New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1847-11-20
NEw-YonK, SATURDAY MORNING,

the edge OF the upper iaw is formed Of the maxila
~ bones, or provided with rude teeth sometimes
merely serat1Tas 10 the bone which reach the
posteror edge Of the mouth. and the upper maxi
ary bone no longer hls any teeth The foregoing De
tails ali be- sufficient % give acomplete notion Of the
whole class Of fishes will show a specimen con
tainine three fossil fishes The scales ~ the fossil
hshes are precisely the same NJ in the living gar
pike. The specimen is from this country-One from
the collection Of Sir Redhed.
have now 20 introduce the class OF ReDtIes-
They are animals very dssimiar in their structure
and appearance At first one can scarcely under
stand the likeness existing between snake and a
turtle. Theirskeletons in their external form are
totally different that q common characteristic is
by 10 means easy 10 perceive IL seems almost
impossible that such Heterogeneous animals as
frogs. snakes, lizards and tortOises should belong
20 one natural division nevertheless the class Of
reptiles Is the most natural group Of the Animal
Kingdom The extreme differences we notice be
tween the groups Just named disappear more and
more when ~e examine the distinct types of those
animals which lived in former epochs and are now
extinct We have now some animals which BY
their form stand intermediate between lizards or
crocOdles and tortOses We have other forms
even Intermediate between the snakes and liz.
ards. The common snake has no feet numerous
ribs extend the whole length Of the body The
numerous yer,ebr1 have each pair Of ribs, and
the structure is Uniform that ia transverse sec
tiOn in any region OF the body. We see precisely
the same arrangement oi the bones and soft parts
Some lizards like snakes. have no feet. In some
there begin 10 appear on the sides and Undern cath
the abdominal cavity rudimentary feet, or ribs. az
the CXremities OF which there IS a hook. First
~ observe these enlarged-then there are two
hngers-theB some rudimentsry feet on the sides
Of the head with one. two. and afterwsrd three
toes. until We have the common form OF feet with
five distinct fingers. All possible intermediate
states between the existence OF feet and the com
pete want Of them is known among the living rep.
tiics-snakes and lizards The length aud proper
ton Of the body vary. Some are OF extraordi-
NARY length. ia othcrs ia which the body IS shorter
the tail more separate from the body and forms
long tell lhe appeldage.
There is no longer any difficulty M tracing this
form in that of the turtle in which the body is broad
fai with very snort tail and neck. Here We have
type where the tail IS very long and very similar
10 a snakes body, and here we have feet of con
siderable size.
Again IN the frog the legs are Of extraordinary
length being IL many instances logger than the
body The medal region is broad, Hat and short
as IN turtles 50 that the external form, where We
trace all intermediate forms should no longer be an
objection 70 the union Of all these animals in one
group But in the intermediate forms we have pos
tive characters by which they all agree and there
fore must be ciassed together
These characters are-irst the structure OF the
heat In this injected heart VI a turtle you see
two red cavities IN which the blood comes from the
lungs, aud this black cavity from which the blood
forced into the lungs aud other parts OF the body
The heart ~ reptiles divided into three cavities