INTRODUCTION. 11 



Mammals are divided into several orders, and of these six are 

 now represented in the New Zealand fauna. As I do not wish to 

 burden these pages with technicalities, I shall give only the briefest 

 accounts of these orders, and mention the animals found here 

 which belong to them. 



1 . The animals of the order Marsupialia are popularly known 

 as i>i>urlH'l animals. Their most distinctive character is that the 

 mammae lie within a pouch in which the young are placed while 

 in an imperfect condition. Two kinds of animals belonging to 

 this order are wild in New Zealand namely, wallabies and so-called 

 opossums. 



'2. The order Ungulata includes a large assemblage of herbi- 

 vorous animals of somewhat diverse character. They possess theo- 

 retical!}" five toes in each foot, but actually these are reduced to two, 

 or, in the case of the horse, to one toe. This reduction is accom- 

 panied by a reduced condition of the ulna, which is fused with the 

 radius, and the fibula is fused with the tibia. The order includes 

 horses, pigs, deer, oxen, sheep, and goats, all of which are, or have 

 been, wild in this country. 



3. The third order, Cetacea, forms an extraordinary group of 

 warm-blooded animals, which breathe air and suckle their young, 

 but live in the sea. It includes all the forms known as whales, 

 and all are indigenous to New Zealand. 



4. The Carnivora are, as their name implies, flesh-eaters. Their 

 teeth have sharp cutting-edges, and the canines are well developed 

 to enable them to tear the flesh off their prey. The order includes 

 cats, dogs, stoats, ferrets, and weasels, all of which have been intro- 

 duced; and seals, which are indigenous. 



5. The animals of the order Rodentia are only occasionally 

 carnivorous. All possess long incisors furnished with strong chisel- 

 like edges, and with these they are able to gnaw their food, from 

 which circumstance the name is derived. The canine teeth are 

 quite absent. In New Zealand are to be found rats, mice, rabbits, 

 and hares. 



6. The last order represented here is the Insectivora, a group, 

 mostly of small animals, which is very difficult to define. The 

 only animal belonging to the order in New Zealand is the hedgehog. 



