298 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History. [\'ol. XX^'II, 



Lntra), "Carnivores" iCivetta, Hyoetia, Canis, Felis), and "Amphibies" 

 {Phoca, Rosmarus, Manatus, Trichechus). 



ISOO. Ciivier apparently follows Blumenbach, placing Ursus, Taxus, 

 Nasua, Procijon, Potos [Cercoleptes], and Ichneumon [Herpestes] under "les 

 Ours" next to various Insectivora as a division of "Les Plantisrades " 

 in the order "Carnassiers." Phoca and Trichechus (Walrus) alone consti- 

 tute "les Amphibies" among the "mammiferes a pieds en nageoire." 



1817. Cuvier includes under "les Carnivores," the four divisions: 

 "les Plantigrades" [iVrctoids], "les Digitigrades " [typical carnivores], "les 

 Amphibies" ("Phoques," "Morses"), "les Marsupiaux." 



1834. De Blainville segregates all the Carnivora in a grand division 

 "non-clavicules" of the "ordre Carnassiers," the other grand division "clavi- 

 cules" including the "Cheiropteri," "Orycteri" (Taupes, etc.), "Insec- 

 tivori." 



1837. In Bonaparte's classification the Carnivora are widely separated 

 from the Insectivora. The former are placed in the great group "Educa- 

 bilia," the latter in the "Ineducabilia." He revives the Linna?an term 

 Ferse for the Fissipedes, setting the Pinnipedes apart in the next order, for 

 which he uses Illiger's term Pinnipedia. 



1839. De Blainville restricts the term "Carnassiers" to include the 

 Carnivora, the association with the Insectivora (now called "Insectivores") 

 being rather of a superordinal nature (Secundates). 



1866. Haeckel puts the order "Carnaria", including the Carnivora 

 and Pinnipedia, in the legion "Deciduata". 



1872. Huxley also includes both Insectivora and Carnivora in the "De- 

 ciduata" and especially in 1880 adduces evidence to show that the Carnivores, 

 in common with several other higher orders, may have been derived from 

 early representatives of the Insectivora. 



The family and superfamily classification of the Fissipedia were developed 

 especially by Flower, Mivart, Cope, Winge, and more recently by Weber. 



Among the best known of the earlier described genera of fossil Fissipedes 

 are the following: Potaniotherium Geoff roy, 1833, an ancestral otter; Mach- 

 azVof/».? Kaup, 1833; Amphicijon Lartet, 1836; Pseuda^Iurus Gervais, 1848- 

 52; Cijnodictis Bravard & Pomel, 1850; Daphoenus I^eidy, 1853; Dinictis 

 Leidy, 1854. 



ARE THE CREODONTS DERIVED DIRECTLY FROM CARNIVOROUS MARSUPIALS? 



The old theory of the derivation of the Placental Carnivora from the 

 Carnivorous Marsupials has recently been discussed by Dr. J. L. W'ortman 

 (1901-1902) whose views may be gathered from the following passages: 



