26 Mr. W. S. Macleay on the Comparative Anatomy 



some of Aristotle's subdivisions of it, which are all excellent. 

 The group of Ungulata has not, however, escaped the eye of 

 M. Cuvier. '■ i mii v\iv\„<[ 



The last order we have to mention is the xfiru^n of Aristotle, 

 Cetaceum genus of Ray, Cete of Linnaeus, and Natantia of Illi- 

 geti "It is in truth a group which cannot fail to strike the most 

 ordinary observer, from the limbs taking the form of fins, and 

 the whole animal the form as well as habits of a fish. 



Every Mammiferous animal may be reduced to these five 

 orders ; that is, may be assimilated, in a greater or less degree, 

 to on6 or other of the following typical forms ; viz. Man, the 

 Lion, the Horse, the Whale, and the Mouse. 



I shall show hereafter how these five orders form a continued 

 series returning into itself, so as to be a natural group. In 

 the mean time, I must recall to the attention of the reader the 

 orders of Birds as defined and arranged by Mr. Vigors*; and 

 to which definitions and arrangement I have just applied so 

 severe a test, only to corroborate their accuracy and to make 

 them display additional harmonJ^ 



"When we have heard the Parrot or Mainate speaking ; when 

 we have witnessed the former feeding itself as it were with a 

 hand ; when, in short, we have reflected on the remarkable 

 intelligence and development of brain throughout the whole 

 order of Lisessores, to which both birds belong, — there has been 

 no one, perhaps, dull enough not to compare them to Primates. 

 jXjlianT says : " Ta f/,sv aXXa, ruv oohicm o^vim eva'TOfjt^et, xat rr) yT^corrri 

 <p6tyyiTui, liKriv avS^oimv ." I allow, indeed, that it is difficult to 

 follow the opinion of the great naturalist of France, who, igno- 



* Linn. Trans, vol. xiv. p. 406, et seq. 



+ Ed. Schneid. lib. J. c. xx. With respect to the particular case of Parrots, I 

 cannot do better than refer to the ample collection of classical quotations given on this 

 subject in the Zoological Journal, vol. ii. p. 40, &c. 



" •' ■ rant 



