177 



ORDINAEY MEETING* 

 Dayid Howard, Esq., D.L., ix the Chair. 



Life Member :— Rev. David Gregg, D.D., LL.D., United States. 



Member : — Eev. S. C. Logan, D.D., LL.D., United States. 



Associates : — George Monro, Esq., London ; Eev. T. Ralj)!! Price, M.A., 

 Sun-e}'. 



The following paper was then kindly read l)y Mr. J. W. Slater, F.E.S,, 

 F.C.S., in the author's unavoidable absence : — 



THE CLASSIFICATION OF 7 HE VERTEBRATA. 

 By Professor John Cleland, M.D., LL.D., F.R.S., 



Professor of Anatomy in the LTniversity of Glasgow. 



THE Council of the Victoria Institute having done me 

 the honour of asking me to contribute a Paper, I have 

 adopted a suggestion, for which I am indebted to your 

 esteemed Honorary Secretary, Captain Petrie. and venture to 

 lay before you a defence of the views which I am known to 

 hold, in accordance with those of Cuvier and Owen, but in 

 opposition to the prevailing fashion of the lust thii'ty years, 

 with regard to the classification of that large and most 

 important division of animals, the Vertebrata. 



Cuvier divided the Vertebrata into four groups, viz., 

 Fishes, Reptiles, Birds and Mammals. But the zoologists of 

 the present day prefer to break up the Reptilia of Cuvier 

 into two quite distinct groups, erecting his Batrachia into a 

 group by itself and confining the term Reptilia to the 

 remainder, including the serpents, turtles lizards, and 



* 9th of 31st Session. 



