ORDER OPHIDIA. 387 



lately that any precise notions have been attained respecting 

 this genus of animals. Schneider has given us some particu- 

 lars respecting their skeleton, and he approximates them to 

 the fish. M. Dumeril considers them as very near the tailless 

 batracians, resting upon some characters of their organiza- 

 tion, that is on the viscosity and nudity of the skin, on the 

 absence of ribs, on the presence of two occipital condyles, and 

 on the rounded form and position of the anus. M. Appel has 

 made of them his family of apode batracians, and our author 

 places them last of the ophidians. But in fact, until the 

 mode of generation in these animals is ascertained, and until 

 it is known whether they undergo metamorphoses or not, 

 there will be much embarrassment in their classification. It 

 is certain, however, that they cannot be confounded with the 

 fish, since no gills have been observed in them. 



To the anatomical description in the text, it is quite unne- 

 cessary to add anything, and respecting the manners of the 

 coecilia, little is known. According to the observations of 

 Peron, they seem to approximate considerably to those of the 

 tritons. It is supposed that the food of these animals is small 

 insects and worms. The position of the anus leads to the 

 supposition that there cannot be any real copulation. 



2 c 2 



