44 VERTEBRATES: MAMMALS. 



SUB-SECTION IV. 



THE ORDER OF HERBIVORA, OR PLANT-EATERS, OR UNGULATA. 



THE Order of Herbivora, or Ungulata or Hoofed Ani- 

 mals, are mammals which have their feet hoofed, and 

 feed wholly upon vegetable food, and use their limbs only 

 for support and locomotion. It should be added, how- 

 ever, that in many species the limbs are used for kicking 

 and striking, thus being instruments of attack and de- 

 fence. The mammals of this great group have been 

 variously classified.* Cuvier recognized two orders in 

 which he placed all the mammals which more recent nat- 

 uralists include in the one order of Herbivora. He called 

 one of these orders Pachydermata, or Thick-skinned Ani- 

 mals, and in this order he included the Elephants, Rhi- 

 noceroses, Tapirs, Hogs, Hippopotamus, Horse, &c. ; he 

 called the other order Ruminantia, or Cud-chewers, and 

 in this he placed the Deer, Antelopes, Sheep, Oxen, &c. 



If we regard the Herbivora as one order, it may be 

 divided into the following groups, which perhaps may be 

 considered as sub-orders, namely, the Proboscidians, or 



those which have the nose exceedingly elongated, forming a prehensile proboscis, as the 

 Elephants, &c. ; the Tapirideans, or those which have the nose much developed, but not 

 at all prehensile, as in the Rhinoceroses, or only slightly prehensile, as in the Tapirs ; the 

 the Suideans, or those who have the snout much elongated, but not at all prehensile, as in 

 the Hog and Hippopotamus; the Solipedes, or those which have no special development 

 of the nose, and which have only one toe to each foot, as the Horse, &c ; and the Rumi- 

 nants, or Cud-chewers, as the Deer, Antelopes, Sheep, Oxen, &c. 



Let us now briefly examine the families of the Her- 

 bivora ; first those of the old group, Pachydermata, and 

 then those of Ruminantia. 



* Owen and others divide the Ungulates or Hoofed Animals into Perisso- 

 dactyls (odd-toed) and Artiodactyls (even-toed). 



The Perissodactyls include the Proboscidea, or Elephants (five-toed), 

 the Multungulates, or the Rhinoceros (three-toed), and the Tapir (four- 

 toed before and three-toed behind), &c , and the Solidungulates, or the 

 Horse, &c. (one-toed). 



The Artiodactyls include the Ruminants, or Ox, Sheep, Antelope (two- 

 toed), and the Omnivores, or the Hog. 



