Re: charles darwin in his book, the voyage of the beagle, makes reference in

You may want to consult a dictionary for the etymology of "reptile" and 
"amphibian." All cold-blooded land-dwelling creatures (snakes, lizards, toads,
salamanders...) have been referred to as "reptiles" until fairly recently.
This was a colloquial usage, and can be found in 19th-century fiction, for
example.

The usage was obviously also found among 19th-Century naturalists like Darwin.

                                   Dan Berger
                                   MadSci Admin