AMPIIISRIENA (from leephri3atea, which signifies an animal that can walk in both directions ' ), a genus of Serpents, distinguished by their bodies having nearly the same uniform thickness from the head to the extremity of the tail, by their small months and extremely diminutive eyes, their remarkably short, tails, and the numerous rings of small square scales which completely surround this organ and the body. A range of email pores runs in front of the vent, which is situated nearly at the end of the tail ; the jaws alone are provided with a single row of small conical teeth, the palate being without any ; and even those of the jaws are few and distant from one another. They are moreover destitute of fangs, and are consequently harmless and inoffensive, living for the most part upon ants and other small insects, and inhabiting ant-hills and burrows which they themselves construct under ground. The nature of their food does not require these animals to possess the power of dilating the mouth and gullet to the extraordi nary extent that is observed in the bons, pythons, and other serpents in general, which live for the most part upon animals proportionally much larger than themselves, and in order to admit the huge mouthful have the upper and under jaws both equally moveable upon the cranium. In the Amphisbama, on the contrary, the upper jaw is fixed to the skull and intermaxillary bones, as in birds and mammals, so that the head remains constantly in the same plane with the body—a form which permits the animal to move equally well either backwards or forwards, and which has acquired for it the name by which it is distinguished.
The head of the Amphisbama ie ao small, and the tail so thick and short, that it is difficult at first sight to distinguish one from the other, and this circumstance, united to the animal's habit of proceeding either backwards or forwards as the occasion may require, has given rise to the popular belief. very generally spread throughout Brazil and other parts of South America, the native countries of this genus, that it possesses two heads, one at each extremity, and that it is impossible to destroy the animal by simple cutting, as the two heads mutually seek one another in ease of such a serious accident, and soon re-unite as if nothing had happened. Ignorance is the parent of superstition and absurdity, and one wonder naturally produces twenty. It is not therefore surprising that, among an ignorant and credulous people, the singularity of the Amphisbamees form and habits should have given rise to this and a multitude of other gross fictions. "Another snake," says Stedman, in his 'History of Surinam,' " which I also observed here, is about 3 feet long, and annulated with different colours ; it is called Amphisbana, from the supposition of its having two heads ; and the truth is, that from its cylindrical form the head and tail so much resemble each other that the error is almost pardonable ; besides which, the eyes are nearly imperceptible. This is the snake which, being supposed blind, and vulgularly said to be fed by the large ants already described, is in this country honoured with the name of King of the Emmets. The flesh of the Amphisbana, dried and reduced to a fine powder, is confidently administered as a sovereign and infallible remedy in all cases of dislocation and broken bones; it being very naturally inferred that an animal which has the power of healing an entire amputation in his own case, should at least be able to cure a simple fracture in the case of another." Two centuries have scarcely
passed since opiniona equally credulous and absurd were universally prevalent among the most enlightened nations of Europe, when grave and learned physiciarfa administered the bezoar or rhinoceros' born with as much confidence as the simple Brazilian at the present does the powdered flesh of the Amphisbgena.
The genus Amphisbama, as at present defined, contains only American species, which are confined to Brazil, Surivam, and other tropical parts of the Continent. Of these the following are the principal : I. The A. fv,liginosa, the first and still the best-known species of the whole genus, is, like all the other Arnphiebrenas, confined to the hotter regions of South America, and does not inhabit Ceylon or any ,other part of the East Indies, as Linnaeus and Lacepede have errone .ously supposed, and asserted on the authority of Seba. The general .colour of this serpent is a deep brown, varied with shades of white, more or less intense according to the difference of the individual and the season of casting the old and acquiring the new external skin. It grows to the length of 18 inches or 2 feet, of which, however, the tail measures only 1 inch or 15 lines. The body is auTounded by upwards of 200 rings, and the tall by 25 or 30 ; the eyes are covered and almost concealed by a membrane, which, added to their naturally diminutive aim, has given rise to the popular opinion that the animal was entirely deprived of sight; an opinion extended with no better reason to the Common Blind-Worm (Angels fragilis). It lives upon worms and insects, particularly ante, in the mounds of which it tumidly conceals itaelf. The antipathy which most people entertain against serpents in general has given rise to a belief common among travellers, that this species is venomous, but without the slightest foundation in reality, as it is entirely destitute of fangs, and its teeth in other respects so small as to be incapable of inflicting a wound.
2. A. o/5a, so called from its colour, which is that of uniform pale straw without any marks or spots. The head of this species is short and thick, and its mouth mall. The body usually measures from 1 foot flinches to 1 foot 9 or 10 inches, and is surrounded by 223 rings; the tail is from 11 to 3 inches, in length, and is surrounded by 16 or 18 rings. The thickness of the body seldom exceeds that of a man's fore-finger, and is uniform throughout its whole length ; that of the former species, on the contrary, equals the thickness of the wrist of a child of 10 or 12 years old. The A. alba inhabits the same localities and lives in the same manner as the A. fuliginosa, from which indeed it differs only in size, colour, the proportionate length of the tail and body, and in having the mouth provided with a greater number of teeat, all, however, equally small and weak.
3. A. cave, a species mentioned by Baron Curler in the second edition of the 112.gne Animal,' but without any detailed description. It inhabits the island of Martinique, and is said to be entirely deprived of sight, at least 3L Cnvier was unable to discern any trace of eyes. He supposes it, nevertheless, to be identical with the Amphislnrna rermica&ris of Spix, which that naturalist describes as having eyes scarcely perceptible.