Illustrious naturalists who were authorities in their day—as, for instance, Linnæus and Cuvier—included slow-worms with serpents, the links between them being so close. They have also been included among the burrowing snakes, many of which have no better right to the name of _Anguis_. With the advance of herpetology more minute distinctions of classification occur, and anatomy now proves in the ‘brittle snake’ a stronger relationship to lizards than to serpents. It has eyelids, like the lizards; no palate teeth, non-extensible jaw-bones, and more consolidated head-bones; so that you never see the facial distortion in these lizard-snakes when feeding, that is so striking in the true ophidians. It has scales alike all round, and also a distinct neck and a vestige of sternum and pelvic bones whence formerly two pairs of legs proceeded. From an evolutionary point of view, therefore, it is even in advance of Anaconda, which has still its ‘spurs’ to get rid of. Space need not here be occupied in a recapitulation of other features and the manners and habits of _Anguis fragilis_ beyond what the subject in hand demands; and in connection with this our two anguine heroines will be found to display one other striking feature in common. For the rest, in Bell’s _British Reptiles_ it is treated at length. In Wood’s _Natural History_, also, there is a long and minute account of the slow-worm, including details of a most interesting character, as being gathered from personal observations. Anaconda, however, claims historical priority. As a water snake it has already been partially described (p. 228), and some of its synonyms were given in explanation of its scientific name _Eunectes_, to trace its right to be included among the water snakes, and _murinus_, to show the nature of its food. Being a native of tropical America—which embraces many extensive countries and includes numerous tribes of the aboriginal inhabitants—this serpent is also known under numerous vernaculars, puzzling enough to the reader of travels who does not at first sight realize that the book in which he now reads of the _Matatoro_ describes one region, and the volume in which he has read of the _Sucariuba_ or of the _Jacumama_ describes another, and that these are one and the same snake. The spelling and pronunciation of even the same word among adjacent tribes add to the perplexity. Among other of Anaconda’s familiar vernaculars, which we meet with in all South American books of travel, are _Aboma_, _Cucuriù_ or _Cucuriubù_, _El trago venado_, _Camoudi_ or _Kamoudi_, _Sucurujù_, and others. The name by which it is now generally known, _Anaconda_, or _Anacondo_, was fixed by Cuvier in 1817.