On All Animals. 153

On the Indian Hemorrhois

The New World is home to a Hemorrhois called the *Ahucyastli*. It is larger than the variety of Hemorrhois we discussed in the *History of Serpents*, yet it possesses the same kind of venom: those bitten by this snake bleed from every pore and opening of their body.

In the Yucatan territory, there is a similar serpent related to our own local Hemorrhois. It is four spans long and dark in color, though speckled with blue and reddish spots. The strike of this animal is so virulent that within a single hour it causes a person to vomit blood, and within a full natural day, they begin to bleed from every part of their body.

They report that an effective antidote is the juice of the Judas tree mixed with a liquid extract of tobacco. This snake lives in rocky caverns and raises its young there. When it leaves its den, if it hears a noise, it will charge at anyone it encounters.

On the Javelin-Snake and Related Serpents

Beyond the species of javelin-snakes already mentioned in the *History of Serpents*, a traveling showman displayed another variety several years ago. It was an animal four and a half spans long, with a mouth that could gape a thumb’s width wide. It had a pointed snout and was covered with large, oblong scales that were somewhat quadrangular, though unevenly shaped. The scales on its back were slightly larger than those on its belly.

Toward the tail, it tapered off like other serpents. Near the jaw, a slit could be seen on both sides of the body, which it used as a sort of wing or appendage for leaping. This appendage extended down toward the genitals. While this beast was a type of javelin-snake, it was commonly called a *Crepasasso* by performers.

Another type of javelin-snake, known among the Indians as the *Texminani*—or the "eye-flying serpent"—is so named because it attacks the eyes first; for this reason, others call it the "eye-seeker." It is a very long, slender snake with a leaden-colored belly and a dark back. Some Indians call it the *Micoatl* because of its resemblance to an arrow. It hurls itself from trees at people, specifically targeting their eyes. Because of this behavior, it is classified as a species of javelin-snake; for although it is not as thick as others of its kind, it is very similar in its nature and habits.