CHAPTER XIII. 



, and 



PASSING by the birds, which may be considered 

 as naturally denizens of air, and which may not 

 therefore be counted among the trespassers, we come 

 to the next great class of animated beings i.e., the 

 Eep tiles. 



As the word Reptile, being formed from the Latin 

 word Repo, signifies something which creeps, we 

 would scarcely expect to find among them any species 

 which were trespassers on the air. 



Another example of Nature repeating herself now 

 comes before us. I had seriously debated with myself 

 whether I ought not to include in this work the many 

 Reptiles which in the ancient times of this world occu- 

 pied the same place which the bats do at the present 

 day. As, however, the book would extend to an in- 

 convenient length if the various extinct species were 

 recorded in it, I shall only give a very brief notice of 

 them. 



The reader will naturally call to recollection the 



