SYSTEMATIC 

 ARRANGEMENT OF REPTILES. 



CLASS XV. 

 EEPTILIA. 



VERTEBRATE animals with red, cold blood; with heart pul- 

 monary and also aortic, a single or double ventricle and two auri- 

 cles ; mostly oviparous ; covered with scales, scutes or naked skin. 

 Respiration in some pulmonal and branchial, with branchiae either 

 persistent for the whole of life, or disappearing in the adult state. 



SECTION I. Reptilia diplopnoa s. Psiloderma. 



Branchiae deciduous or persistent. Skin glutinous, smooth, 

 mostly destitute of scales, sometimes with colourless thin scales 

 concealed amongst folds of skin. Two occipital condyles. Laby- 

 rinth furnished with fenestra of vestibule alone. 



Compare on this division J. J. TSCHUDI Classification der Batra- 

 chier mit Beruchsicktigung der fossilen Thiere, Neuchafcel, 1838, 

 4to, (printed separately from the Memoires de la Societe des Sc. not. 

 de NeuchdteT). The name Dipnoa was first employed by F. S. 

 LEUCKART for these animals ; J. MUELLER limited the characters of 

 this division by different anatomical peculiarities; but the division 

 of the class into two principal groups is to be referred to MERREM, 

 who gave, in his Tentamen systematis Amphibiorum (1820), to this 

 division the name of Batrachia. 



BRONGNIABT undoubtedly made the first advance towards a natural division 

 of the reptiles, who (in the beginning of this century) adopted four orders 

 of this class : Chdvnii, Saurii, Ophidii and Batrachii ; the second advance 

 was the union of the three first-named orders into a common division, and 

 the placing of this division on a level with that of the Batrachii. Some 

 writers go still farther, too far according to us, in adopting two classes for 



