3 86 



ZOOLOGY. 



Reptiles, especially the snakes, have a bad reputation, yet 

 there is no doubt that their dangerous qualities are much 

 exaggerated in popular opinion. The lizards are almost 

 wholly non- venomous and the majority of the common snakes 

 of this country are also harmless. The principal dangerous 

 snakes are the cobra of the East Indies where nearly 25,000 

 deaths were caused by serpents in 1899; the vipers of Europe; 



FIG. 193. 



FIG. 193. Rhamphorhynchus merensteri, a restoration of an extinct flying Reptile. 

 From the Cambridge Natural History, after Geikie. 



Questions on the figure. In what respects does a form like this 

 differ in external appearance from a bird? From a bat? What skeletal 

 structures would a palaeontologist need to find in order to believe that 

 an extinct form had the power of flight? 



the rattle-snake, water-moccasin, and copperhead of our own 

 country. The venom serves the snake both as a means of 

 defense and of paralyzing its prey. Many forms which are not 

 poisonous assume bodily attitudes similar to those of the 

 poisonous species. This is known as mimicry, and is a means 

 of protection. The dangerous species are being rapidly ex- 

 terminated by man. 



414. Special Exercises. Find data concerning hibernation in reptiles 

 and other vertebrates: its object and advantages; preparation; place; de- 

 gree in which vitality is suspended during the process, etc. 



Describe the poison apparatus of venomous snakes. What is the 

 homology of the fang? Of the gland? 



How do different snakes capture their prey? How prepare it for 

 swallowing? 



