34 REPTILES AND BIRDS. 



recognised species. The class Amphibia is divided by Dr. Gray into five orders, 

 viz., Batrachia, Pseudosauria, Pseudophidia, Pseudichthyes, and Meantia. Of 

 these the first, or the Batrachia, are divided into the sub-orders Salientia and 

 Gradientia, the latter consisting of three families, Salamandridce, Molgidce, and 

 Plethodontidce. The second order, Pseudosauria, comprises the families Protonop- 

 sidce (which contains the Sieboldtia maxima) and Atnphiumidcc. The third order, 

 Pseudophidia, consists of only one family, Cceciliidce. The fourth order, Pseudich- 

 thyes, also contains one family only, the Lepddosirenidm. The fifth order, Meantia 

 comprises the two families Proteidce and Sirenidce. Twenty-four ascertained 

 species are distributed amongst the last four of these orders ; but the limits of this 

 work do not permit of a more detailed notice of these various groups of Batrachia 

 Gradienta. More recently, Dr. Giinther, in his work on the Reptiles of the Indian 

 region, has pointed out certain structural characters connected with the generative 

 system which show that the Pseudophidia do not properly belong to the 

 Batrachia ; nor is their place in the system as yet quite satisfactorily determined. 

 They seem rather to be a very humble form of Reptile ; while the Pseudichthyes 

 should rather be subordinated to the class Pisces : though, as we have seen, there 

 are naturalists who would refer all of the Batrachia to the Fish class, certain forms 

 amongst them rising to a parallelism of development with Reptilia, but still not 

 constituting true reptiles. The mode of reproduction especially is in favour of 

 this view. Both Pseudophidia and Pseudichthyes are intertropical or subtropical 

 animals, whereas the rest of the Batrachia Gradientia belong almost exclusively to 

 the northern temperate zone, any exceptional case occurring probably in very 

 elevated regions. Of sixty-six ascertained species, forty-nine are American, and 

 there are five from Japan, inclusive of the Sieboldtia maxi??ia. But more species 

 have been discovered since the catatogue cited has been drawn up, and of course 

 there must be many yet to be discovered. Five species are referred to the 

 Pseudophidia, and three only to the Pseudichthyes. — Ed. 



