4 OUE KEPTILES. 



do not crawl. Nor shall we deem it advisable 

 to plunge into the controversy concerning the 

 mode of progression with the serpent before it 

 fell a victim to the curse, " upon thy belly shalt 

 thou go, and dust shalt thou eat, all the days of 

 thy life." It would, notwithstanding, be an in- 

 teresting occupation to trace the intimate con- 

 nection between the reptile race and some of 

 the most important religions of the world, 

 therein to seek the hidden and mysterious 

 meaning of which serpents, especially, were but 

 the symbol. This would lead us far, both from 

 our subject and our object, and we will rest con- 

 tent with hinting at a wide field of inquiry. 



The heart and blood are two important 

 points of difference between reptiles and the 

 higher vertebrate animals. All reptiles are cold- 

 blooded. They possess a heart, it is true ; but, 

 as compared with higher organisms, an imper- 

 fect one, inasmuch as it has but one ventricle : 

 the result of this is that respiration is imper- 

 fect, and as respiration gives heat to the blood, 

 which in turn sustains the heat of the body, it 

 follows necessarily from their organization that 

 the temperature in reptiles should be very low. 

 Let a frog leap upon your hand, or take a newt 

 between your fingers, and the chilly, smooth, 

 apparently slimy appeal to the sense of touch 

 will carry conviction far swifter than argument. 



