New-York tribune., 1867-02-21


such the lizards the turtles and the like, and the
warm-blooded qnadrupeds, such as our dom6stcated
have limbs Of considerable strength capable Of raising
the body from the ground and carrying 1t above the
they have largelydeyeoped limbs, use them more to
direct their course and drag the body along than to raise
1t above the level Of the soil. Among these rep
tiles there il one group which is more aquatic than
ns cther & Us taat m SCP arS %G a n S G eggs ~ s 5S
undergo extensive changes before they assume the
characteristics OF the adults This the with all the
frogs and toads and allied animals and the newt, saa
scales and in that they differ from the terrestrial lizards
which have, in common with snakes and turtles.
both covering Of scales, and lay eggs in
which the young is developed without ex-
hbng those extensive changes which in the trans
formations of the frogs and oads When the egg Of the
does not any way resemble the adult but 1t is what
cali tadpoe-it is animal which is like
tail-it has no limbs at allit has at first pair or
several pairs, OF gills on the two sides OF the
rudimental egs-these gls reduced-the tail is
duced and in the end the young animal assumes the form
assumed legs. and these growing into the proportions
which they have in the parent and the tail disappearing
solved Now, all reptiles which have undergone these
lowest order while those which scales the young of
which IS developed i'll the egg without undergoing
very extensive changes, stand higher and resemble in
many respects the birds than the other reptiles
But among them have fewer that aquatic. For in
stance among the sepents there only comparatively
few species which nhabit the waters. Most Of them
are terrestrial Among the lizards there are very few
and among the turtles have many that nhabit the
or fresh waters those that inhabt the land SO
that there is certain gradatjOn among animals GER
tam higher and higher standing in propOr by their
nature they confined TO tho water marshes
TO the dry land rise into the interior OF continents
All the animals OF high standing, in their respective
classes nhabt extensive continents and the interior of
the land No large island nourshes any great terrestrial
animal 1t is only islands of considerable dimensions
that we find terrestrial animals of superior ordor On
the smaller islands of the Pacific when they were first
visited by the white only bats found and
kinds OF mice but Of the larger animals Not
nvorOus kind of the animals Ofprey which stand
high the scale fmammala and monkeys only found
on the larger continents Australia, which s the smallest
of the continents has not single monkeys II is only in
Africa in ASIA and in America that these highest OF all
mammaa TO be found and in those continents only
within the warm region and nowhere in tho temperate
or cold zone And what Is true of the reptiles and mann
the aquatic birds, the webfOoted birds--and VIC
hardly any of them inland The wood duck
is, perhaps, the only one Of the family the habits Of
which are in measure terrestrial Then we have next
in position those birds Of which the marshes the pro
already by their constitution higher position than the
come nearest the webfootod but which run over the
ground but not perch trees and are not good at
flying: the gainaceOu bird belongs 10 them the ostrich
also When we come 10 the perching birds, the birds
that fly with ease. have again TO make difference
Those which climb along the OF trees, and ndif
ferent perchng birds and also indifferent flyers stand
ing below those in which the foot Is so constituted Us to
facilitate their position on limb branch Of tree.
Finally those which soar in the air with rise highest
III the atmosphere ana Which are rtest III ther motion,
are the birds Of prey 10 which nauraists assign without
hesitation the highest position in their class SO II il I'M
mlslakaDle tnat thcIe Is certain RELATION De.
tween the standing OF an animal and the element
T thn2 nese He oc n ana bs seems naIa az o
this peculiar constitution and that the animals may have
assumed their character in consequence of those in
fuenccs AT AZ events this relation, To which have just
alluded. Is O the considerations which introduced
when It Is attempted 10 show that animals modified
by the influences under which theyye espeakcr here
paused mOmentl have 80 much 10 say that try TO
find that which will interest you most In my exposition,
ana thSIe!Ote am perhaps more dehbeIate thAh
should be If was not under that pressure Applause
high those OF other continents. 1t is remark which
and by the closer and fuller acquaintance with
the animals OF that continent Whether take the bulk
and the bulk Of the mammaia. whether compare the
family with the other through each OF these classes
erOrty unmisakabe the side OF the South American
animals Let W go through these in every point Of view
in comparison with those OF Africa or the Gangcs and in
What sthe peculiar characteristic Of The crocodily ~ hht
their jaws provided with powerful teeth which inter
lock with another. that when the mouth shuts the
two jaws are brought very close together and this
Now the crocodcs OF the Old World of Anca and Asia,
have this peculiar form Of dentIon, the crocodes Of
South America ON the contrary have all the teeth OF the
lower jaw 50 hiRg ON the upper jaw that when the wo
lower law iii the inside Of the teeth Of the upper jaw
relations between the Jaws in that respect And
find the relation Oi the limbs, you find again the char
free one from the other the limb ia more free Look at
the toad for instance, in which the fingers entirely
and in proportion as they grow these webs vanish and
the fingers become free. All the embryo crocodies
yer. and The fnces brc"m The Snfb
life, and in Of them it is often dspropor |
tionacly large IN comparison with the size of their
fingers that taking the highest among them to com
pare with the highest Of other parts OF the world you
that the character Of inferority is the side
of America And in the other families OF reptiles You
observe the same. For instance, in the prepOnderance
OF poisonous snakes The poisonous snakes are. by |
their structure inferior 10 those that harmless
and the number and proportion Of this poisonous /
species Is greater in south America than any other part
OF the world one OF the terrestrial snakes acquires
btHClOI-lhc largest Oh all replIcs or hat 1amly |
The dimensions of Of the largest specnenseXtend 10
very rare but not IN our day when these animals have
been hunted down 10 80 great an extent that there are
rarely specimens Of that dimension to be found Further
let me say. as touch upon TINS subject mat tnough
common, tine poisonous snakes haunt such black recesses
with us or the other poisonous snakes which we |
from these aDulas j. there II Is with and
undoubtedly time viii the frequonce OF these ami
Among the aquatic reptiles have family which is
very numerous in Brazil. and deserves especial notice
such variety that the forests are vocal with Their noise
They initiate the voice Of other animals to the extent
OF frequently producing strange delusion. Some OF
H. rLiircn and fr91ueuiy yonr attention and synpa
tines may he attracted by voice which would distress
you, could you satisfy yourself that 1t from
cluster OF frogs and not from infant trouble. |
Laughter applause The family OF turtles has very
hume rOiis and very Interesting representatives, IN
South America and in the fresh waters Of its !
largest The largest turtles known those of the
the green turtle is Of the large kind the leather
turtle the very largest but there fresh turtles
Amazon which grow 10 dimension of three feet in
length from three 10 tour feet and they are among the
most delicious articles oi food In the country aud in snc
quantity do they exist that they constitute one Of the re-
sources Of the population furnishing them not only with
meat but also with another article very important as an
object diet They manufacture butter from these tur