59 
William Bond, Esq., of Boston. They are believed, by a cross 
with the common sheep of Spain, to have produced the cele- 
brated Merino breed. These are, so far as is known, the first of 
the breed which have been brought to this country. They 
are white, with black heads. 
The Fallow Deer (Dama vulgaris) is the common Deer 
of Europe. Its normal color is reddish-brown, spotted, like 
the Axis, with white. It is liable to variation in color, how- 
ever, those in the Garden being pure white. 
No. 20.— THE REPTILE HOUSE. 
The accommodations in this building are inadequate to the 
proper display of the Society’s rapidly increasing collection 
in this branch, and many of the cases are somewhat crowded. 
The class Reptilia is composed of animals provided with 
lungs, a very simple digestive apparatus, and cold blood. 
Many of them live in the water, but are compelled to rise to 
the surface for the purpose of respiration. With the exception 
of a few of the Serpents, they are oviparous, and deposit their 
eggs on land. Reptiles proper are Turtles, Serpents, Lizards, 
and Saurians. 
The members of the class Batrachia agree in many respects 
with the above. Their spawn, or eggs, is, however, hatched 
under water, and they are covered with a smooth skin in place 
of the scales with which reptiles are provided. The young 
live entirely in the water, and breathe with gills. In some 
genera, as Siren and Menobranchus , these gills are retained 
through life, and project from the sides of the neck, where 
they may readily be observed, the blood which fills them 
giving them a rich crimson color. In others, as the Frogs, 
Toads, Newts, and Salamanders, a complete metamorphosis 
takes place, the gills of the immature animal disappearing 
altogether in the adult. In the genus Menopoma the gills 
become reduced to a small orifice in the side of the neck, 
and the lungs are well developed. 
