the undermost part of which is brightest. The skin is very smooth; and thinning with small scales, more closely connected, and of a different structure from those of other serpents. A small blow with a stick will cause the body to separate, not only at the place struck, but at two or three other places, the mussels being articulated in a singular manner quite through to the vertebra. They appear earlier in the spring than any other serpent, and are numerous in the sandy woods of Virginia and Carolina. They are generally said to be harmless.

4. The jacus, or dart-snake, is about three handbreadths long, and about the thickness of one's little finger. Its colour is a milky grey on the back, variegated with small black spots like so many eyes; and on the belly it is perfectly white. The neck is wholly black; and from that two milk-white streaks run all the way along the back to the tail: the black spots also are each surrounded with a small circle of white. It has its name from its vibrating its body in the manner of a dart. It is a native of Egypt, Libya, and the islands of the Mediterranean.

5. The quadrupes: The body of this species is cylindrical, with 14 or 15 longitudinal ash-coloured streaks; the teeth are extremely small; it has no ears; the feet are at a great distance from each other, very short, with five toes and small nails; but the toes are so minute, that they can hardly be numbered: It is a native of Java.

6. The bipes, is a native of the Indies; it has two short feet, with two toes, near the anus. In every scale of the bipes there is a brown point.

7. The meleagris, is likewise a native of the Indies; it has small teeth, but no ears. This species has a great resemblance to the former.

8. The colubrina, an inhabitant of Egypt, is beautifully variegated with pale and yellow colours.

9. The maculata, a native of America, is yellow, and interspersed with ash-coloured lines on the back; the head is small in proportion to the body.

10. The reticulata, a native of America, has brownish scales, with a white margin.

11. The ceraltes, with 200 squamae on the belly and 15 on the tail, is a native of Egypt.

12. The lumbricalis, a native of America, has 230 squamae on the belly and 7 on the tail; its colour is a yellowish white.

13. The platura: The head is oblong and without teeth; the body is about a foot and a half long, black above and white below; the tail is about one-ninth of the length of the animal, much compressed or flattened, and variegated with black and white; the scales are roundish, small, not imbricated, but they cannot be numbered.

14. The lacieauda, a native of Surinam; the tail is compressed, acute, pale, with brownish belts.

15. The fytale, a native of the Indies, with 220 squamae on the belly and 13 on the tail. The head is small and oval, and the eyes are little; the body is cylindrical, about a foot and a half long, covered with oval obtuse scales; the tail is thick and obtuse like the head; its colour is white, interspersed with brownish rings; the margins of the scales are of an iron colour; and the top of the head is blue.—According to Linnaeus, none of this genus are poisonous.