New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1847-11-25
NETWORK TRIBUNE.
TIE ANIMAL KINGDOM.
rLEvENTH LECTURE BY PROF. A0Assiz.


R,5ortes for TIE T,bsn, bg Wu u. Burr Psonosyapser.
Formulation of ths Order Of Batrsehi ansTheir Meta
m rrhoses the Key % proper Cisssihceilon q AMI
male he Scale Of Beng The impoItaose o. te{ o.
principle, never as yst known eno appieo tes.l y
Il .acbsus illustrate tis prneipe: .biTos ana Sanl
power u eight in Birds Pecularity 100 me ioes OF
brdsA Clue 70 The Discoveries q Ancient Forms ~
their Footprints Prest Hiichcocts d'seoyery-itls
opinion su.tsiGed. DlTerses in be casso Mennela
Whales a. order Of Ma nuaalia--rossil Wheies.
Tie IIrdarchos Hefbivoroos ard CarnlvoIons Anima
difference IN their snentsry ofs,ns The teeth Of
y>9ef4-Ts law Of the GER. Motions Of the Jaw
in animalsTcrth Of the ki btfoosss 1.-The racnFuer
raaia Rerainsc ~ species ri the Elephant in Frozsn
cifnats IN The Frozen keU0us The hastodon o. r.
cenf eafe-Tfe Runinaafia-The Bodenfia-Ihe Sim
esIr character Of The Dideipt,desThe CaFuiyoIa--
Seals. Csfuivora proDer....The QrscfUmana-Diher-
euce between q man aud monkey
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN IL the examination
Of the class Of Reptiles we have already gone
through four orders-viz that Of Rtie0donts, con
tanning those gigantic fossils extinct types and the
now living Crocodile; second, the CAeloni0ns OF
Turtles third, the SgurianS or Lizards and fourth,
h the Oyh,dians or Snakes.
We have tonight TO examine the order OF B0
IfyqckiaHs. These animals are very numerous and
OF singular character, owing to their mode OF
Growth They differ from the other reptiles IN
this-ihat their body is naked without scales and
The skin is soft Bot what is the most striking
tea,ure ia their character is thst they undergo p
cries Of changes during their life after they are
Ibstched The young Batrachians nl have long
Ilai. Ike lizards even frogs and toads when young
ave this appondage.
/ The order of Batrachians contains Frogs I00ds,
nSal0monders, and mnuy other animals allied 10
Esaomanders. There is an extraordinary difference
"a their external form, though all agree in this, that
"a Ter they have escaped from the egg they have n
ons tail oirclmscrbed by GIN, and in their early
Ietare they have no feet Soon after they are
matched the feet BEGIN to appear and in some the
tell disappears, and they assume the short com
pact form Of tho frog and toadwhie others retain
ibci, tail Again, when young they all resPire
through gills which some lose, in later llie and
Nbrentbe through lungs like other reptiles.
In these few facts we have a most important in
dicaton Of the value Of character throughout the
great division Of the vertebrated animals. ii my
object was not 10 illustrate the principles Of 10
o3sy, would enter into more details IN the ex-
animation of the different species and their exter-
mai characteristics but these can be learned from
books ln these facts OF the structure and charac.
teristics OF the Batrachians we have Illustrated
some fundamental principles Of cassiicaiion-and,
an fact, new principle which ] consider as most
important for that object Animals have usually
been classified by the difference IN their structure,
which principle is perfectly correct but the dill
Guilty is 10 ascertain by knowledge OF their struc-
turs which combination of Organs-Which stiuc-
kture-beluugs to the higher and which t. the lower
order. We have had no test for ascertaning this.
(The good opinion men have Of their own superiority
over the rest OF the animal creation has induced 10
sooeiss to consider those animals more nearly allied
t. Man to be the higher order and those that der
more widely from this type to belong to the lower
orders. But the actual scale by which we measure
the deqree in the graduation Of animals IS found only
! in their metamorphoses and unhapplly this test
HAS not been introduced into our classification as II
should have been. The facts we know already IN
relation 10 the structure Of Batrachans and their
lmetamorphoses are sufficient to give perfect Key
20 the classification OF the two lower classes oil YER
ttobrated animals and the succession OF any order
even with the most minute details.
| In this DIAGRAM will sketch not any one parii-
cuar animal, but the general outline of group
lW hen the Young batrachian escapes from the egg
toe general outline is elongated. with tail' ou'