THE AMERICAN BISON 



191 



the banks of streams in western Africa. These chevro- 

 tains are very often called musk deer, a most unfortu- 

 nate mistake, as they have no special affinity whatever 

 with the true musk deer. 



The last group of ruminating animals consists of the 

 camels and the llamas, whereof the former are Asiatic, 

 while the latter are now confined to the western side of 

 South America. The zoological position of the bison 

 thus appears to be situated near one end of a vast series 

 of ruminating animals, at the opposite end of which the 

 camel has its place. These may'be represented in tabular 

 form as follows : 



Ruminants 



But the great group of ruminants, considered as a 

 whole, forms one section of a yet larger group of animals 

 which are characterised by having an even number of 

 toes on each hind foot. As the end of each toe supports, 

 or is enclosed in, a very large nail or hoof, the whole 

 group may be distinguished as " even-toed hoofed beasts." 



The other section of this whole group consists of the 

 hippopotamus and the swine of the Old World and the 

 peccaries of the New World, and all these together con- 

 stitute a group which may be distinguished as the " non- 

 ruminating even-toed hoofed beasts." But this whole 

 group of "even-toed hoofed beasts" thus divided into 

 (i) " ruminating " and (2) "non-ruminating" sections, 

 has opposed to it another group of "odd-toed hoofed 



