The New York herald., 1867-02-21
LAND ANIMALS OF SOUTH AMERICA.

Dy fFOBeoDox A0e~s@s - -
Inssisate.
Professor Agasss last evening delivered q The Cooper
institute the fourth OF the ssrss Of his highly entertain
na and instructive scnrcs under the anspcss Of the
lssoossion for the Advancement a Science and Art
the very inclsmsut weather the largo
,al Of the Institute well nled The subject Of tb
ecture was ''The Land Animals Of South AmericAn -
Professor Agassz wss introduced BY Dr. GrisRo, and
poke a. follows:-
LADIES AND GzEIImus:--Thm In sot The place for
,uIogy and yet cAnnet begin this lecture wthoUt say
ng few words Of that man to whom tho city
,f New York has rendered the last honoH to-day,
Professor Alexander Bachc, the superintendent
whom ell loved who knew him; out while
be dear his friends he man of whom the
country can well os proud ne has orysea ~ .nrae
zation which had been laid out before him WORK which
has made science as representa- snd carried ON nm IN
survey Of the United States Is the most perfect
coast survey tat has been carked on anvwnere ana IL
!. The wS, !" bachs u Us ,e most results
OF science and applying them 70 pracca PURPOSES anu
70 make bis practical work contribute 70 .ne roeress OF
science in a manner which has advanced geography IN
America far beyond 1t Is anywhere else And then
ne had another marked characteristics BacAe has rem
<iered ec,ence respected in the councils OF the nation
br science shut from the Of
the from the undertaking which has national
character This much feI should De allowed 70 say
and n memory OF one who was SO dear TO me The sub
jeot or this lecture the terrestrial animas OF South
America From what stated in my last lecture, you
have already perceived that between fresh water and
terrestrial animals there hardv be a'dstnct line OF
demarcaon Indeed, the aquatic and terrestrial AMI
mails. whether marine or nuviate pass into one
other AS far their structure rs concerned there Is
hardly large group Of the animal Kingdom which has
marine fresh water and terrestrial representatives.
and the aintes between these inhabitants OF different
parts Of globe sometimes very close But there
relations among them which deserve especial atten-
ton. and that may better bring out these relations.
permit re in what relative position the class
of vertebrates stand to one another that may how
You how these ideas have gradual transition from enc
type to another how they have sprung up IN the MINI
OF man and have been supported by arguments appa
renty unanswerabe The type OF vertebrates embraces
casses and each Of the classes are TO be
distinguished from tho other by the various modes
according to which given plan OF structure carried
out we may perhaps have to divide the vertebrates
into still larger number Of classes but those which are
now universally recognized viii suilce ior my puIpose
The fishes the lowest, next come reptnes, ABOVE
them birds and mammaiia at the head OF vncn STANDS
Now it not our own sonceit which Jnistnes the
position which man claims In the plan OF creation.
From every evidence which be addaced, from the
examination of mans structure, OF mars anatomy OF
the power Of his faculties Of The ~ 2, si nis
tloD and when study bis relations osneI living oe
ings II ID plain that i We examse tnelr oraer OF
ucCession the of time from the earliest geo.
logical periods to the present day rs unmistakabe
that from the beginning the coming Of man is an
noanced in the animal Kingdom, ard that his appear
ance was the close Of plan which enuncated when
the first fishes we're called into cxstence-so close s
the relation between these successe types which nave
inhabited the surface of our gof from the earliest
period 10 the present day And tw worde concerning
Ihe difference their structure w satisfy you hope
that such position is the true me which we should
sssian 10 the different classes nd the position
which man has right TO claim the plan OF creation
In the first place. the classes fishes embraces only
sauatic animais-anmas IN whin the different regions
Of the body hardly marked othe head, the neck.
The body and the tail now, . y In, were one INTO
that regulation OF the whole ure which distinguishes
regions from the other gives that harmonious
pTep0nderance 70 some part ger the other; which
places for instance in man the had only above all
other parts but in such COmnaning position that IL
plain 70 one VINO Ss b 10 bm SeoScs ioS s
fra place The outline Of ns nes< the position Of the
face the prominence a O. + Of the Which q ,Ss
trunk The vertical positn which reqsres only pair
Of limbs for ogS ws,e ne se become the
as .hn na stands uppermoet i the animal
while in fh other classes The limbs are en-
vice Of the brp and Of the intellect aa 1as Of The
higher purposes fcxstence. And when We cone down
ans which are reguiated tina. she dderens divisions
are all uniform aad can hardly be moved sepsy civ
from tho ctheI IN fact the attitude Of the fish in pe
tion. The Gsf moves horizontally aud the head is on
level with al the other parts OF the sody 1he Pro-
fessor here dr,w the form OF fish the canvas with
euch marvellous rspdtv elicit the warm applause
Of the aud e,ce) You in that positsn tponiing
OF vcrtebrae There is no part which has such pre-
ponderancs the other command the whole of
tho organization, the in the other vertebraies
give al this being entirely different relaion In
the first place tins caudal appendage may be prolonged
into single eloncaton a. the backbone and have at
once The characteristic form Of the tail OF all reptiles and
'f all the animals which have caudal appendages Then
gan we need only mpar some different outline 10 Tho
ieck and 70 assign TO the head prepouderance the
est OF the body and II in addition TO that contraction
'ou raise y slightly. you see at that the whole
alton Is changed, and from that time have the first
SEPARATION in the animal kingdom higher and higher
development and this condition transforms into higher
ma higher classes when the being is unfolded then
The vertebrate her w hava "a
The class Of reptiles Blu. IN the class of reptiles we
have stil cold blood, simple circulation, as We no.
iced among the fishes Let one step further be gained
md the organs Of respiration be extensive and
consequence OF this greater intensity Of breathing
orates, the body Of which moves horizontally in their
natural element which is water the respiratory organs
y which are gis, We ascend TO class Of reptiles
which the respiratory organs @rial receiving
atmospheric air and from the lowest kind
d lungs the nns, which placed the sides Of
back between the tail and the head The BODY
may, In a measure, bc raised above the ground:
may leave the water may continue TO move in the
water these organs serving as fms still. even though
they have the form Of fingers Then step beyond that
and We rise 70 the class Of birds Here circulation
ing from the heart goes Immediately TO the body and
ramifes in all s parts while another part goes 70 the
atmospheric ar 70 thai there Il s extensive r;uvers
lo Of the blood in that contact which stimulates qor
ts funchcns and In consequence Of that activity Of cir
cu aton and that intensity Of breathing the Temperature
Of the body 10 raised above that Of the surroundins
medium and maintained in An independent relation
rom that surrounding medium The lower animals
reptiles and nshesare called coldblooded ANIMALS nos
that the Temperature s necessarily much colder than
lhas OF the warm.blooded animals but changes with
The temperature Of the surrounding medium.
turtle In midsummer when exposed to the sun
VII have iu own temperature raised 70
sighty-nve degrees and even more, and II IL sinks
below thrtytwo degrees then he dies But the animal
9 not BY lie orgaBisation, capable Of maintaining s
temperature al nxed standard while this b the cha
racter Of wsrm-blooded animals you
ne)a higher grade a organization, and that becomes
OF the bird But tho birds have many fea
lures in common with The reptiles They lay eggs In
other respects the structure OF birds ana rep-
Tiles SO close that 81 some steps OF their growth II
hardly possible 70 distinguish from the other still
~ they grow the differences brought out more for
clby But what constitutes the most prominent external
difference between the reptiles and the birds the differ
nee between the four exremities The anterior limbs
all birds are developed into wings which are given for
ara ocomoton and the posterior limbs are developed
INTO pair Of legs for terrestrial ocomotion while In the
reptiles We never have this disparity between
Inc anterior and postcrior limbs and then
Inc body In uniformly covered with feathers
Recently an animal has been found, the structure OF