“NATURAL HISTORY.

of eels. The particles of the Tlor- porific eel probably produce _fim1lar elieéts to thofe of Clfiaflfitx,‘ to which they have a near aflinrty, not only in the fenfations which they communicate, but in the me- dium through which they are con- veyed; for which realon I have known the eel frequently touched by paralytic patients, though I can- not fay with much apparent advan-

tage. Thefe fill: are caught when young, and prelierved in‘ large

troughs, made for that purpolfi, and filled with water. Their ulual food is (mall filh; and when thele cannot be had, they are fed on earth-worms. But the Blatta, or cock-roach, is the molt agreeable of all food to this filh: when one of thefe is thrown into the trough, the filh opens its mouth, and fucks it in with great avidity and appa- rent pleafure, fucking being the ufual method by which it takes its food. From its ikin is excreted a flimy fubfiance, which renders it necelfary to change the water daily, or at lealt every other day: for this purpofe a cock is placed inthe bot- tom of the trough, whence the wa- ter is drawn oFF, and the trough fenwered. On thefe occalions the fifh is frequently fufiered to iie mo- tionlefs, without water, for feveral hours; but if he is touched in this condition, the {hock communicated is not lefs violent than ufual. The manner of their generation is un- certain. Several attempts have been made to convey thefe filh to Eur-ape; but the quantity of frelh water requifite to (hift them as often as is neceflary, together with the bruifes which they mull inevitably {uflain from the motion of the (hip,

Q! have hitherto rendered them unfuc- celsful. *

Of the man/hour Snake: 0f Guiana; from 1/52 fame.

E XT in order fnakes fall

under our confideration. Un- happily their immenfe number and variety conflitute one of the princi- pal inconveniencies of this country, and really endanger the fafety of its inhabitants; and ought to hum- ble the pride and arrogance of man, by convincing him, that all things are not made obedient to his will, nor created for his ule.

One of the largell: of this clafs of animals ever feen in flmerica, was lately killed on the plantation flmflerdam, in this colony, belong- ing to MelTrs. the heirs of Peter Anzyazz, Efq; in (Jmfigrdaml It mea- fured thirty-three feet fome inches ;

sand in the largell: place, near the

middle, was three feet in circumfe- rence. lt had a broad head, very wide mouth, and large prominent eyes t from the middle it gradually tapered to the tail, which was (mall, and armed with two claws, like thofe of a dung-hill cock, and in the mouth was a double row of teeth. On the middle of the back was a chain of (mall black fpots, running from end to end ; and on each fide, near the belly, another row offpots, fimilar and parallel to thofe on the back; and below thefe, feveral large black (pots centered with white; the relt of the body was brown. In its belly was found a fmall wirrebo- cerra, or deer, f0 far diifolved by the digefiive liquor of the llomach, that no part of it would hang to- gether. The vifcera were covered

with