THE UNGULATES, OK HOOFED ANIMALS 187 



was living and full of blood-vessels. Stags in tliis con- 

 dition may be seen at the Zoological Gardens daring 

 the summer months. Besides casting the "velvet^' 

 deer also shed periodically the bony part of the horn. 

 The horns of ruminants, i. e. oxen, goats and ante- 

 lopes, are composed of a bony core with a horny 

 covering. These horns are never shed except in the 

 case of the American Pronghorn Antelope or Prong- 

 buck, which sheds its branched or pronged horn 

 periodically as the stag does its ^^ velvet.^' 



There is a long series of fossil Ungulates, exhibit- 

 ing, as Ave pass from the more ancient fossil types to 

 the modern ones, a gradual evolution towards the 

 perfection of the limbs as running organs. 



The existing members of the order form four 

 groups : 



(1) Hyracoidea, represented by that survival of 

 antiquity the hyrax, rock-badger or " dassie " of 

 Africa, which exhibits certain features connecting it 

 with the rodents, especially in the persistent growth 

 and form of the incisor teeth. The Syrian form 

 (Procavia Syriaca) is the " coney " of the Bible. 



(2) Prosboscidea, or elephants. 



The remaining forms, among which are the more 

 familiar animals, are divided into two groups, dis- 

 tinguished by the structure of the foot. One of 

 these is — 



(3) Artiodactyla,"^ the even-toed Ungulates, repre- 

 sented by the oxen, sheep and goats, etc., 



and the other is — 



* Fr. Gr. attics — even in nvimber, and daktylos — a fing'er or 

 digit. 



