1854.] 103 



Dr. Cantor, in a paper published in the Zoological Transactions of London, 

 asserts positively that they are, and recent observations made by Dr. Burnet 

 of Boston, have confirmed his statements. The tree snakes are not found in 

 Europe, neither are the Calamars, nor Lycodons and Heterodons. The Bungari 

 inhabit Ceylon, India, Bengal and Java. The Basilisk is found in Celebes, Am- 

 boina and the Phillipine Isles; Dilophyrus in India and the Malayan Peninsula.* 

 No species of Coronella is said to exist in New Holland (Schlegel.) Eryx is 

 found only in the East. 



" Only one species of mammal is indigenous to the Gallapagos Islands, viz,, a 

 large and peculiar kind of mouse; but the number of lizards, tortoises and 

 snakes is so great that it may be called a land of reptiles. The variety indeed 

 of species is small, but the individuals of each are in great abundance. There 

 is a turtle, a large tortoise, (Testudo indicus,) four lizards, and about the same 

 number of snakes, but no frogs or toads. Belonging to the family Iguanidae, Bell, 

 are two species of Amblyrhynchus, one terrestrial, the -other marine ; the marine 

 species is extremely common on all the islands throughout the Archipelago. It 

 lives exclusively on the rocky sea beaches, and is never seen even ten yards 

 inland. The usual length is about a yard, but there are some even four feet long. 

 It is of a dirty black color, sluggish in its movements on the land, but when in 

 the water it swims with perfect ease and quickness by a serpentine movement 

 of its body and flattened tail, the legs during this time being motionless and 

 collapsed on its sides. Its limbs and strong claws are admirably adapted for 

 climbing over the rugged and fissured masses of lava which everywhere form 

 the coast. In such situations a group of six or seven of these hideous reptiles 

 may oftentimes be seen on the black rocks, a few feet above the sea, basking in 

 the sun with outstretched legs. Their stomachs, on being opened, are found 

 to be largely distended with minced seaweed, of a kind which grows at the 

 bottom of the sea, at some little distance from the coast. To obtain this the 

 lizards go out to sea in shoals. One of these animals was sunk in salt water 

 from the ship, with a heavy weight attached to it, and on being drawn up again, 

 after an hour, it was quite active and unharmed. It is not known by the inhabi- 

 tants where this animai lays its eggs ; a singular fact, considering its abundance, 

 and that the natives are well acquainted with the eggs of the terrestrial Amllyr- 

 hynehusf which is also herbivorous.' 5 Lyell's Geology, p. 280; Darwin's 

 Journal, ch. xix. The Amblyrhynchus inhabits also S. America. 



In the Island of Cuba are found the following genera: Emys (decussata and 

 rugosa, Shaw) Crocodilus (rhombifer and acutus,) Holotropis, Cyclura, Anolis, 

 Acanthophis, Chamaeleolis, Hemydactylus, Sphaeriodactylus, Gymnodactylus, 

 Amphisbaena, Typhlops,Tropidophis, Leionotui, Epicrates,Calamaria, Coluber, 

 Phyllobates, Trachycephalus, Bufo. The greater part of these genera are 

 unknown in the United States. 



In Mexico there exist a number of very remarkable types, differing entirely 

 from those of our own country, viz., the genus Heloderma (horridum,) Cyclura 

 (denticulata and punctata,) Corythseolus (vittatus,) Chamaeleopsis (Hernandesii) ; 

 besides these are several species of genera belonging to our fauna, viz., Scelo- 

 porus (torquatus, formosus, spinosus, and others,) and six species of Gerrhonotus.f 



The following remarks are made by Prof. Agassiz : "It has been already 

 stated that the present distribution of animals agrees with the distribution of 

 extinct types belonging to earlier geological periods, so that the laws which 

 regulate the geographical distribution of animals seem to have been the same at 

 all times, though modified in accordance with the successive changes which the 

 animal kingdom has undergone, from the earliest period of its creation to the 

 present day. The universal law is that all animals are circumscribed within 

 definite limits. There is not one species which is uniformly spread all over the 

 globe, either among the aquatic races or among the terrestrial ones. The special 



* For plate of Dilophyrus grandis (Gray) see Cantor, pi. xx. p. 34. 



f The most important facts in regard to the geographical distribution of rep- 

 tiles are contained in the great work of Dumeril and Bibron, by far the most 

 complete and useful on general herpetology that has yet been published. 



