1910.] The Marsupialia: Outline History oj the Classification. 199 



1816. De Blaiiiville joins the Marsupials and Monotremes in the sub- 

 class "Didelphes" ^ divided into two grand divisions "Normaux" (Marsu- 

 pials) and "Anomaux" (Monotremes). The resemblances in the teeth 

 and body-form to various Monodelphians are accordingly recognized as 

 being secondary (see pp. 76, 82). The "Didelphes Normaux" are subdi- 

 vided into two divisions, "Carnassiers" and "Rongeurs," corresponding in 

 a general way to the Polyprotodontia and Diprotodontia. In his classifica- 

 tion of 1834 de Blainville clearly anticipates the generalizations implied in 

 the terms "Diadactyla" and "Syndactyla." 



1817. Cuvier (p. 79) abandons the term "Pedimanes" for "Marsu- 

 piaux," and removes Kangurus to that group (see p. 79); in so doing he 

 implicitly confesses that foot structure in this case is of less taxonomic im- 

 portance than reproductive characters. 



1836. Gervais in modifying de Blainville's classification (above), 

 divides the [Marsupials ("Didelphes") into two groups: (1) "les Eleuthero- 

 dactyles," including "les Pedimanes" ("Sarigue, Chironecte"), and "les 

 Phascologales " ("Dasyure, Phascologale, Thylacine"); (2) "les Syndacty- 

 les," including the syndactylous forms (t. e., Bandicoots, Phalange rs. 

 Kangaroos, etc.). 



1863. The first known South American Diprotodont (later called Coeno- 

 lestes obscurus) is described by Tomes from imperfect material under the 

 name Hijracodon fulicjinoftus; its IMarsupial affinities, however, are not 

 recognized {vide infra, "1895, Thomas"). 



1866. Owen, as a result of his important studies of Diprotodon, Thijla- 

 coleo, and Nototheriuni, proposes the terms 'diprotodont' and 'polyproto- 

 dont,' as characteristic of the two sections; but this grouping had been 

 anticipated by de Blainville. 



1880. Huxley suggests the derivation of all the INIarsupials from forms 

 with a prehensile pes (p. 200). 



1882. Moreno applies the name PaJceofhenfes araice to certain fragmen- 

 tary remains which were afterward (1887) referred by Ameghino to his genus 

 Epanorfhus (Palmer, 1904, p. 505). 



1889. Ameghino describes a number of fossil South American Dipro- 

 todonts and proposes the family "Epanorthidpe," (= Palfeothentidse) . 



1896-1899. Hatcher collects in Patagonia numerous specimens of 

 fossil Polyprotodonts and Diprotodonts (see 1905, Sinclair, below). 



1896-1900. Hill's studies of the relations of the embrvonic membranes 



1 Linng's term " Didelphis " referred (as stated above) to the possession of an external 

 " womb " (i. e., pouch), in addition to the true uterus; but de Blainville's term (" les Didel- 

 phes"), while etymologically the same, referred to the possession of two distinct true uteri. 



