INCISORS OF RODENTS 



the nature meted out to Box and Cox is adopted. While 

 one beast sports in the water the other gazes enviously 

 from the interior of a shed, and separated by a gate ; 

 otherwise misunderstandings might arise. Sea lions are 

 fish eaters in a wide and non-zoological sense ; for they 

 are partial to crustaceans as well. An ingenious ' ' dodge.' ' 

 was adopted at the Zoo by the late Mr. A. D. Bartlett 

 some years since to tempt the appetite of a sickly sea 

 bear, which had been left for its health's sake by a 

 travelling menagerie. The otary was turned into the 

 pond in company with some live eels ; and the pleasures 

 of the chase induced it to make a hearty meal. The 

 intelligence of a sea lion is on a fairly high level, and most 

 persons have seen its dexterous catching of morsels of 

 fish and its obedience to the commands of its keeper ; 

 there will be some too, who remember Leconte, the 

 old Frenchman who long presided over the sea lions at 

 the Zoo. 



THE GNAWING MAMMALS, ORDER RODENTIA 



There is no difficulty whatever in recognizing a rodent, 

 and in distinguishing it from any other group of existing 

 mammals. There are only two living creatures which 

 might cause confusion, and they are the Magadascar 

 lemur, Chiromys, and the ungulate, Hyrax. But we have 

 seen that there is no need to perplex ourselves over their 

 correct placing. In all rodents the canine teeth are 

 entirely absent, and in all of them there are but one pair 

 of efficient incisor teeth in each jaw which are long and 

 chisel-shaped and allow the rodent to perform its 

 typical function, that of gnawing. It is true, that in the 

 hares and rabbits there is a minute supplementary 

 pair in the upper jaw ; but these are so small that they 

 do not impair the general rodent-like aspect of the animal. 



There is an extraordinary variety of rodents, scattered 

 practically over the whole surface of the world. They 



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