Besides the above Lacertick Serpents of Brazil, Rochefort[[259]], a French Author, mentions other Serpents different from these, which come next under Consideration.
[259]. History of the Antilles-Islands.
LXXXVIII. The Les Anoles, a Serpent in bigness like the Gallick Lizards, but of a longer Head; of a yellow Skin, like a Sun-burnt Roussilonite, or the Savage Man in the Isle of Borneo; Russet Back, channel’d with green; of an ashy or cineraceous Colour; a boisterous noisy Animal. It’s generally in motion by Day, and by Night, lodges in hollow places, where it joins with the Brotherhood, in disturbing the Neighbours with hideous Croakings: by the loudness of its Noise, it should seem that it had but an empty Noddle.
LXXXIX. LES ROQUET, a Serpent of a ruddy Colour, intermix’d with black and yellow Points: of sparkling Eyes, and majestick Mien, walking in a stately manner with Head erect; and skipping about like a Bird, or a French Beau, who was said to make a Solecism with his Hand, when he made a false Gesture on the Stage.
XC. The Maboujas, a word that signifies a Devil in the Indian Language, and given to this Serpent, because in its Nature it is most malignant and mischievous: It lives in fenny Ground, and shaded Valleys, dreadful in Appearance, and more so in its Executions.
This cruel Serpent is an Emblem of the old Serpent, that great fiery Dragon, that in a few Hours reduced Job, a wealthy Prince, into the lowest Ebb of Poverty, converted his Palace into a Dunghill, and his Body into an Hospital of Diseases; and if permitted, he would immediately turn the Earth into a Scene of Blood and Destruction; therefore he is called απολλυωνορ, the Destroyer, Rev. ix. 11. the Murderer, and Shedder of Blood. N. B. The tutelar Deity of the Cæsars was Apollo, that is, the—Destroyer. The like kind of bloody Deity has presided in the Temples of Tyranny ever since.
XCI. The Gobe Moujes, so denominated by the French, from its gobbling all kinds of Flies, which it constantly hunts, and swallows in a voracious manner. It commonly frequents Houses where it suffers no little Insects to live, no not upon Garments: It is of the stellionick form, and the least of all the Quadrupeds in those Antilles, which our English call, the Leeward-Islands.
May not this Animal serve to represent those gobbling Sots, who brush off the Flies of Melancholy, and drown them in the inchanted Cup? Thus likewise the Sons of Mammon hunt for golden Flies, as Entertainments most delicious.
XCII. BROCHET DE TORRE, or the Land-Pike, is a Serpent of about fifteen Inches long, so termed from its Likeness in Figure and Skin to that Fish. Instead of Fins, it has four Feet, too weak to support the Body, therefore crawls on its Belly, after an odd unusual manner, winding its Body about like a Pike newly taken out of the Water; which kind of Motion being strange, strikes Terror into Spectators. Tetre denies it to have the perfect Shape, Head and Skin of the common Pike, and treats Sieur Rochefort with some Roughness, according to Mr. Ray.
In the Night, these Serpents are found under the Rocks, where they make a frightful Noise, more hideous than the croaking of Frogs and Toads. In Antigua is a Fish called Cane, like our Pike in figure, seven or eight Foot long, and big in proportion: It preys like the Shark, and especially on human Flesh; and the least Bite of its Teeth proves mortal Poison, without immediate Application of some sovereign Antidote[[260]].