REPTILIA 504 REPUBLICAN PARTY which is observed in the evolution of mammals and in the progress through oviparous monotremes, prematurely- bearing marsupials, and various grades of placentals; the growth of parental care, and the frequent subordination of self-preserving to species-maintaining ends; and finally, the rise of sociality from foundations based in organic kin- ship, are well-known facts of animal life which suggest the importance of the re- productive factor in evolution. REPTILIA, reptiles ; cold-blooded, oviparous, or ovoviviparous, vertebrate animals having the skin covered with scales or scutes; heart with two auricles, ventricular chamber incompletely di- vided. Respiration takes place by lungs, respiratory movements being slow and irregular. Intestinal tract and urogen- ital organs open into a common cloaca. Aristotle was the first naturalist who wrote on reptiles. Some progress in classification was made by Ray (1628- 1705) and Linn^us (1707-1778). Brongniart, in 1799, first recognized the characteristics by which the Batrachia differ from other reptiles and form a natural passage to the fishes. In 1863 in his Hunterian Lectures, Huxley adopted the term Sauroids for that di- vision of the vertebrates which he after- ward called Sauropsida. He divides the Reptilia into the following orders: Che- Ionia, Plesiosauria, Lacertilia, Ophidia, Ichthyosauria, Crocodilia, Dicynodontia, Omithoscelida, and Pterosaiiria. Owen makes reptiles proper the highest of the five sub-classes into which he finally di- vided his Hasmatocrya with orders: Ichthyopteryr/ia (extinct), Saurojitein/gia (ex- tinct), Anomodontia- (extinct), Chelonia, Lacer- tilia (with the extinct Mlosasauriis), Ophidia, Croco- dilia (with the extinct Teleoscnirus and Strepsos- fondylu^), Dinosavria (extinct), and Pterosauria (extinct). Professor Mivart divides the Reptilia into the following orders : Ichthyopterygia (extinct), Anomodontia (ex- tinct), Dinosauria (extinct), Omithoaauria (ex- tinct), Crocodilia; RhynchocephaHa, Sauroptcry- gia, Lacertilia, Ophidia,. and Chelonia. The first appearance of reptiles is be- lieved to be indicated by remains of a marine Saurian {Eosaurus acadianus) of Carboniferous age. Proterosaurus is found in the Permian. In Mesozoic times the reptilian type appears in such variety and in such a high state of development that this era has been distinguished as the Reptilian Age. In the Trias large marine Saurians and Dinosaurs are met with ; more gigantic forms were developed in the Jurassic period; and the class at- tained its highest culmination in the Chalk. REPTON, a village of Derbyshire, England. Here was founded the first Christian church in Mercia, of which Repton for a while was the royal and episcopal capital. It was the seat from before 660 till its destruction by the Danes in 874 of a celebrated nunnery, as afterward of an Austin priory from 1 1 72 till the Dissolution. Remains of this priory are incorporated in the buildings of the free grammar school, which, founded in 1556 by Sir John Porte, has risen to be one of the great English public schools. REPUBLIC, a commonwealth; a form of political constitution in which the su- preme power is vested, not in a heredi- tary ruler, but in the hands either of certain privileged members of the com- munity or of the whole community. REPUBLICAN PARTY, one of the two great political parties in the United States. The term Republican has had at different times different significations. In 1792 a faction of the Anti-Federalists, advocating more direct control of the government by the people, further re- striction of supreme authority, and a stronger emphasis of States Rights, be- gan to be known as the Republican party. This party was increased by numbers of voters who called themselves Democrats on account of their sympathy with the French Jacobins. The combination was known officially as the Democratic-Re- publican party. Those members having centralizing tendencies having seceded, the term Democratic was alone retained. This name, as the title of a National party was first used in 1825, the election of 1828 being the first in which it ap- peared, at that time opposing the orij?- inal holders of the name. The name Re- publican, as the title of a party went out of use after the election of 1824, but was resumed in 1856, during the administra- tion of Mr. Pierce (1853-1857). Its platform rested mainly on the prohibi- tion of slavery in the Territories, declar- ing that freedom was the public law of the national domain; the prohibition of polygamy, which it classed with slavery as "the twin relic of barbarism"; and the admission of Kansas as a free State. In 1856 the party fairly divided the coun- try with its Democratic competitor. In June of that year its convention met at Philadelphia and nominated John C. Fre- mont for President. But the American party drew something from its strength, and though showing a popular vote of 1,341,264, it was defeated, the slave States, with the exception of Maryland, which voted for Mr. Fillmore, going solidly for Mr. Buchanan, the Democratic candidate, who was elected with the aid of five free States, 11 of the latter vot- ing for General Fremont. The decision
