bit d niiV Epetle^ of Siren, 1 1 1 



Tail fiat, furniihed on the top with a fimple membrane, 

 which commences nearly at the neck, and extends itfelf 

 under the tail as far as the anus : fig. 3. H. ... 



^ Mr. Peale has prcferved the latter animal alive in Watef 

 f9r nearly thirty-fix hours, at the end of which time it died. 

 Heotferved that as long as it lived it continued fwimming, 

 making ufe of its feet and priricipally of its tail; that the 

 lobes which terminate the gills were cotitinually floating 

 and in motion ; either by a power of motion belonging to 

 them, or perhaps rather the effe6l of the motion which the 

 animal caufed with its feet and tailj and which was commu- 

 nicated to all parts of the body. He does not recolle6l whe- 

 ther the opercula opened and clofed as in fifli; but, judging 

 from the conformation of thofe parts, I am led to believiei' 

 they do not. 



. As long as the inguana only was known, incertitude re- 

 fpe6ling its nature might have placed it rather with fiHi, to 

 W'liich, it is true, it bears an affinity by an efTential cha- 

 racter, gills, tha,n with the amphibioe, to which it fcems to 

 belong by all the other parts of its body. But nOw a new 

 individual of the fame kind, furniihed with four feet like 

 lizards, fecms to indicate that it cannot belong to fifli. 



On this difco very three very iriipoftant qiieftions arife/ tr 

 do not flatter myfelf I fliall be able to refolve them, but will 

 endeavour to difcufs them, and give my opinion. 



Are thefe animals fifh ? Do they belong to the amphibiae ? 

 Or do they form in the order of nature a nevi^ intermediate 

 clafs ? ^ 



If we form our opinion of the animals we have been 

 defcribing merely from their gills, there is not a doubt but 

 that we muft confider them as fifli. Mcflrs. Vicq D'Azir 

 and D'Aabenton afcribe the following chara6lers to fifh : 

 That they are furnifhed with gills which give admittance to 

 the air; that they have not lungs, vifcera which are Wantino- 

 in^all oviparous animalsj except birds and the amphibice. 

 But if we judge from the entire conformation of all their 

 parts, can we call thofe animals fifh whofe bodies, head^ tails, 

 and feet, are fimilar to thoie of lizards ? Can we fay -with 

 Gmelin, that the feet of the inguana are but digitated pec- 



VoL. IX. a loral 



