■ROOM IX, X.] 
NATURAL HISTORY. 
29 
The second Table in this room contains a few insects, 
selected from the duplicates of the general collection (see 
p. 26, note), illustrative of the orders aud genera of the 
class. 
The coloured line immediately beneath the name of the 
insect, denotes the country where it is found, thus: 
Light Blue . Europe. 
Red . . Asia. 
Black . . Africa. 
Green . . N.America 
Yellow . S. America. 
Orange . West Indies. 
Brown . New Holland. 
DarkBliie, England. 
In the table case, in the window, are the Corallines, 
which were formerly considered as animals, but are now 
generally regarded as sea-weeds, having a large quantity 
of calcareous matter in their composition. Most of them are 
furnished with small tubercles similar to the organs of 
fructification of Marine Confervas, but are destitute of those 
cells on the surface, which are always found in the corals. 
These substances constitute the Pseudozoa of De Blain- 
ville, and are contained in the Table Case No. 22,-—namely: 
Cymopolia — Corallina — Jania—Flabellaria — Amphiroa 
—Penicillus — Galaxaura — Acetabulum — Polyphysa — 
IJdotea—Dichotomaria—Liagopora—and Nullipora, Lamck . 
TENTH ROOM. 
The upright Cases round the room contain the general 
collection of Reptiles in spirits. 
Case 1 contains the shielded Reptiles, Cataphracta, 
which have the body covered with two shields, sometimes 
formed of bones, and at others of bony plates imbedded in 
the skin ; as the Tortoises ( Tesiudo , Lin.) and Crocodiles 
(Crocodilus , Cuv.). 
The feet of the Tortoises differ in form according to the 
habits of the animals. Those which live on land ( Tesiudo ) 
have club-shaped feet, and very solid, convex shells. 
Amongst these are the common Tortoise ( Testudo graeca ), 
frequent in the north of Africa and the south of Europe; 
and the Tabular Tortoise [Test, tahidata ), from the Bra¬ 
zils. These live chiefly on vegetable substances, and bury 
themselves in the ground during the winter: their eggs, 
some of which are exhibited, are of a globular form. The 
American sailors often use these animals as food ; they are 
found in great abundance in the Galiipagos. 
