THE 



AMERICAN NATURALIST. 



Vol. XXXVIII. February, 1904. No. 446. 



RECLASSIFICATION OF THE REPTILIA. 



HENRY FAIRFIELD OSBORN. 



History of Classification.! 



Philosophy of C/assification.— The history of the classification 

 of the Reptilia resembles that of the classification of other forms 

 of vertebrates in its gradual approximation to the truth. 



The general progress has been from superficial to profound 

 characters, from purely adaptive characters to those which are 

 phylogenetic and indicate real afiinity. For a century and a 

 half superficial resemblances and analogous adaptations have 

 been the pitfalls out of which the final classification is slowly 

 emerging. 



Every classification, moreover, has had its underlymg i)hi- 

 losophy. The "special creation" philosophy under]a)s the 

 Linnaean system, but in so far as Linnaeus, Cuvier, De Blain- 

 ville, Owen perceived a real order in certain profound charac- 

 ters, their systems will stand. 



The philosophy underlying modern classification is the 



