498 ZOOLOGY. 



The legs are bowed outwards at the knees, and the soles turned inwards and 

 opposed to one another. The arms are long enough to reach the ground 

 when standing, whilst in the chimpanse they only reach to the knees. The 

 orangs display great unsociability and gloominess of temper. They feed 

 entirely on fruits, and are never known to eat flesh or even eggs in their 

 natural state. 



Two fossil species of this genus have been described ; one from the ter- 

 tiary deposits of France ; the locality of the other is not positively known. 

 The latter was considered as an extinct genus and called Mesopithecus by a 

 German naturalist. Other remains have been discovered in the Sub-Hima- 

 layan Mountains. 



Geographical Distribution of Mammalia. 



Although we have generally mentioned the native country of the animals 

 the history of which we have attempted to sketch out, it still remains for us 

 to throw a rapid glance upon the map of the world, and recapitulate in a 

 few words the distribution of the Mammals over the surface of the earth. 



If it can be said that in general water is the element most prolific in 

 animal life, where the animal kingdom displays its richest forms and beau- 

 ties, this is no longer absolutely true when we consider the class of Mammalia 

 in particular. Although numbers of mammals never leave the water, being 

 bound to it as the prime necessity of their existence, still the majority of 

 forms, the great variety of the class, inhabits dry land. 



We shall now take up, one after the other, the different orders of the 

 classes in the order in which we have made them follow each other in the 

 above pages, beginning with Edentata. 



The Edentata we have divided into three orders : Monotremata, Eden- 

 tata proper, and Tardigrada. The Monotremata belong exclusively to 

 New Holland ; the Edentata proper belong chiefly to South America, a 

 few species of ant-eaters occurring also in Africa and the adjoining por- 

 tions of Asia. The Tardigrada are all South American. So that it can 

 be said that the great body of Edentata reside in the South American con- 

 tinent. 



Marsupialia are mostly confined to Australia, and there the different 

 families or natural grou23s are submitted to special laws of distribution in 

 different localities. Some species extend north into the Asiatic Archipelago, 

 comprising the islands of Java, Celebes, Timor, Ceram, Amboina, Banda, 

 and Waigiou. New Guinea and New Zealand possess also Marsupialia. 

 Van Diemen's Land of course possesses its share of Marsupialia. The 

 opossum family (Didelphidce) is found exclusively in the new world, and 

 more particularly South America ; a single species extending to the warmer 

 portion of North America. We may say of Marsupialia that their head- 

 quarters is in Australia. 



The Cetacea are aquatic, and inhabit chiefly the Arctic and Antarctic 

 zones, equally abundant all round the poles, where they acquire a gigantic 

 703 



