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have tried to trace out these gradations also, among the higher 

 animals, and the success which we have met with, wherever we 

 have had accurate information, has convinced us that such grada- 

 tions, which might very properly be termed series, really exist 

 throughout the animal kingdom. 



Thus, among Mammalia, Ave have recognized until now two 

 natural series running parallel to each other, a carnivorous and 

 a herbivorous series. The carnivorous begins with the whales, 

 runs through the dolphin, seal, and Intra, to the marten, whence 

 it divides into two branches, one Plantigradous, the other Digiti- 

 gradous. The latter of these branches runs through the cat, 

 leopard, and dog, where it ends ; the other, that of the planti- 

 gradous, runs through Nasua, Procyon, (raccoon,) bear, to the 

 cynocephalous monkey, and through the liigher monkeys to man. 

 In this latter series, we would call the attention of naturalists 

 particularly to the bear, as the intermediate link between carniv- 

 orous animals and monkeys. When we consider the mixed 

 animal and vegetable food of the bear, its manner of life, and 

 general habits, its climbing and embracing propensities — for in 

 the bear we find an atm capable of embracing as in the monkey 

 — and when we ob^rve its manner of standing upright on its 

 plantigradous feet, wtliich is evidently connected with the use of 

 the fore legs as arms, there can be no doubt that the bear fills out 

 that gap which seems to exist between carnivorous animals and 

 monkeys. Such is the carnivorous series. 



Parallel to this, and analogous to it, runs a herbivorous series ; 

 beginning with the Zeuglodons, and running through Sirenoids, 

 Morse, Dinotherium to Anoplotherium. Here it divides into two, 

 the Pachyderms and the Ruminants, and thus Owen was right 

 when he said that the Anoplotherium includes the characters of 

 Ruminants and Pachyderms. From Anoplotherium starts on 

 one side the Ruminant series, running through camel, cow, ante- 

 lope, deer, — and on the other side, the Pachyderm series, 

 running from Anoplotherium to Palajotherium and Tapir. At 

 this point we have another division into the series of horses, 

 which culminates in our domesticated horse, — and the series of 

 hogs, which embraces rhinoceros, elephants, and hogs. 



Among Birds, there are at least four series : one starting from 

 the ostriches, and ending with the Gallinaceie ; — (I would re- 



PROCEEDINGS B. S. N. H. VOL. VI. 8 MARCH, 1857. 



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