ORDER IV. OPHIDIA.
(Serpents.)
The appearance of the animals of this Order is, for the most part, exceedingly beautiful. The smooth roundness of the body, unbroken by any projections; its slenderness tapering gradually away to a point; the cleanness and polished surface of the gleaming scales with which they are clothed, together with their symmetry and the closeness with which they overlap each other; the hues almost always gay, and often brilliant, often finely contrasted and arranged in varied and tasteful patterns, and often reflecting an opalescent lustre; and, above all, the lithe and graceful motions throwing the animals into the most elegant curves and spires, cannot be contemplated by an observer, unblinded by prejudice or dread, without admiration. Yet it cannot be denied that there is another side to the picture: the knowledge that many kinds are armed with a most deadly potency of mischief; the difficulty of knowing (at first sight, and by the unskilled, at least) how to discriminate between the venomous and the innocent; the fierce boldness and preparedness for war which almost all manifest, if disturbed; and the threatening aspect with which, open-mouthed, they face an adversary, combine with a something of malignity in the eye and physiognomy, more or less observable in all, to inspire fear and aversion.
