SyrsTEiiATic Arrangement. REPTILES. Systematic Arrangement. 
them to adhere firmly to the surface of the objects upon 
which they move, than to serve as organs of touch. 
Reptiles eat and drink very little, and they are 
capable of undergoing long fasts. The greater number 
of them are carnivorous, very few subsisting entirely 
upon vegetable substances. Amongst the vegetable 
feeders are the land tortoises and some of the marine 
species. In the case of almost all the rest, it is living 
prey only that they eat, and the animals upon which 
they feed are generally swallowed entire. The struc- 
ture, form, and position of the teeth in the carnivorous 
reptiles vary much, and form good characters for 
dividing them into generic groups. Besides the teetli 
whicli are planted in the jaws, there are others which 
are inserted upon the bones of the palate. In tlie 
herbivorous tortoises, and all the Chelonians, teeth, 
however, are entirely wanting. In these animals the 
jaws have a considerable resemblance to those of biids, 
being sharp-edged and horny. The lower jaw shuts 
within the upper, and the portions of food are cut or 
snapped off, as it were, on the principle of shears. 
Digestion is very slow, and indeed is carried on only 
in proportion to the degree of temperature of the sur- 
rounding atmosphere. “ Many Serpents,” says Mr. 
Bell, “ are more than a fortnight after taking their 
food before the undigested remains are voided, during 
which period they usually fast. If the temperature 
in wliich they are placed be very low, it is greatly 
retarded, and during hibernation it ceases altogether ; 
for I have known a tortoise, which had fed largely 
upon grass immediately before it became torpid, retain 
the grass unchanged in the stomach during the whole 
of tlie winter ; so that, on opening the body after its 
death, which took place immediately on its awaking 
in the spring, and before it had any access to food, the 
stomach was found filled with a large quantity of grass 
wholly undigested.” 
Reptiles are for the most part oviparous, that is, 
they lay eggs which are hatched after expulsion. The 
mother buries them in the sand, or deposits them in 
some place of concealment, exposed to the rays of the 
sun; and in due time, without any further assistance 
from the parent, the young are hatclied. In a few 
instances, however, the female retains the eggs within 
her body, till the young are ready to burst the shell, 
which are then excluded perfectly formed. Such is 
the case with the common lizard and viper of this 
country, and some other serpents, the blind- worm, &c. 
The following is the arrangement adopted in the 
British Museum, where there is an extensive collection 
of reptiles. The method is that of Dr. Gray : — 
Class. — REPTILES (Reptilia), from the Latin word repto, 
to creep, or crawl. 
Animal furnished with a distinct bony skeleton. The skin 
clothed with horny imbedded plates or imbricated scales, which 
are covered with a thin, and often deciduous epidermis. They 
respire by cellular lungs. The heart is trilocular, that is, it 
has a single ventricle divided into two or more cells, giving 
origin to two arteries, and receiving the cold red blood by two 
veins, from two auricles. Oviparous, but the egg sometimes 
hatched in the body of the mother, often covered with a thick, 
more or less calcareous shell. The young like the parent, and 
not undergoing any transformation. 
Reptiles are divided into two large sections, the Real;/ and 
Shielded, according to the structure of the scales or plates 
with which the skin is covered, and the formation of the skull. 
Section I. — Scaly Reptiles {Squaniata), from the Latin 
word squama, a scale. 
Body covered with overlapping scales. Skull formed of 
separate bones; the ear-bone external, and only articulated to 
the rest. Tongue free, elongate, nicked at the tip, often 
extensile. 
This section is composed of two orders, containing all the 
species denominated Saurians or Lizards, and Ophidians, Ser- 
pents or Snakes. " 
Order 1. — Lizards {Sauria), from the Greek word sauros 
{(ra-u^os), a lizard. 
Mouth not dilatable, jaws toothed, lower jaw-bones 
united by a bony suture in front ; eyes generally with 
distinct eyelids ; limbs four, distinct, rarely in such a 
rudimentary state as to be hidden under the skin ; body 
elongate, rounded, covered with imbricated or granular 
scales ; tail elongate, tapering, occasionally prehensile, 
generally covered with whirls of scales. 
This order is divided into two sub orders, from the 
structure and form of the tongue. 
Sub order 1. — Slender-tongued Lizards [Lepto- 
glosses), from the two Greek words, leptosO-t^-ros), 
smooth, and glossa (j-AwititkI, a tongue. 
Tongue flat, elongate, bifid. To this sub-order 
belong the Monitors, the Tegucxins, the true 
Lizards, the Scinhs, <fcc. 
t 
Sub-order^. — Tiiick-tongued LiZARns(Puc7t?/pioxs(B), 
from the two Greek words, pachus thick, 
and glossa {rZaira-a.), tongue. 
Tongue thick, convex, attached to the gullet at 
the base. To this sub-order belong the Gechos, 
the Iguanas, the Dragons, the Agamas, and the 
Chameleons. 
Order 2. — Serpents [Ophidia], from the two Greek words, 
ophis a serpent, and eidos f^‘hos), form or 
shape. 
Mouth very dilatable ; bones of the lower jaw sepa- 
rate from each other, only united by ligaments ; facial 
bones moveable ; limbs none, or only in the form of 
short spurs on the sides of the vent; tongue very long, 
retractile into a sheath at its base, apex forked, very 
long, slender, tapering ; one lung very large, the other 
small or rudimentary. 
Tiiis order is divided into two sub-orders, the Viperine 
Serpents [Viperina], and the Colubrine Serpents [Colu- 
brina) . 
Sub-order 1. — Viperine Serpents (Viperina), from 
the Latin word vipera, a viper. 
Jaws weak, upper jaw toothless, with large 
fangs in front, lower toothed. Head large behind, 
crown flat, generally covered with scales, rarely 
with shields. Hinder limbs not developed. Eyes 
lateral; nostrils lateral, apical, open. This sub- 
order contains the eminently poisonous serpents, 
such as the Rattlesnalccs and the Vipers. 
Sub-order 2. — Colubrine Serpents [Colubnna), 
from the Latin word coluber, a snake 
Jaws strong, both toothed, sometimes with some 
fangs in front, or grooved teeth behind. Head 
moderate, or indistinct ; crown often covered with 
regular shields. This sub-order contains the Water- 
snahes, some of which are poisonous, the Boas, and 
numerous harmless serpents, such as the True Ser- 
pents, the Wood Serpents, the Tree Serpents, &c. ; 
and the Naja group, which contains the Cobra de 
Capello, and other venomous species. 
Section II. — Shielded Reptiles (Cataphraeta), from the 
Greek word Icataphrasso {xxro!,<fex,(ri!-u), to cover or protect. 
Body covered with square imbedded plates, generally form- 
ing a dorsal and central shield ; bones of the skull agglutinated 
together, hard, with the ear-bone sunk into its substance ; jaws 
united into a solid mass ; mouth not dilatable ; tongue short, 
affixed to the mouth, scarcely exsertible ; the egg covered with 
a hard shell. 
Tliis section consists of three orders, containing the Tortoises 
or Chelonians, the Crocodiles or Emydosaurians, and the Am- 
phisbnenians, Amphisbeenia. 
