172 TWO YOUNG NATURALISTS. 



Just then the carriage was passing through an 

 avenue of large trees ; and the cool shade a little 

 refreshed the young naturalist, who thereupon decided 

 that he would give the information asked from 

 him. 



" Here, in a few words, is a summary of it. There 

 are four distinct orders of reptiles * 



" The Ophidia, or serpents. 



" The Saurians, or lizards. 



" The Batrachians, or frogs. 



" The Chelonians, or tortoises. 



" With the possible exception of the viper (and in 

 Normandy the bite of the viper is not usually very 

 dangerous), all our reptiles are valuable friends to the 

 agriculturist. Although we are destitute of tortoises 

 in the north of France, yet the lizards and frogs des- 

 troy a great quantity of slugs and little insects. The 

 toad himself, the hideous and repulsive toad, is of such 

 real utility that the English market-gardeners, who 

 in this respect, it would appear, are better informed 

 than our own, are said to purchase them every year, 

 in Paris, in enormous quantities, and pay as much 

 as a penny apiece for them. On the other hand, it 

 must be admitted that in several other countries the 



* At the present time the frogs or Batrachia, are not classed with reptiles, 

 but are considered to belong to another class called Amphibia. As, however, 

 the crocodiles are, by many naturalists, separated from the Sauria as a 

 distinct order, the number of orders of reptiles may still be said to be four. 

 Translator. 



