64 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History. [Vol. XXVII, 



The classification of the mammals given in the 'Lemons d' Anatomic 

 Comparee/ notwithstanding the favor with which it was generally a,nd long 

 received, reveals no important new principles and reflects relatively little of 

 Cuvier's unrivalled knowledge of comparative anatomy. As Gill (1907, 

 p. 497) has so clearly expressed it: "Cuvier manifestly allowed himself to be 

 influenced by the sentiment prevalent in his time that systematic zoology 

 and comparative anatomy were different provinces. It may, indeed, seem 

 strange to make the charge against the preeminent anatomist, that he failed 

 because he neglected anatomy, but it must become evident to all who care- 

 fully analyze his zoological works that such neglect with his prime fault. 

 He, in fact, treated zoology and anatomy as distinct disciplines, or, in other 

 words, he acted on the principle that animals should be considered inde- 

 pendently from two points of view, the superficial, or those facts easily 

 observed, and the deep-seated or anatomical characters." And yet this 

 cannot be altogether true in the present instance, or else Cuvier would have 

 left Hyrax among the Rodents and Hydrochosrus with the Ungulates. 



When examined in detail the classification given below exhibits the 

 following features in addition to those already noted: 



(1.) The term "ordre" is replaced l)y "famille," which is really used in 

 a superordinal sense. 



(2.) The old three-fold division of the mammals (c/., Linnaeus, Storr, 

 Blumenbach and others) into Unguiculates, Ungulates and marine mammals 

 is followed with a change of names. 



(3.) The descriptive phrase, last seen in Brisson 1762, here reappears 

 for the larger divisions. In fact, the methods of Brisson, with whose work 

 Cuvier was doubtless familiar, are suggested throughout. 



(4.) The Unguiculates are divided into two major groups according to 

 the presence or absence of the three kinds of teeth (c/. Brisson's orders I-III, 

 and Lacepede's groups, which were founded on similar considerations). 



(5.) The Rodents and Edentates are contrasted with all the higher 

 Unguiculates. 



(6.) The relation of digit I to the other fingers is selected as of ordinal 

 importance in "Bimanes," " Quadrumanes," "Plantigrades," "Carnivores" 

 and "Pedimanes." This feature had been more or less foreshadowed by 

 Blumenbach, Storr and Geoffroy. 



(7.) The old group " Verminei" is here reduced to a subdivision (corre- 

 sponding to a family) of "les Carnivores," but is still placed between the 

 plantigrade carnivores and the typical digitigrade carnivores. 



(8.) The Linneean genera have now been split up in many cases and a 

 great number of new genera, described by various authors, appear. In 

 fact the great expansion in the content of mammalogy is very noticeable. 



