320 



ZOOLOGY. 



It has been called the pterodactyle ; it was a saurian, made 

 somewhat like a bat; it could walk or fly, but thr 

 finger of the hand was thrice as long as the trunk, and 

 no doubt supported folds of integuments resembling wings 

 (Fig. 281). 



460. Reptiles are less quick in their movements than 



Fig. 279. Plesiosaurus. 



birds or mammals, nor can they sustain their movements so 

 well, probably owing to a less energetic respiration. The 

 muscles receive less blood, and are paler; but they may be ex- 

 cited long after death by a variety of stimulants. The tail of 

 a lizard detached from the body, has been seen to move for 

 several hours ; and the turtle, dead in appearance for several 



Fig. 280. The Dragon. 



days, may still be made to move its limbs. The mutual de- 

 pendence between the nervous and muscular system > 

 not to be so intimate as in mammals. 



461. The brain is small, smooth, and without circum- 

 volutions (Fig. 282). The hemispheres are hollow, and there 

 is no striated body. Olfactory globules of considerable si/.i an- 



