Bestiary: amphisbaena, jaculus, and the asp
The two-headed amphisbaena, the dart-like jaculus, and the vengeful, devoted asp.
A full text page of the bestiary in mirror script, written with the notebook inverted and without illustration. Three serpent entries follow one another: the amphisbaena with a head at each end for casting venom, and the jaculus that lies in trees and hurls itself like a dart through its prey. The longest entry is the asp, whose bite can be cured only by cutting away the wound, and whose devoted mate pursues any killer with relentless speed. Leonardo adds that the asp is guided more by hearing than by sight.
On this page
The two-headed amphisbaena
The amphisbaena is said to carry two heads, one in its proper place and one in the tail, as though a single mouth were not enough for casting its venom.
The jaculus that strikes like a thrown dart
The jaculus lies upon the trees and hurls itself like a thrown dart, passing clean through wild beasts and killing them.
The asp and its vengeful, devoted mate
The asp's bite has no cure but immediate amputation of the bitten part. Devoted to its mate, if one is slain the other pursues the killer with incredible speed, crossing any distance and sparing everyone but its enemy; it can be escaped only by crossing water or swiftest flight. Its eyes are set deep and its ears large, for hearing moves it more than sight.