ANGUIS, in natural history, the slow worm, a genus of serpents : the generic character is, scales both on the abdonien and beneath the tail. There are, accord ing to Gmelin, 26 species. This genus is easily distinguished, by having the abdo men and untler part of' the tail covered with scales of' a similar appearance to those on the rest of the animal, except that in some few instances they' are ra ther larger. 'rhe body is of a shorter and more uniformly cylindric form than in the genus Coluber : the eye,s are in general small, and the tail rather obtuse. No poi sonous species of anguis has yet been dis covered. Afragi I i s, or c ommo n slow-worm, is found in almost all parts of Europe, in similar situations with the common snake, and is a 'perfectly intioxioes animal, living on worms and insects. It is about 10 or 12 inches long : the tail measures more than half the length of the animal, and termi nates pretty suddenly in a slightly acumi nated tip. The slow-worm is a viviparous animal,and produees occasionally a numer ous offspring% like otherserpents, it varies in intensity of colours at different periods, and the young are commonly of a deeper cast than the parent animal. The general motions of the slow-worm arc tardy, ex cept when endeavouring to make its es cape : it can, however, occasionally exert a considerable degree'of swiftness, and can readily' penetrate the loose soil in or der to conceal itself fmm pursuit. They are often found in considerable numbers during winter, at some depth beneath the surface, and lying in a state of torpidity, and again emerging Born their conceal ments on the approach of spring, when they cast their skin, and recover their for mei' liveliness. If struck with violence,
the body of this animal will break into pieces. A. corallina, or coral slow-worm, is a very elegant species, about 18 inches long, and of' a considerable thickness : the scales are moderately large, and the head and talhare remarkably obtuse. It is a native of South-America, where it is found in woods. and to prcyon the larger insects, as the scolopendrx, etc.: in colour it sometimes varies, a mixture of black being blended with the red on the sides. (See Plate I. Serpentes, fig. 3.) A. veil trans, or glass slow-worm, is a handsome species, about two feet long : it is a native of' North-America ; body- ashy-green, stri ate ; lateral band black ; belly. short, ap parently joined by a hollow suture ; mil verticillate, three times as long. as the bo dy, ; it takes its name from the circum stance of breaking to pieces in two or three places with a small blcnv of a stick, the muscles being articulated quite through the vertebrx. A. Jamaicensis. or Jamaica slow-worm, found in Jamaica about the roots of decayed trees, ncar ants' nests, etc. and though it has general ly- been deemed poisonous, yet it is really innocuous ; its colour is an uniform pale brown, with a kind of silvery gloss on the scales, which are very smooth.