468 THE CAT [CHAP. xm. 



lions (or sea-bears), which constitute the order PINNIPEDIA. All kinds 

 of apes, together with man, and certain animals called " Lemuroids," 

 form another mammalian order one to which Linnaeus gave the 

 name PRIMATES. Lemurs are animals with fox-like snouts, but with 

 paws like those of apes, which inhabit the geologically remarkable 

 island of Madagascar. " Lemuroids " are lemurs and creatures like 

 lemurs, and such are found either in Madagascar, or more or less in 

 the vicinity of the Indian Ocean, though a few reach western Africa. 



The only beasts which truly fly are bats, which form an order by 

 themselves. It is well named CHEIROPTERA, since their wings are 

 enormously spread-out hands with webbed fingers. When 

 Australia was discovered, very many new and strange mammals 

 were there found ; differing amongst themselves greatly in external 

 appearance, mode of life, food, and size. Large kangaroos browsed 

 over the plains, taking the place elsewhere occupied by browsing 

 ungulates. Many phalangers climbed the forest trees, with feet the 

 great toes of which were prehensile, acting like " hind- thumbs," as 

 in the feet of apes. Certain small quadrupeds with molar teeth 

 bristling with sharp points the bandicoots fed on insects, 

 while the wombat, a squat-shaped sluggish animal, was specially 

 qualified for nibbling and grinding vegetable food by two large 

 incisors above and below, followed (after a wide diastema) by flat- 

 surfaced molars. Some Australian mammals were enabled to take 

 prolonged jumps by means of lateral skin extensions which procured 

 for them the name of " flying opossums " (Petaurus, &c.). Other 

 mammals were more or less fierce beasts of prey, with teeth 

 remotely like those of the cat, and with blood-thirsty habits. Such 

 were the native-cats or Dasyures, and the Thylacine or Tasmanian 

 wolf. All these various mammals, however different in form, 

 together constitute but a single order, MARSTJPIALIA, an order into 

 which the insect-eating and flesh-eating opossums of America must 

 also be admitted. Two other Australian forms justly excited wonder 

 when discovered. One of these was the platypus or Ornitho- 

 rhynchus (with a squat, hairy, body, short limbs, and a duck's bill) ; 

 the other was the Echidna an animal covered with spines, and with 

 a slender snout devoid of teeth, a long tongue, and strong nails 

 suited to its ant-eating habits. These two forms by themselves 

 constitute the order MONOTREMATA. 



In South America other edentulous, strong- clawed ant-eaters are 

 found, which, with the South African Aard-vark (Orycteropus), the 

 scaly pangolins (Manis\ the sloths and armadillos, with the huge 

 extinct Megatherium and Mylodon, together make up an order called 

 EDENTATA. Insect-eating beasts (mostly small, and having amongst 

 them _ the absolutely smallest mammal), such as the hedgehog, the 

 Asiatic Gymnura, the moles, shrews, elephant-shrews, water-shrews, 

 tupaias, tanrec (Centetcs), Solenodon, Potomayale, the golden mole, 

 &c., are all united in one ordinal group, which bears the name of 

 INSECTIVORA. Another very large ordinal group has teeth like those 

 of the wombat. This is the order ROPENTIA, which contains all 



