REPTILIA. 



RESPIRATION. 



Cam* ud Ficinu* have, in their icological arrangement, 

 adopted very nearly the classification of Merrem and the principle of 

 Uken for UM Reptiles, 



la UM method proposed by Dr. Hirlan. in th ' Journal of the 

 Aeademy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia,' be adopU the four 

 order* of Betraohisns, Ophidian*, Saurian*, and Chelonians. 



In 182S RHgw's classification of Reptiles appeared in the 'Nora 

 AcU Nat. Cur.,' to which we refer those of our reader* who may wioh 

 to consult it ThU cbuxification U not much attended to. 



Waller publUhed hi* ' NaturaUachei System der Amphibien,' 

 founded upon the organisation of the animal*, at Munich in 1830. 



In thi* system the Amphibia consist of eight order* : 1, the Tor- 

 toises; 2, the Crocodile*; 3, the Lizards; 4, the Serpent*; 5, the 

 OrreU ; , the Cocilite ; 7, the Frog* ; and 8, the Icbthyodes. 



In 1833 Profrewr Miiller of Bonn published hU Beitriige fur 

 Anatomic und Naturgeeohichte der Amphibien.' (' Zeitachrift fiir 

 rbyiiologie Ton Tiedemann und Treviniuus,' Heidelberg.) Much 

 interesting detail relating to the hi-tory of reptile* i* here entered 

 into, but the Profe**or treat* more especially of the Batrachians and 

 Serpent*, lie divides Uio Amphibia into two great orders, consisting 

 of the ecaly and the naked. 



Scaly Ampk&ia. Naked Amphibia. 



Occipital condyle simple . . Occipital condyle double. 



True rib* None or rudimental. 



Auricle of the heart double . Single. 

 Internal ear with round and 



oral fenestrn . . . Oral only. 

 With a distinct cochlea . . None. 

 Penis of the male* limple or 



doable None. 



No metamorphosis . . . Host frequently a distinct meta- 

 morphosis. 



No branch MB .... Distinct branching or with per- 

 sistent or not permanent 

 holes. 

 Skin aoaly, scutcbeoned, or 



cuirassed Naked. 



Profeewr Midler divides the Serpent* in accordance with their 

 anatomical structure. 



The Microatomes, or those which have a not dilatable mouth, cor- 

 respond Tory nearly to the Homoderm* of M. Dumenl. They are 

 separated into four families : 1, the Amphisbemoids; 2, the Typh- 

 lopin* ; 3, the Uropeltaoean* ; 4, the Tortricin*. 



The second sub-order (Hacrostomes) corresponds with the Hetero- 

 dcrm* of If. DumdriL These are divided into seven families : 1, the 

 OligodonU; 2, the HolodonU (PyUton, 4c.); 3, the Isodonts (Boa, 

 Pttmdoboa, 4c.); 4, the Ueterodonta (Datdnpkit, Coronella, Ac.) ; 5, 

 Amphiboles (Dryopku, Diptat, 4c.) ; 6, the Antiochalinans (Bonyarta, 

 \aja, ic.) ; and 7, the Serpents with three sort* of teeth, and in which 

 all the mandibular teeth are perforated and venomous (Elapt, SeylaU, 

 Cntatut, Iu.). 



In 1 "33 the first part of Scbinxs ' Naturgeaohichte und Abbildungen 

 der Reptilien* was published at Leipric; in 1834 it was concluded. 

 It bring* down the information to the time of it* publication, is well 

 digested and well illustrated with coloured figures of the true reptiles 

 and amphibians, mostly from good originals, but some from nature, 

 and will be found very useful, especially as a book of reference, 



Mr. Swsinson (' Natural History of Fishes, Amphibians, and Reptiles,' 

 in Lardner's'Cyciopndia') place* the Ampkibia and the Rcplilia in 



He give* the following a* "a natural arrangement of the class of 

 AmpMia, according to Profeieor Bell :" 



Order 1. Ampkijmewra (Ampkijmeialat) (Prottiu, Sirerfon, ifeno- 

 bnackmt, Sim, PmtMnutd^u). Order i Anoura( Frog* and Toads). 

 Or-Ier 3. Vndtla (Salamamdri**, Salamandn, TriloiuHa, liolgt). 

 Order 4. Akrtnehia (Mewpoma, Ampkitma). Order 6. Apoda 

 (Caciiia). 



The same author gives the following a* a ' Synopsis and Natural 

 Arrangement of the Class of Iteptilia :' 



Order 1. IstydoMiiru-Crocodilei (Croeodilut, Ckampta, Sleno- 

 Menu.) Order 2. CMtmidtt Tortoises (Families: Wulidrida, 

 Crocodile Tortoises; Tatwtinida, Land Tortoise*; Emydr, River 

 Tortoises; TVtonjrcida, Soft Tortoises; and Ckilonida, Sea Turtlei). 

 Order *. Xa^urt. (EnalioaaursfJ-Fish Luards (Aou*ara, 

 /ri/AjfOMmns, Oaunc^pkatMt, Pbndactyl*,). Order 4. Opkidetih 

 8erpeot*(Fainilies: Hgdropkida, Water Serpent.; CnXalida, Poisonous 

 Serpents ; GoliAtnda, Snakes not poisonous ; Anguida, Slow-Worms ; 

 and Ampkubmida, Blind-Worms.) Order d. Sarw-the Licards 

 (Families: CkamaUaMa ; Igtanula, Tbick-Tonged Lizards; Later- 

 tidm, Steoder-Tongued l.iiard. ; Agamidte; and Scincoida. 



In the same year Professor Bell published his interesting History 

 of British Reptile*.' He considers tho ReptUia and Ampkibia a* dis- 

 tinct classes, and Justine* his opinion by a reference to their characters, 

 which appear to him to be sufficiently marked and important to 

 warrant their separation. 



Or. J. E. Gray ha* more recently developed hi* classification in 



the very valuable British Museum Catalogue*. Those devoted to the 

 /.'i/.iilia are not yet completed. 



With the exception of the Paris collection, that of the British 

 Museum i* more rich iu Reptilia than any other public or private 

 museum. 



KKSKI lA'CK.E, a natural order of PlauU belonging to the class of 

 Exogeus. It has a many-parted calyx ; the petals unequal, of broad 

 fleshy plates having lacerated appendages at the back ; an bypogynoul 

 one-aided glandular disc ; definite stamen* inserted into the disc, the 

 filaments erect, the anther* 2 -celled, opening longitudinally ; a 3- 

 lobed 1-celled many-seeded sessile ovary, scarcely closed, usually with 

 3-ti-parietal placenta:, sometimes surrounding a free central ovule- 

 bearing body ; 3 glandular sessile stigmas ; cnmpulitropal or amphi- 

 tropal ovules ; the fruit dry and membranous or succulent, ojiening 

 at the apex, or apocarpous, with empty carpels surrounding a central 

 placenta, or even hooded and 1 -seeded ; the seeds several, reniform, 

 with a taper arcuate embryo without albumen, and a radicle next the 

 bilum. The species of this order are soft herbaceous plants, or iu a 

 few instances small shrubs with alternate entire or piunately-divided 

 leaves, and minute gland-like stipules. The flowers in racemes or 

 spikes. They are natives of Europe, the adjoining parts of Asia, the 

 basin of the Mediterranean, and the adjxceut islands. A few species 

 occur in the north of India, the Cape of Good Hope, and California. 



This order embraces the genera JUtcda, Ochradeniu, tHiyomtrit, Ilolo- 

 pctalum, Aitrocarput, and Cayliuea. 



R. odorata is the Common Mignonette. It has lanceolate bluntith 

 entire or trifid leaves ; a 6-parted calyx equal in length to the petals, 

 which are finely cleft into many club-shaped divisions, the two lowest 

 simple, the capsules 3-toothed. It U a native of the North of Africa 

 and Egypt, but its delicious fragrance has caused it to be cultivated 

 all over the world. It is naturally an herb, but when trained in the 

 greenhouse it becomes shrubby. Tbe arborescent form of this plant 

 is called Tree-Miguionette, [MiaMOMTTTE, in ARTS AND Sc. Div.J 



R. luteola. Weld, Woold, or Woad, is a British species. It is known by 

 iu elongate-lanceolate undivided leaves. [ WOOLD, in Ants AND Sc. Div.] 

 R. lulea has 3-cleft or pinnatifid leaves. 



Jt. tufntticulosa in a rare British plant with tho leaves all pinnatifid. 

 It grows near the sea. 

 RESINS. [SECRETIONS OF PLANTS.] 



RESPIRATION is that function in the animal kingdom by means 

 of which the various tissues of the body are exposed to the chemical 

 influence of the gases of the atmosphere, and the products thus 

 formed expelled from the body. The advance of chemical knowledge 

 has demonstrated that this function is one essentially of oxidation, 

 and hence it has been proposed to consider all cases of oxidation 

 in organic bodies as instances of respiration. Such an extension of 

 the use of the term has led to its application to plants as well 

 as animals. It should however be remembered that the older pby- 

 iologists applied the term Respiration to tli.it function of plant* by 

 which they tuke up carbonic acid and give out oxygen, and which 

 was regarded as an equivalent process to the taking up of oxygen 

 and disengaging carbonic acid iu animals. It was subsequently fuutid 

 that plants, during certain processes, gave off carbonic acid and ab- 

 sorbed oxygen gas ; and it was hence inferred that plants performed 

 a function essentially the same as that effected in animals by the 

 oxidation of carbon in reitpiration. 



The cases in which plants have been observed to consume oxygen 

 and throw off carbonic acid are as follows : 1. During the growth of 

 the order Fungi, 2. During the growth of the leafless parasites. 

 3. During night by most plants. 4. During the active growth of the 

 Cunifera. 6. During the flowering of moat plants. 6. During the 

 germination of plants. 



This process has been observed to be attended with the same results 

 iu certain of these cases, a* in the respiration of the higher animals, 

 that in, with the disengagement of heat [HEAT, VEGETABLE.] When 

 the process of oxidation take* place rapidly, disengagement of heat U 

 the necessary result That these phenomena take place cannot be 

 doubted, but the propriety of classing them with those of the respira- 

 tion of animals must be questioned, and on those ground* : 



1. The oxitlation that takes place in the vegetable kingdom is not 

 a constant phenomenon, but only occurs occasionally iu the life of 

 the plant It is during the latter stages of the growth of Fungi that 

 it U observed, when it may be supposed that these plauU are entering 

 upon a stage of decay. The oxidation in the Coni/cnc arises from 

 their secreting resinous matters, which unite readily with oxygen. 

 Again, iu the flowering of plants it is only an occasional and excep- 

 tional phenomenon in the life of plants. The carbonic acid given out 

 by plant* at night oan be quite as readily accounted for on the sup- 

 position that a certain quantity of the carbonic acid token up in tho 

 day has been undecomposed, and is given out at night, as on the 

 theory of its being the result of oxidation. So likewise in germina- 

 tion, the carbonic acid given off is not the result of a process of life 

 in the young embryo, but of a process of decomposition going oil in 

 the starch of the albumen by which it is surrounded. [QEKMINA 



2. If the term Respiration is to be applied to the evolution of car- 

 bonic acid, and absorption of oxygen gas from tho fluids of organic 

 beings wherever found, then it must be used to comprehend the 

 processes of fermentation, putrefaction, and eremecauiis, which take 



