IJ2 THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 



serpent-like, and their legs are so very different from the 

 limbs of other animals. 



The most " distinguished " member of this group is the 

 Crocodile (Fig. 65), which is, indeed, the giant of all 

 reptiles ; they are sometimes separated into a distinct 

 class, called " Loricata." They are very ferocious, and 

 although they mostly seize their prey in the water, they 

 retire to land to devour it. Crocodiles have their hind 

 feet more completely webbed than Alligators. The 

 former are found in Africa, India, and the hotter parts of 

 America ; whilst the Alligator seems confined to America, 

 and is less an inhabitant of water than the Crocodile, but 

 frequents swamps, marshes, c. 



Amongst the lizard family we find the Chameleons, 

 Geckos, Monitors, Flying Lizards, and True 

 Lizards, and the Slow Worm seems to connect them 

 with serpents, but, although perfectly snake-like in outward 

 appearance, still shows in the structure of its skeleton 

 that it is more nearly allied to lizards. 



Serpents (Ophidians).* The animals in this group 

 arc such as are wholly devoid of limbs of any sort ; the 

 whole skeleton consists, in fact, of only the skull and the 

 vertebrae, with the ribs attached (Fig. 66) ; and in the 

 Python, which is one of the Boa family, the number of 

 vertebral bones reaches 422. These bones work in each 

 other in the following manner: Each of them has a 

 cavity at one end, and a projecting part at the other, and 

 thus the convex end of the one works in the concave part 

 of the other, in the manner called the ball and socket-joint. 



Serpents are divided into five families : 



Water Serpents, some of which live in the sea, and 

 others in rivers. Their food is principally fish, which 

 abound in the inter-tropical waters they inhabit. 



* Ophis, a serpent ; tides, form or shape. 



