MAMMALIA. 



237 



ti'iturant, or with a flattened surface, as die Apes 

 ( Pithecolda) and the Bats ( Dermoptera) : 

 his second family includes the Unguiculate 

 quadrupeds with acuminated, canine, or car- 

 nivorous teeth, and is called Karcharodonta, 

 or Gurnpsonuc.hu,; whilst the quadrupeds cor- 

 responding with the Rodent order of modern 

 naturalists are grouped together and indicated 

 by a negative dental character, viz. the absence 

 of canine teeth. 



With respect to the hoofed or Ungulate 

 quadrupeds, Aristotle continues to employ the 

 organs of progressive motion for the subordi- 

 nate characters, and divides them into, 1st, 

 Polyschida, or multungulates, as the Elephant, 

 &c.; 2d, the Diachid<r, or bisulcates, including 

 the Ruminants ( Merykozonta), and the Hog- 

 tribe ; 3d, the Asfhidte, or solid ungulate quad- 

 rupeds, as the Horse and Ass. 



The Apodal Zootoka, which form the third 

 of Aristotle's more comprehensive groups, un- 

 derwent no corresponding subdivision in his 

 system. It embraces the modern Cetacea, 

 under the name of Ketoda. Thus the natural 

 class of animals, now universally recognized 

 under the Linnaeun epithet Mammalia, although 

 it comprehends creatures the most diverse in 



their forms and habits, some, e. g. skimming 

 along the air with wings like birds, others ha- 

 bitually dwelling on the ocean disguised as 

 fishes, was clearly appreciated and first indi- 

 cated by Aristotle, who included therein the Bat 

 and theWhale,with the ordinary hairy quadruped 

 and the naked biped, according to principles 

 acknowledged as consisting with the soundest 

 philosophy by the best-informed physiological 

 naturalists of the present day. 



During the two thousand years which have 

 elapsed since Aristotle wrote and lectured on 

 natural history, the ideas of learned men re- 

 garding the nature and classification of Mam- 

 mals received no improvement, and any 

 change which they underwent was for the 

 worse. Our great countryman Ray was the 

 first to introduce any amelioration of Aristotle's 

 arrangement. This arises chiefly from the 

 tabular form in which he expressed his ideas, 

 and in which the subordination of the charac- 

 ters and groups is more definitely set forth 

 than in the existing compendium of Aristotle's 

 History of Animals. Ray's improvements of 

 classification relate, however, only to the Te- 

 trapodous Mammals. It is as follows: 



or 



TT I I 



r 



A Table of Viviparous Four-footed Animals. 



Viviparous hairy animals or quadrupeds are, 

 " Ungulate, and these either 



'Sotidipedous, as the HORSE, Ass, ZEBRA. 

 Bisulcate, which are 



Ruminants with horns, that are 



f Persistent, as in the Ox, SHEEP, GOAT, 

 or -^ or or 



C. Deciduous, as in the STAG. 

 _ Ruminants, as the HOG. 



_Quadrisulaite, as the RHINOCEROS, HIPPOPOTAMUS. 

 ^Unguiculate, whose feet are either 



Bifid, as in the CAMEL, or 

 Multiftd, which are 



With digits adhering together, and covered with a common integu- 

 ment, so that the extremities alone are visible at the margin of the 

 ^ foot, and are covered with obtuse nails, as in the ELEPHANT. 

 I With digits in some measure distinct and separable from each other, 

 (_ the nails being 



f Depressed, as in APES, 



or 

 C Compressed, where the incisor teeth are 



CMany, in which group all the animals are carni- 

 vorous and rapacious, or at least insectivorous, 

 or subsist on insects with vegetable matter : 

 Tlie larger ones with the 



( Muzzle short, and head rounded, 

 as the Feline tribe; or with the 

 (. Muzzle long, as the Canine tribe ; 

 The smaller ones with a long slender 

 body, and short extremities, as the 

 Weasel or Vermine* tribe ; 



Two very large, of which tribe all the species are 

 phytivorous, as the HARE." 



" The anomalous species," Ray afterwards Armadillo, the Mole, the Shrew, the Taman- 

 observes, " among the viviparous quadrupeds dua, the Bat, and the Sloth. The first five of 

 with a multifid foot are the Hedge-hog, the these species agree with the canine and vermine 



or 



Genus Vermineum, from their worm-like form. 



