ANALOGIES OF THE ORDERS. • 115 



spending type by which all and every of these groups are 

 represented among the reptiles^ being the saurian or 

 natatorial order. 



(101.) Although we have hitherto invariably refrained 

 from employing^ as instruments for reasoning, the con- 

 tents of circular groups which have not been previously 

 laid before the reader in detail, and in some degree 

 demonstrated, yet, as the class of reptiles is contained 

 in this treatise, and will follow that of the fishes, we 

 shall here, in some measure, anticipate the results of 

 their investigation, by naming the orders into which, as 

 we believe, they are first divided; and this we do for 

 the purpose of showing their relation to those of the 

 present class, each being arranged in two distinct 

 columns. 



Orders of Fishes. Analogies. ' ^e^Ues^ ' 



AcANTHOPTERYGES. ) The wost highly organised offLACERTES. 

 Malacopteryges. J their respective classes. (_ Ophides. 



*-■. „.„,r .„,^Tx,^ ("Size ffigantic; snout broad, de-7o. 



Cartilagines. I pressed; head, large. ' JSaures. 



-. ^„.™ r~^ ("Body oval, thick, and mailed ; 7 ^ 



Plectognathes. I ^^^l^^ j^^^ .^ ^^^^ pl^^g ^f j^^^^; ] Ch^lonides. 



Apodes. [ ^'1^^'^°' extremities imperfect or j ch^melides. 



Until very lately we have always been impressed 

 with the idea that the ophidian reptiles, or serpents, 

 were the pre-eminent types of the reptiles; because 

 their form is that which seems to be most prevalent 

 in other animals which represent that class ; yet, as the 

 pre-eminent type is found invariably to be that which 

 is most highly organised, so it would seem to follow 

 that this rank belongs to the lizards {Lacertes) rather 

 than to the serpents. This theoretical conclusion is borne 

 out by the above table, where we find the acanthopte- 

 rous fish and the lacertine reptiles standing opposite ; 

 each being the most highly organised of their own class. 

 The affinity between the lizards and serpents is equally 

 close as that between the two typical orders of fishes ; 

 and both are sub-typical. The relationship between the 

 cartilaginous fish and the saurian or aquatic reptiles 



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