_THE TAIL OF A SNAKE._
SETTING aside for the present the true death-dealing powers of
the ophidians, viz. the fangs of the poisonous families and the
constricting powers of the larger non-venomous kinds, another
_supposed_ medium of mischief, second only to the tongue, is the tail!
The old-time fables of the ‘stinging tails’ have always obtained
credence, and do so still among the ignorant classes in many countries.
Nor is the belief without some apparent reason, for the tail of a large
number of snakes, both of the poisonous and the non-poisonous families,
terminates in a horny spine more or less hard and pointed. In a few,
this sharp spine is curved with an undeniably weapon-like aspect. Some
of these thorn-like tips might even be capable of inflicting a slight
wound were the owners conscious of this, and had they a disposition to
avail themselves of it. But, as a weapon, snakes do _not_ instinctively
use their pointed tails; they are chiefly assistants in locomotion. As
a fulcrum, and sometimes a propeller, certain species make constant
and important use of them. You may observe that when in a position
of danger, many snakes trust greatly to the pressure of their tails,
whether pointed or not, as a balance or even a support. This pressure,
which is forcible, but not aggressive, no doubt gave rise in the first
instance to the belief that the snake was intentionally endeavouring to
inflict a wound—a myth which, like all the other ophidian myths, is so
hard to eradicate.
Sir Thomas Browne, in his _Pseudoxia_, more than two hundred years
ago, mentioned this as one of the ‘Vulgar Errours.’ As very little
was known of foreign snakes at that time, 1672, excepting through
classic writers, one must suppose that our poor little native _Anguis
fragilis_ was included among the weapon-tailed snakes, ‘that worm with
venomed tongue’ which does really in a remarkable manner make important
though innocent use of its very blunt tail as a means of progression.
He says, ‘That Snakes and Vipers do sting, or transmit their Mischief
by the Tail, is a common Expression, not easy to be justified.... The
Poison lying about their Teeth and communicated by Bite in such as are
destructive. And Bitings mentioned in Scripture are differentially set
down from such as Mischief by Stings.’[50] ‘God commanded Moses to
take up the Serpent by the Tail,’ Sir Thomas Browne reminds us, as if
in proof that the caudal extremity was perfectly harmless. ‘Nor are
all Snakes of such empoisoning Qualities as common Opinion presumeth,’
the author endeavours to impress upon his readers, because there are
several histories of domestic snakes from ‘Ophiophagous Nations and
such as feed on Serpents.’ Then follows an opinion equally wise and
witty. ‘Surely the destructive Delusion of Satan in this Shape hath
much enlarged the Opinion of their Mischief. Which was not so high with
the Heathens, in whom the Devil had wrought a better Opinion of this
Animal, it being sacred unto the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans, and the
common symbol of Sanity.’
But, alas! many spiny-tailed snakes have sprung to light in various
countries, long since Sir Thomas Browne so wisely instructed his
readers; and even now, the ‘death adder of Australia (_Acanthophis
antarctica_) is much dreaded on account of its thorn-like tail.’
Krefft’s[51] description of the repulsive aspect of this snake is
sufficiently terrifying, apart altogether from its looks alone, its
ragged-looking head, with its loose scales, thick body, and its
short, rough, unmistakeable tail, terminating in a suspicious-looking
point, as if one sharp spine had taken root there, and was capable of
inflicting a wound. The tail spine hardens only in age, he tells us,
and ‘is really not a weapon either of attack or defence.’
[Illustration: Death Adder (from Krefft’s _Snakes of Australia_).]
Another tail of evil repute belongs to the Water Viper of the United
States, vernacularly known as the ‘Thorn-tail’ snake, _Trigonocephalus
piscivorus_ of American herpetologists.
John Lawson, in his _History of Carolina_, published in 1707, was one
of the first to describe it. After him we hear of it from Catesby. The
quaint descriptions of each of these early travellers are amusing; and
from such accounts the progress of science is traced.
‘Of the Horn Snake,’ says Lawson, ‘I never saw but two that I remember.
They are like the Rattlesnake in Colour, but rather lighter. They hiss
exactly like a Goose when anything approaches them. They strike at
their Enemy with their Tail, and kill whatsoever they wound with it,
which is armed at the End with a Horny Substance like a Cock’s Spur.
This is their Weapon. I have heard it credibly reported by those who
said they were Eye-Witnesses, that a small Locust Tree, about the
Thickness of a Man’s Arm, being struck by one of these Snakes at Ten
o’clock in the Morning, then verdant and flourishing, at Four in the
Afternoon was dead, and the Leaves dead and withered.’ (Probably the
tree had been struck by lightning during the interval, a very frequent
occurrence in those parts.) ‘Doubtless, be it how it will, they are
very venomous. I think the Indians do not pretend to cure their wound.’
When Lawson travelled, setting out in December 1700, as an appointed
‘Surveyor-General’ of the newly settled colony of North Carolina, very
little was known of the natural history and productions of those parts,
and he relied on the native tribes for much of his information.
His work was dedicated ‘To His Excellency, William Lord Craven,
Palatine; The Most Noble Henry, Duke of Beaufort; The Right Hon. John
Lord Carteret; and the rest of the True and Absolute Lords, Proprietors
of the Province of Carolina in America.’
‘As a Debt of Gratitude the Sheets were laid at their Lordships’ Feet,
having nothing to recommend them but Truth, a Gift which every Author
may be Master of if he will.’
With ever so praiseworthy an _intention_ of telling ‘the Truth,’ Lawson
did not possess the scientific knowledge to enable him to guard against
error. Neither did Colonel Beverley, who wrote a _History of Virginia_,
published in London in 1722, and who perpetuated the ‘stinging tail.’
‘There is likewise a Horn Snake, so called from a Sharp Horn it carries
in its Tail, with which it assaults anything that offends it, with that
Force that, as it is said, it will strike its Tail into the Butt End of
a Musket, from whence it is not able to disengage itself.’
A few years later, Catesby went over the same ground as a professed
naturalist, and afforded a more rational account of this ‘horn snake,’
to which he assigned the name of _Vipera aquatica_, ‘Water viper,’ or
‘Water rattlesnake.’ ‘Not that it hath a Rattle. The Tail of this Viper
is small towards the End, and terminates in a blunt, horny Point, about
half an Inch long. This harmless little Thing has given a dreadful
Character to its Owner, imposing a Belief on the Credulous that he is
the terrible Horn Snake armed with Death at both Ends, thus attributing
to him another Instrument of Death besides that he had before, though
in reality of equal Truth with that of the Two-headed Amphisbæna. Yet
we are told that this fatal Horn, by a Jerk of the Tail, not only
mortally wounds Men and other Animals but if by Chance struck into a
young Tree, whose Bark is more easily penetrated than an old one, the
Tree instantly withers, and turns black and dies.’[52]
Unfortunately, in mentioning the ‘Horn snake,’ many subsequent writers,
seizing on the marvellous rather than the rational, have omitted the
qualifying ‘it is said to inflict a wound,’ and Catesby’s exposition of
the absurdity; thus handing down as a fact that the tail was truly a
terrible weapon!
It was probably this water viper which Chateaubriand had in his mind
when, towards the end of that century, he described the ‘Prickly snake,
short and thick. It has a sting in its tail, the wound of which is
mortal!’ Chateaubriand was much quoted for a long period.
Dr. J. E. Holbrooke, in his _North American Herpetology_, published
at New York in 1842, corroborates all Catesby further said regarding
the fish-loving tastes of the ‘Thorn-tail’ snake, and which obtained
for it the specific name _piscivorus_. It frequents damp and swampy
places, and is never seen far from water. In the summer (during
Catesby’s time), great numbers might be seen lying on the low boughs
of trees overhanging a river, whence they would drop into the water
and pursue the fish with great swiftness. Few fish exceed its velocity
in swimming. _Cenchris_ or _Trigonocephalus piscivorus_ is the name by
which American herpetologists now recognise it. It is becoming rare
where formerly it abounded, but is still found in the wilder districts
of the less settled States, and in the hot weather may be seen lying
motionless on the low branches, and often so like a portion of the
bough as not to be observed till the sudden plunge tells that a deadly
snake was close at hand. It is a cannibal besides, and other snakes
are afraid of it and give it a wide berth. The horny spine (which is
a mere hardening and consolidation of the terminal scales) and another
feature, namely the ‘pit’ in its cheeks, described in chap. xxi., prove
it to be allied to the rattlesnake. It is therefore included among the
_Crotalidæ_, of which more hereafter.[53]
A number of the ‘Pit vipers’ and _Trigonocephali_ are furnished with
hard-pointed tails, and when they vibrate them rapidly, as many snakes
do under excitement, the rustling against the dead leaves produces a
sound very similar to the sibilation of the true _Crotalus_ tail.
[Illustration: Tail of _Lachesis mutus_ (exact size).]
_Trigonocephalus contortrix_, the ‘Copper-head,’ is another of these.
Also the renowned ‘Bushmaster’ of Guiana and Brazil (_Lachesis mutus_,
or _Crotalus mutus_), of which latter Darwin wrote, confirming Cuvier’s
reasons for making it a sub-genus of the rattlesnake:—‘I observed a
fact which appears to me very curious, as showing how every character,
even though it may be independent of structure, has a tendency to vary
by slow degrees. The extremity of the tail of this snake is terminated
by a horny point, which is slightly enlarged, and as the animal glides
along, it constantly vibrates the last inch or so; and this part,
striking against the dry grass and brushwood, produces a rattling
noise which can be distinctly heard at the distance of six feet. As
often as the animal was irritated or surprised, its tail was shaken,
and its vibrations were extremely rapid. This _Trigonocephalus_ has,
therefore, in some respects the structure of a viper with the habits of
a rattlesnake.’
Dr. Günther and Sir Joseph Fayrer both mention a peculiarity of this
kind in some of the Eastern representatives of the _Crotalus_, viz.
the _Trimeresuri_, Indian tree snakes. The former writes: ‘Some have
prehensile tails, which, when not so occupied, vibrate rapidly,
producing a rustling sound among the leaves.’[54] Others of the family
have horny tails.
Dr. Andrew Smith, in his _Zoology of South Africa_, mentions _Vipera
caudalis_ especially, as having a ‘tail distinctly recognised, at the
termination of his very thick body, and which is not often seen.’ In
the vipers, however, more than others, tails are distinguishable,
those of many of them being short as well as suddenly tapering to a
point. The deadly Puff adder is called _Brachyura_ on this account, its
tail being extremely short for the size of the snake. One exceedingly
dangerous kind in St. Lucia is known as the ‘Rat-tailed snake.’ For
climbing, and as a propelling power, this slender tail can be of little
service. In St. Lucia is also a ‘Rat snake,’ _Crebo_ or _Cribo_ in
vernacular (_Spilotes variabilis_), one of the active non-venomous
kinds which, not content with rats and mice for food, wages war on its
most venomous fellow-reptiles; as the ‘Racer’ and the ‘King snake’
do against the rattlesnake of the United States. This _Crebo_ is a
graceful, elegant creature, and on account of its twofold virtues of
mouser and ‘rat-tail’ catcher, is domesticated and petted in some of
the islands.[55]
In many of the Colubrine snakes it is almost impossible to distinguish
where the ribs cease and the tail begins, except by the anus, so very
gradually does the body taper. Nor does there appear to be any certain
rule about the _length_ of tails, which in some snakes are even longer
than their bodies, and in others not one-tenth the length.
In giving the length of a few snakes (not in feet or inches, but in
the number of their vertebræ), the reader will obtain a clear idea of
this variation in tails. One species of rattlesnake has 194 vertebræ,
of which 168 support each a pair of ribs, leaving 24 for its tail,
or one-eighth. The python has 291 vertebræ, of which the 3d to the
251st support a pair of ribs, leaving 40 for its tail, or less than
one-seventh of its length.
Let me explain a seeming discrepancy of arithmetic. The spine of the
boa constrictor consists of 304 vertebræ, of which 2 next the head
support no ribs, and 252 support each a pair of ribs. Taking away the
first two, which, having _no ribs_, may be said to form the neck of the
snake, that leaves fifty joints for the tail, or about one-sixth of the
entire length. Our little sums, therefore, are as follows, in reckoning
the vertebræ:—
RATTLESNAKE. BOA CONSTRICTOR. PYTHON.
Neck, 2 Neck, 2 Neck, 2
Supporting ribs, 168 Supporting ribs, 252 With ribs, 249
Tail, 24 Tail, 50 Tail, 40
—— —— ——
Total, 194 Total, 304 Total, 291
Though in form the ‘neck’ of a snake is often as undistinguishable as
the tail—‘une tête sans col, et une queue, dont l’origine se confond
avec le reste du corps,’ as Dumeril expresses it—there is the one
invariable rule belonging to it, namely, that the first two joints of
a snake’s spine are ribless, and that the ribs begin at the third.
Physiologists tell us a snake has no neck, and for reasons which will
be explained in the next chapter; yet, by way of distinction, all speak
of ‘the neck’ as an accepted fact.
No invariable rule as to tails can, however, be established, either as
regards length, shape, or character. Firstly, the length of the tail
varies from inches to feet in snakes of nearly the same size. Secondly,
both venomous and harmless ones are occasionally furnished with horny
tips, and both vibrate them with equal rapidity. Thirdly, snakes that
have long _spineless_ tails also vibrate them rapidly; as do snakes
with short spineless tails; so that one cannot say that spines are
confined to one genus, any more than is their use or their action.
The vibration of the tail is, in fact, only ‘an outlet for suppressed
energy,’ as Professor Shaler of the United States has lucidly put it.
Excitement displays itself in the tail of a snake as much as in the
tail of a dog. This may be observed at the Ophidarium, or wherever
an active snake can be watched. In the rattlesnake it is, of course,
more conspicuous, and always audible when agitated; but many others
similarly display their feelings in their eloquent caudal terminations.
A handsome young python, of about eight feet long, at the Zoological
Gardens, has a tail of which the last few inches taper so suddenly that
the extreme end of this reptile appears almost ludicrously trivial for
so fine a possessor. One inch of this—hardly thicker than a rat’s
tail—you may see wriggling so rapidly that you can scarcely follow its
movements, or believe that it is a part of the large quiescent body to
which it is attached. In pursuit of its prey the python itself glides
with slow dignity, while the trifling little terminal inch or so of
tail is in a perpetual but most _un_dignified wriggle.
In the ‘Racer,’ already familiar to the reader, the tail is one-fourth
the length of the body; in the ‘milk snake’ (_Coluber eximius_),
introduced in chapter iv., it is one-fifth. The extensive variation in
tails may be comprehended by their number of vertebræ, which in some
snakes amount to 200, and in others are reduced to 5.
Of the practical uses of the snake’s tail, the _natural_ uses,—those
above mentioned being either imaginary ones, or a mere expression
of feeling,—the prehensile power is one of the greatest. ‘Strictly
speaking, the true prehensile tail is found only in the boa,’ Schlegel,
Owen, and other physiologists tell us; but that statement refers to
some peculiar anatomical construction, enabling the tail to twine and
grasp with extraordinary force, because nearly all snakes can manage to
climb, or to raise themselves when occasion requires it, making use of
their tails, as was stated at the commencement of this chapter. ‘Even
the clumsy, ugly death adder can climb well,’ Krefft assures us, and
that it can support itself against a wall with only a portion of its
tail on the ground.
Many writers and observers, in describing this power or force in
the snake, have given rise to the idea that snakes can _stand_ on
their tails. Erect themselves nearly upright they certainly do, even
without extraneous support for a few moments, and _with_ support for a
considerable time.
Cobras can do this. A personal friend, Colonel C——, when in India,
once heard a sort of muffled sound at his door, which caused him to
open it suddenly, when a cobra, which had raised itself three or more
feet against it, fell straight into the room. He sprang quickly aside,
and ran to fetch a stick, but when he got back the cobra was gone.
But to return to their prehensile powers. Snakes which are not habitual
climbers are often found in trees, suspending themselves from or
supporting themselves upon the branches, as instanced in the chapter
on the egg-eaters. The _Hamadryad_ is also much in trees, as its name
implies, and is seen hanging from the branches. This latter, and also
the Indian tree snakes, _Trimeresuri_, are poisonous, and far removed
from the boas with the true prehensile tail. Familiar to every one are
illustrations of tropical scenery, in which the boa constrictor and
the anaconda, hanging from trees, are important features. Dumeril, in
general terms, says: ‘Les ophidiens rampent, glissent, s’accrochent,
se suspendent, gravissent en s’aidant de la totalité de leur corps,
sautent, s’élancent, bondissent, nagent, et plongent,’[56] in every
one of which movements the tail is an important agent. _S’accrocher_
and _se suspendre_ must be mainly by the agency of the tail. Schlegel
follows up his statement, ‘tail strictly prehensile found only in
boas,’ by explaining, nevertheless, that a short tail is sufficiently
vigorous to _attach_ itself to any point, and support the whole
body.[57] In the non-venomous tree snakes the tail is long and slender,
and no squirrel or bird is more active and at home in a tree than
these. They glide, swing, climb, and almost fly from branch to branch,
scarcely disturbing a leaf.
Our ‘excellent egg merchant,’ introduced as the Racer, though a
ground snake, is equally at home in a tree, and holds on by its tail
with remarkable adroitness, but then the Racer or ‘Pilot snake’ is a
true boa also. (The true ‘boa’ is distinguished by its dentition and
formation of jaw-bones, the term ‘boa,’ so variously and perplexingly
used by some of the older naturalists, being now restricted to certain
non-venomous species which possess such anatomical structure.)
Lawson’s description of this ‘Racer’ is graphic. ‘The long black Snake
frequents the Land altogether, and is the nimblest Creature living. His
Bite has no more Venom than a Prick with a Pin. He is the best Mouser
that can be; for he leaves not one of that Vermin alive where he comes.
He also kills the Rattlesnake wherever he meets him by twisting his
Head about the Neck of the Rattlesnake, and whipping him to Death with
his Tail. This Whipster, for all his Agility, is so brittle that when
he is pursued, and gets his Head into the Hole of a Tree, if anybody
gets hold of the other End, he will twist and break himself in the
Middle.’
Lawson does not appear to have understood the nature of constrictors.
‘Whipping’ the rattlesnake was probably only the tail lashed in anger,
or used in controlling the exceedingly active movements of the captor.
As for its ‘breaking itself in halves,’ many exaggerated stories are
told by unscientific spectators of the ‘brittleness’ of snakes, the
simple explanation being that all are alike irritated and terrified
when rendered helpless by their tail being fettered, and may then
struggle until they injure themselves. The common blindworm (_Anguis
fragilis_) has been seen to so-call ‘break itself in halves;’ but this
will be explained in its place (chap. xxv.).
This sensitiveness—_sensibility_, one may almost term it—in the
tail of snakes has been pointed out by the late Frank Buckland, Dr.
Stradling, and others of like practical experience, affording useful
information in case of danger. ‘If attacked by a boa constrictor, it
is of no use to pull and haul, but catch held of the tip of the tail
and unwind him.’ Also, ‘when striking, aim at the tail. The spinal cord
there being only thinly covered with bone, it is more easily wounded;
and when the spine is broken, the animal is disabled.’[58]
Certain it is, that by the muscular power of the tail snakes perform
wonderful feats, not only erecting themselves, and maintaining their
balance for a short time, as a long pole is balanced by an acrobat
on his chin or his nose; hanging by an inch or so of the tip, as an
acrobat hangs for a time on one foot or one finger; raising themselves
against a smooth surface, as you see the large pythons at the Gardens
do against the smooth sides or glass fronts of their cages, even to the
very top, but springing, ‘executing leaps,’ as Roget and others term
it. For though the ‘leap’ is not strictly like the action of a frog or
a grasshopper, or a man whose two limbs act in concert and together,
the result is the same,—the reptile accomplishes a long distance with
quickness, decision, and aim. Professor Owen[59] calls it a saltatory
motion, ‘the sudden extension of the coils of the body reacting upon
the point of earth on which the tail presses, throwing the serpent
forward.’ Sometimes, when the creature lies closely coiled, the sudden
unbending has the effect of a spiral spring; and occasionally, when
the tail is brought suddenly up to the head, and the serpent springs
forward again, and continues to do this in pursuit, as has often been
witnessed, the effect is that of a rolling hoop, and has given rise to
a belief among the ignorant that the reptile really rolls along.
One in America, known as the ‘Hoop snake,’ is reported to ‘roll down
hill,’ the idea originating possibly from the optical illusion in
consequence of the rapid changes of position—an effect which we see in
that amusing toy, the zoetrope.
The ‘black snake’ of Australia, _Hoplocephalus pseudechis_, is one of
the very active venomous kinds, whose motions in pursuit or escape are
almost like leaps, and present the appearance of a hoop or circle.
Reputed ‘hoop snakes’ are there also. The reptile rapidly extends
itself to full length, then brings up its posterior portion in a loop,
and so springs forward again, continuing to do this with amazing
rapidity.
The most easy and natural convolutions of a snake are _lateral_. As
closely as their body can be coiled on a given space, as close as a
ribbon or a rope, they can curl themselves round sideways, that is,
with the ventral scales all prone to the ground, and the vertebral
column upwards; nor could they, from the construction of their spine,
coil themselves similarly in a vertical position, as a hedgehog and
a dormouse roll themselves up. But temporarily and partially they
_can_ bend themselves vertically; for you see a snake often with a
part of its body raised vertically against a wall, while the rest is
horizontally along the ground, and consequently one part is at right
angles with the other part, and as the creature rises against the wall
every joint has in turn taken this position. Also, when coiled round
a branch, you do occasionally see that the curves are not invariably
and unexceptionally lateral, but sometimes vertical, although not so
closely so as in the more natural coils. I have very narrowly observed
this, because the ‘hoop’-like motion is often ridiculed; but it seems
a not impossible action when a large circle is described by the body,
though close coils would be less possible.[60]
A clergyman of Australia had a narrow escape from one of these
‘rolling’ creatures. His daughter gave me an account of the
circumstance, she also, when a resident there, having been well
acquainted with such scenes. Her father accidentally trod on one of
those dangerous serpents, which immediately made a spring at him,
but which he expertly eluded, and took to his heels with all speed,
knowing the vicious nature of that snake. Looking back, he saw the
reptile pursuing him with ‘strides’ or ‘bounds,’ stretching itself to
full length, then bringing up its tail and springing forward again
with terrific vigour. In its excitement it seemed almost to fly, now
gaining on him, and now, as an occasional obstacle had to be avoided,
giving his victim some slight advantage. For the space of three whole
fields, ‘paddocks,’ he was thus chased, he the while using his utmost
speed. His home was in the bush, and when, almost dropping with
excessive fatigue and terror, he came within sight of it, one of his
farm-servants saw him thus tearing along, and, guessing the cause,
seized his gun, and hastened to meet the fugitive, and put an end to
the chase.
Du Chaillu’s snakes were almost always ‘springing’ at him, and very
probably some of them did so. At the same time, most of his snakes had
‘fangs’ as well; but then, in his ‘_Wild Life_’ he witnessed many other
anomalies.
As a rule, the most active are the non-venomous kinds; yet among
the venomous colubrines, the slender _elapidæ_, of which the above
Australian snake is one, we find much activity.
Mr. P. H. Gosse was struck with the amazing springing power of the
yellow Jamaica boa (_Chilobothrus inornatus_), and by a similar use
of its tail as a propelling power.[61] It rears itself up and leaps
an incredible distance, he tells us; one covered nearly twenty feet
in such a spring, but that was on the incline of a hill. He noticed
another suspending itself from a branch, not with its tail _curled_
round, but with a mere tip of it lying longitudinally, pressure alone
supporting the reptile. The slightest contact suffices to maintain the
hold.
There is still one more offending tail to describe. It belongs to a
West Indian relative of our own little ‘blindworm,’ bearing also the
family name, and for more justifiable reasons, inasmuch as the eyes
of the Jamaica species really are not easily distinguished. It is
worm-like in aspect, and of about the same size as _Anguis fragilis_,
similarly smooth and polished, and so active that it is difficult to
hold it. _Typhlops lumbricalis_ is its name, the first word signifying
blind, and the second worm-like. It moves backwards and forwards with
equal facility, and is therefore commonly called the ‘two-headed
snake.’ The coloured people are dreadfully afraid of its short blunt
tail, which they think can ‘sting,’ and which terminates in a minute
horny nipple on a shining round plate or scale. Being a burrowing
snake, this hard, protected tail is of great use as a fulcrum; but when
off the ground, taken up by the hand, for instance, the little shining
worm makes still further use of its tail, as its English cousin does,
pressing the tip firmly against the fingers, or whatever surface is
near it, to support itself, and to the terror of those who hold it, and
who forthwith dash it down, though it is wholly powerless to injure.
In Australia it has some allies, whose tails are remarkably developed
into this useful point. The reptiles being as round as rulers and as
smooth, the difficulty of progression without this aid as a fulcrum
will be evident. Below are three tails, which will suffice to
exemplify their purpose and utility.
A curious modification is seen in the centre tail, belonging to
_Uropeltis philippinus_, which, as the name implies, terminates in a
round disk or shield. This snake is also one of the smooth cylindrical
forms, ‘admirably adapted to burrowing,’ says Dr. Günther. Its
truncated appearance is as if it were chopped clean in halves.
[Illustration: Tails of three burrowing snakes.]
Another is the _Cylindrophis_, from its form. Several of the burrowing
family are remarkable for a similarity of head and tail, obscure
features, inconspicuous eyes, and very small mouth, rendering it
difficult on first sight to decide which is the head and which the
tail. All being feeble, inoffensive, and entirely harmless, the evil
attached to them of having ‘two heads’ is only another proof of the
prejudice and animosity displayed towards every creature in the shape
of a snake, however innocent. These poor little ‘blindworms,’ admirably
organized to dig and burrow and find their food in deep and hidden
places, have their uses. In countries where dangerous ants swarm, we
might well tremble for the consequences, had not nature anticipated
such evils by providing insectivorous reptiles, as well as birds and
ant-eaters, to keep them in check.
We must not omit one other of the family of burrowing snakes, which
from the very earliest ages has been supposititiously endowed with two
heads. Its name, _Amphisbæna_, or ‘double-walker’ (going both ways),
however, is well merited, because, like _Typhlops_, it can progress
either way, forwards or backwards, with equal facility. This is the one
alluded to by Catesby (p. 174). We can comprehend the advantage of the
retrogressing power to these otherwise unprotected little reptiles,
when they cautiously peep from their narrow burrow in the ground, and
espy one of their many enemies in the shape of a much larger ophidian,
or a carnivorous bird. Quick as thought, back they glide, and are safe.
Living chiefly among the ants, on which they feed, their cuirass of
hard, polished, close-set scales protects them from a bite or sting.
Another beautiful provision of nature is, that the young ones, on being
hatched, find food ready at hand—at mouth, rather—the eggs having
been laid, or the young ones born, in the nest of the ants.
Of this harmless and useful reptile, Pliny seriously wrote: ‘The
amphisbæna has two heads; that is, it has a second one at its tail, as
though one mouth were too little for the discharge of all its venom!’
Even at the present day this belief in ‘two heads,’ or ‘two tails,’ and
‘death at both ends,’ is not wholly eradicated, and not merely among
the lower classes either.
It only remains to say that when two heads have really appeared—and
there are several such cases on record—they are simply monstrosities,
malformations, as found in other animals occasionally. An example of
this kind may be seen at the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons.
Another was described by Frank Buckland in _Land and Water_, April
1872. It was sent to him by his friend Dr. Bowerbank of St. Leonard’s.
A curious jumble of the _Amphisbæna_ and the Cobra, with its elevated
and expanded neck, is found in the _Philosophical Transactions_, vol.
iii. p. 863, for 1665. There had been a correspondence on the subject
of two heads, and a reader was evidently sceptical, for the writer thus
protests that he is telling the truth:—
‘There are indeed such Serpents in these Parts (Java Naja) which have
an Head on each End of their Body, called _Capra capella_. They are
esteemed Sacred by these People, and fortunate to those in whose House
and Lands they are found; but pernicious to whomsoever doth them Harm.’
This credulous gentleman writes from the East, and cannot corroborate
what he has been told by a personal acquaintance with even an
Amphisbæna, which might really deceive a casual observer. But that
the belief prevailed extensively prior to this, we find from a
distinguished physician of his day, F. Hermandez, or Fernandez, who, in
his work, _Animalium Mexicanum_, 1628, represents a creature that would
fill one of these pages, with two heads like a ram with wattles and
other ample appendages, and distinguishes it as _Amphisbæna Europæa_.
[Illustration: _Amphisbæna Europæa._]
‘It is not for us to question the Ancients,’ says the much too
modest author, betraying a lurking misgiving as to the reality of
the creature, but nevertheless doing his best to represent it as his
imagination depicts it. It is here much reduced in size, but may be
found on p. 797 of the above very interesting volume.
Sir Thomas Browne includes this among his ‘Vulgar Errours,’ and traces
it to Nicander, Galen, and other classic writers, but to ‘Ælian
most confidently.’ He discusses the creature with dispassionate
intelligence, and shows us that ‘poets have been more reasonable than
philosophers’ about it.[62] Again, if such a thing there were, it were
not to be obtruded by the name of _Amphisbæna_, or as an animal of one
denomination, with a duplicity of hearts and heads,’ he argues, giving
honour to the head, and therefore that the creature must be dual.
There are frequently some of the smooth, ruler-like snakes in our
London Reptilium; their very small eyes and mouth, and blunt, shapeless
head, render it difficult to decide at the moment between head and
tail. Any with sheep’s heads we are not likely to see, and those that
have had the malformation of two reptilian heads generally present
something of two necks as well. The writers, however, whom we have
quoted were not thinking of monstrosities, but had profound faith in a
veritable _Amphisbæna Europæa_, which an artist with an unscientific
imagination has handed down to posterity!
[Illustration]
[Illustration]