THE ADDER. 247

reading gives the word aap, which in the notes to Job xx.*,
where the term occurs twice, is thus described :—-“ The word
in the original is pethen, and very probably denotes the
aspic of antiquity; the ancient writers, however, make
mention of it in so loose and indefinite a manner, that it is,
perhaps, not easy to determine the species: in name and
description, it agrees best with the pethen of the Hebrews;
and the aspic of profane antiquity is the detan of the
Arabians. It is poisonous in the highest degree: the body
of the sufferer swells, and death almost immediately ensues.
The literati of Cyprus regarded it as the ancient aspic; the
common people call it £uji (deaf), and in Psalm lviii. we ac-
tually find deafness ascribed to the pethen—‘ Like the deaf
adder, that stoppeth her ears.’ The dafan is about a foot in
length, and two inches in circumference ; its colour is black
and white. In the same chapter and 16th verse, the viper is
named, the Hebrew word being ephaA, and it seems probable
that it denotes the same serpent which is known in Arabia
by the name of EY Hfah, and is remarkable for its subtle
poison ; it is about two feet long, and as thick as a man’s”
arm, beautifully spotted with brown and yellow. The
mouth is very wide, and the animal inhales a great quantity
* Pictorial Bible.