of certain Birds of Cuba. 43 
Beaver. Birds make nests; and the Glres are the only quadru- 
peds that do the same. But relations of this last kind depend- 
ing upon economy are to be suspected; and therefore I would 
lay more stress on those of structure which,—the sternal crista 
of Bats being excepted,—are all in favour of the greatest ap- 
proach to Birds being made by the Glires. Hydrocherus and 
Struthio are similarly situated with respect to the disappearance 
of toes. Of Birds, the Rasores exhibit the most beautiful de- 
velopments of tail; and of Mammalia, the Glires, among which, 
—as was before alluded to,—the Squirrel is furnished with 
distichous hairs constructed like feathers. ‘There can be little 
doubt of the family of Struthionide containing those Birds 
which make the nearest approach to Mammalia*. This is a 
point, indeed, which we may consider as proved by Buffon and 
Hermann. So that, if the order of Glires makes the nearest 
approach to Birds, and the order Rasoves makes the nearest 
approach to Mammalia, we can imagine the future occurrence 
of some animal that will render this connexion complete. 
The Society will, I trust, excuse this long digression, not 
merely as an inquiry connected with the accuracy of Mr. Vi- 
gors’s paper, but also with what is usually reckoned the most 
interesting branch of Natural History. I believe that I have 
not stated one relation of affinity or analogy without giving my 
authority for it. If such relations, when thus all presented to 
the view, agree most harmoniously with what has been observed 
in other branches of nature, we scarcely ought to be surprised ; 
for we have too long and too eagerly scrutinized Nature, not to 
be convinced that the grand work of creation, so far from having 
been, as some fancy, in its origin a mass of confusion, even still 
* « Grandissimi et pené bestiarum generis Strvthio cameli Africi vel Hthiopici.” 
Phin. Hist. Nat. lib. x. 1. 
G 2 presents 
