94 



ANIMAL LIFE PAST AND PRESENT. 



and takes no sort of share in supporting the ribs. If, 

 however, we have the opportunity of examining one of 

 the joints of the back-bone of a Long-Necked Lizard 

 taken from the region of the back, we shall find a 

 very different state of things. Thus, in the first place, 

 the body of the vertebra, although 

 still more or less cupped at both 

 ends, in most cases is considerably 

 longer, so as to form a cylinder rather 

 than a disk. Then, again, the upper 

 arch for the spinal marrow is gene- 

 rally more or less closely united with 

 the body of the vertebra, so that the 

 whole structure forms one piece. 

 Moreover, the sides of the body are 

 quite smooth, having no trace of 

 facets for the support of the ribs. 

 FIG. 26. -Part of the fore- The latter are, indeed, attached to 



paddle of along-Necked - . . , . . 



Lizard, hu, lower half long horizontal prOCCSSCS JUttlllg OUt 



at 



upper row of wrist- arc h an( j 



bones. 



the sides of the 



precisely similar to 







those with which we are all familiar 

 when carving a sirloin of beef at table. It will be 

 obvious from the foregoing that if we looked inside 

 the cavity of the body of a Long-Necked Lizard, we 

 should find that the whole of the bodies of the joints 

 of the back-bone projected into the cavity; whereas 

 it will be equally evident that in the Fish-Lizards only 

 the lower part of such joints so projected. 



In saying that the sides of the bodies of the verte- 



