GENERAL CLASSIFICATION OF ANIMALS. 19 



ter, and habits of life. The genus Canis includes those of the 

 dog kind, the wolf, the fox, the jackal, and the domestic dog, 

 of which the same remark may be made. Thus, too, the 

 horse, the ass, and the zebra, are of the same genus Equus, 

 on account of their obvious general similarity. 



Again, GENERA are made up of SPECIES. Eackdistinct sort 

 of animal constitutes a species, and they are known from one 

 another by the size, color, form, and various other circum- 

 stances of external appearance. There are then as many 

 species as there are sorts of animals. Thus the cat is one 

 species, the tiger is another, and the lion, leopard, jaguar, 

 and catamount, are also separate species ; but taken together 

 with others, they constitute the genus Felis. Thus, too, the 

 genus Canis contains the dog, the wolf, the jackal, and the 

 fox, which are all so many distinct species. The genus 

 Sciurus contains the gray, red, striped, and several other 

 kinds of squirrels. In treating of any particular animal, nat 

 uralists are accustomed to designate it by a name derived 

 from its genus and species. This name is composed of two 

 words ; the first being the name of its genus ; and the second 

 being altogether arbitrary, or else expressing some circum- 

 stance relating to the color, size, or residence of the animal, 

 which serves in a degree to distinguish it from others. The 

 first is called its generic, the second its trivial or specific 

 name, and they correspond very closely to the names of hu 

 man individuals; the generic terms answering to the sur 

 name, which designates the family to which any one belongs, 

 and the trivial to the Christian name, which designate the 

 particular individual. 



To give an example : the different species of the genus 

 Felis, above mentioned, are distinguished one from another 

 in the following manner. The lion is called Felis leo ; the 

 tiger, Felis tigris ; the leopard, Felis leopardus ; the jaguar, 

 Felis onca ; the lynx, Felis lynx; the serval, Felis serval, 

 &c. In the genus Canis, the dog is called Canis domesticus; 

 the wolf, Canis lupus; the black wolf, Canis lycaon ; the fox, 

 Canis vulpes, &,c. In this way, each animal is capable of 

 being clearly and accurately designated, by a name less lia- 

 ble to mistake and confusion than its common one, which is 

 sometimes applied to several different species. This is called 

 the scientific or systematic name. 



Each sort of animal, then, constitutes a distinct SPECIES; 

 a number of species taken together form a GENUS ; those 

 genera, which have important and well defined points of resem- 



