OF THE HOLLOW-HORNED RUMINANTS, 67 



this is a combination of characters which exists in no known species of Ruminant. In 

 the first place there is no species with scopa; which has a naked muzzle, except the 

 Orahie {A. scoparia), and it has four teats (Rules 1 and 2) ; 2ndly, no species with a 

 naked muzzle has two teats, except those of the genus Bubalus, and they have horns in 

 both sexes (Rule 5) ; and lastly, all, without exception, which have muzzles and horns 

 in the male sex only, have four teats (Rule 14). I conclude therefore that there are 

 very strong probabilities against the existence of any animal with such a combination of 

 characters, and that Colonel Smith was mistaken in some of his observations, possibly 

 respecting the number of teats, which indeed he only reports from the examination of a 

 mounted specimen. Again, the same zoologist describes, under the name of A. quadri- 

 scop(B, a species with muzzle, scopa3, and superficial crumens — he gives it sacculated 

 crumens of the ordinary kind besides, but with these we have nothing to do at present 

 — a combination which is rendered highly improbable by Rules 2 and 9, and conse- 

 quently the species cannot be considered authentic, but must remain doubtful till further 

 observation. In all similar cases these rules will enable the inquirer to form a tolerably 

 correct estimate of the value of observations or descriptions to which any kind of doubt 

 attaches, or even to induce more caution and correctness in making his own observa- 

 tions, as any disagreement would naturally lead him to suspect some error, and conse- 

 quently to repeat his examination ; for though, as I have already observed, their authority 

 is by no means to be considered absolute, they are nevertheless entitled to very con- 

 siderable weight, as being deduced from the personal examination of above eighty species 

 of hollow-horned Ruminants. 



To exemphfy the application of the principles developed in the foregoing paper, and 

 the precision and certainty which they substitute for the vague and indefinite characters 

 hitherto employed, I here subjoin the definitions of the three old genera, Bos, Otis, and 

 Capra ; and it will be observed, that, besides the mere logical advantages just mentioned, 

 they have the philosophical quality of combining those relations of ceconomy to struc- 

 ture, which enable the zoologist to infer the habits of the animals from the definition 

 of the group, and which form the very essence of a natural classification. 



Bos : cornua in utroque sexu ; rostrum rhinario instructum ; glandule interdigitales nullee ; 

 sinus lachrymales nulli. 



Ovis: cornua in utroque sexu; rostrum chilomate instructum; glandulm interdigitales 

 distincta ; sinus lachrymales aut immobiles aut nulli. 



Capra : cornua in utroque sexu; rostrum chilomate instructum; glandulee interdigitales 

 nulla ; sinus lachrymales nulli. 



These, and the definitions of the new genera, with the descriptions and synonyms of 

 the species, will form the subject of the remaining parts of this Monograph. 



