150 Transactions of the American Institute. 



l^ow, suppose tliis to be surrounded by a framework of muscles ; and 

 I assure you that a crocodile can be both muscular and very fat, for 

 we had an incident the other day in reference to an alligator in the 

 Central park, which was in very good condition ; and having been 

 wounded previous to his arrival, it left an awkward orifice in his 

 side, of which, when he became torpid, the mice and rats, in a very 

 unfair manner, took advantage, and positively made an entry, a cir- 

 cumstance which did not agreo with his ideas of vitality, and conse- 

 quently he gave us the advantage of a dissection, in which we found 

 both muscles and fat upon this framework, and I hope he will con- 

 tribute also to the museum which the commissioners are now forming' 

 of natural history, for the instruction and pleasure of the frequenters 

 of Central park. Outside of this muscular portion, arranged over the 

 bones, there is a species of scaly armor on the upper ribs ; each plate 

 or hard piece of bone, like the scales of a fish, is arranged with- a 

 joint between each of these scales and those adjoining, and thus the 

 creature is defended by a most powerful armor, and yet not impeded 

 in its locomotion by being so thoroughly defended. [At this point 

 the completion of the drawing of the reptile, beautifully executed 

 with chalk of different colors, was received with applause.] So much 

 for the reptile. I will now repeat the same thing with reference to 

 the bird. [Mr. H. proceeded, on another blackboard, to draw, as 

 before, the structure of a bird.] We have here the same arrangement 

 again. "We have the commencement of the stomach and its first 

 orifice. A bird has a complicated stomach, very like that of the 

 ruminating animals. The next organ is the heart, which everybody 

 will suppose is more poetically related to the bird than to the alliga- 

 tor ; but it is not so. He has four chambers, it is true ; but all the 

 rest of the machinery is the same, and for the same purposes. Next 

 we have the breathing apparatus, or lungs, whicli, in the case of birds, is 

 placed portionally. Bone for bone, the bird will bear comparison with 

 the reptile ; for although some of them may vary in size and form, tha 

 arrangement is the same. Here are the projecting face and jaws, having 

 the same relation and general form as in the reptile. Next we cover 

 this with muscles, in the manner that my outline indicates, giving 

 the bird a grotesque appearance. You remember the story of the 

 philosoplier throwing into the midst of Plato's pupils a bird plucked 

 of its feathers, which he said came within his definition of a man, 

 because it was " a two legged creature without feathers." As this 

 bird, being without feathers, is somewhat shorn of its beauty, you will 



