342 Mr. Burnetts Illustrations of the Ferae and Glires. 



two have also been termed Carnivorae, to distinguish them from 

 the latter, which are Insectivorous ; and the Sanguinariae have 

 also been called Digitigrades, from their mode of walking, 

 while the Predacese and Insectivorae are Plantigrades. Indeed, 

 by taking different points of structure and habit as criteria, 

 almost as many distributions might be effected as there are 

 organs in the animal frame ; but such would be worse than 

 useless labour ; the only legitimate object being to contrast the 

 advantages of the several plans, and select as characters those 

 which are the most obvious, constant, and decisive ; not alone 

 because they are common, nor yet because they are original, 

 but because they promise to be the most perspicuous and the 

 most useful. Therefore all those unguipedate pouchless qua- 

 drupeds which have three sorts of teeth, whether more or less 

 developed, and whatever be their number, are associated in 

 one race : the Tridentulae, Plenidentatae, or Plenidentia of the 

 dental scheme : the savage beasts of the vulgar ; the FERtE of 

 Zoologists. As now enumerated, they are analogous to the 

 Ferae of Linnaeus, excluding Phoca and Didelphis ; and to the 

 Carnivora of Cuvier, excluding the Amphibia. (Vide Table, 

 p. 349.) 



The most distinguishing characteristic of the GLIRES, or 

 Rodentia, the second race of unguipedate quadrupeds, is the 

 universal absence of laniar teeth, instead of which is found the 

 signal diastemma, unmarked by even transitional canines ; the 

 incisors, usually two in each jaw, are chisel-shaped, and so far 

 protruded as to give these animals a peculiar facility in gnaw- 

 ing, whence one name ; their molars are more or less complex 

 and lamellate ; in the frugivorous species the crowns are nearly 

 flat; in others, whose food is of a more varied kind, they are 

 tuberculated; in most the intestines are long and the caecum 

 voluminous. Their feet are little different from the Ferae, but 

 their toes are rather armed with nails, than claws, which are 

 unable to seize and unfitted to tear any living prey ; the two 

 bones of the forearm are often united, and can scarcely ever 

 be regarded as having the power of turning, while the Ferae 

 have a limited privilege both of pronation and supination ; 

 though considerably less than the monkey type. In like man- 

 ner, as some of the Insectivorous Ferae have clavicles and others 

 none, so is it with the Glires ; and from this circumstance two 



