Page:The History of the Island of Dominica.djvu/66

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
54
The History of the

but it is reckoned unwholeſome, and to occaſion the leproſy.

The ſkins of the tête du chien ſnakes are excellent for covering ſword-ſheaths, or other inſtrument caſes, for which purpoſe they are in general uſed; but ſome ſurgeons make uſe of them in medicine.

Lizards are very numerous in this iſland, and are of ſeveral kinds; ſome of a green, others of a yellow, and ſome beautifully ſpotted with both colours. They are very harmleſs, feed on flies, worms, and other ſmall infedls, which render them very ſerviceable on the plantations. The ground lizard, one of the largeſt of that ſpecies, and of a black colour, has lately been diſcovered to be an excellent remedy for the leproſy, when made into broth.

The wood-ſlave is a ſpecies of the lizard kind, but of a more hideous figure, and is reckoned to be venomous. Its head is ſhaped

like