364 



THE CENTURY BOOK OF FACTS. 





Virgo, the opposite constellation, will be over- 

 head. During the month of April the sun 

 will pass into Taurus, and at midnight Libra 

 will be overhead. The early astronomers were 

 astrologers, and claimed to be able to predict 

 the future careers of individuals and nations 

 by observing the positions and movements of 

 the planets and the condition of the weather 

 at the most important periods of men's lives. 

 A man born when the sun was in the coustella- 

 tion Scorpio was believed to be naturally bent 

 toward excessive indulgence of the animal 

 passions ; one born when the sun was in Aries 

 was destined to be a great scholar or ruler ; 

 one born when the sun was in Pisces was pre- 

 destined to grovel or be a servant, and so on. 

 The porticoes of the temples of Denderah and 

 Esne, in Egypt, have representations of the 

 zodiacal constellations which are of great an- 

 tiquity and have formed a fruitful theme of 

 discussion ; but the truth seems to be that 

 nothing is as yet known respecting these an- 

 cient representations, for the manner in which 

 the investigations have been mixed up with 

 the Biblical question of the antiquity of man 

 has prevented any truly scientific research. 

 The Greeks would seem to have borrowed their 

 constellations from the Egyptians and Baby- 

 lonians, and this is corroborated to some ex- 

 tent by occasional remarks of Greek writers as 

 to the positions of various constellations at 

 certain times, which positions are inconsistent 

 with the supposition of the observer being in 

 Greece. The zodiacal figures of the Hindus, 

 ancient Persians. Chinese, and Japanese have 

 such a remarkable resemblance to those of the 

 Egyptians that there can be little duubt as to 

 their common origin. 



Zoology is that science which treats of ani- 

 mals, their structure, habits, and classification. 



There are four principal divisions of animals, 

 based on distinct types of structure, and in- 

 cluding all the denizens of the earth, the water, 



and the air. Following at* ,-uo uivisions of th a 

 animal kingdom, beginning with the lowest : 



CLASSES OF SUB- 

 DIVISIONS. 



1. Amoeba, sponges, pro- 

 tei, etc. They nave no 

 mouth, and no distinct 

 members, but are ca- 

 pable of making many 



SUB-KINGDOMS OB 

 DIVISIONS. 



I. PROTOZOA First-liv- 

 ing things, or lowest form - 

 of animal life. 



II. RADIATA Radiates, 

 that is, such as are shaped 

 like a star or flower, and 

 have their organs arrang- 

 ed uniformly around a 

 common center. 



HI. MOLLUSCA Mol- 

 lusks, that is, soft-bodied, 

 without joints, and with- 

 out vertebrae, but usually 

 protected by a shell. 



IV. ARTIOULATA Ar- 

 ticulates, that is, animals 

 having the body and mem- 

 bers jointed, but without 

 an internal skeleton. 



V. VERTEBRATA Ver- 

 tebrates, that is, animals 

 that have a backbone, and 

 an articulated or jointed 

 skeleton, and a great ner- 

 vous cord, the spinal mar 

 row, inclosed in a bony 

 sheath. 



changes in their form. 



1. Coral animals, sea- 

 anemones, etc. 



2. Jelly-fishes, sea-nettles. 



3. Star-fishes, sea-urchina. 



1. Bryozoa, that is, moss 

 animals ; as sea-mats, 

 white sea-weeds, etc. 



2. Brachiopods, that is, 

 with arm-feet, or spiral 

 appendages; as the lin- 

 gulae, spirifers, etc. 



3. Ascidians, that is, 

 pouch-like; as salpae, 

 etc. 



4. Acephals, that is, head- 

 less ; as oysters, etc. 



5. Cephalates, that is, with 

 heads ; as snails, etc. 



6. Cephalopoda, that is, 

 with heads and feet, or, 

 more strictly, tentacles. 



1. Worms, as earthworms, 

 leeches, etc. 



2. Crustaceans, as crabs, 

 lobsters, etc. 



3. Centipedes, etc. 



4. Spiders, etc. 



, 5. Beetles, butterflies, etc. 



1. Fishes. 



2. Reptiles, that is, creep- 

 ing things, as turtles, 

 frogs, snakes, lizards, 

 etc. 



3. Birds, that is, "Every 

 winged fowl." 



4. Mammalia, that is, :ui- 

 inals with teats. 



The last class, Mammalia, is further sub- 

 divided into fourteen orders, of which the most 

 distinctive, still ascending from the lowei to 

 the higher, are four, namely : 



1. Cetacea, that is, of the whale tribe. 



2. Quadrupeds, that is, four-footed animals genera.!', . 



3. Quadrumana, that is, four-handed; as the go.-ula, 



chimpanzee, ape, and monkey. 



4. Bimana, that is, two-handed; of wlrcli the ou / 



representative is man. 



