1 6 THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 



but it is not of sufficient consequence to make any real 

 distinction in their mode of life. A rat may have a long 

 tail, a beaver a broad, flat, scaly tail, a squirrel may have 

 a bushy tail, very much like a banister-brush, a porcupine 

 may have a stumpy tail, and a guinea-pig no tail at all ; 

 but all these animals are alike in the leading particular, 

 namely, that they have all sharp chisel-like front teeth, 

 which enables them to cut and gnaw ; so they are all 

 grouped under the order Rodentia or gnawers. 



But still further grouping can be accomplished, and we 

 gather several orders together into a Class : thus, some 

 animals have pouches in which they carry their young ; 

 others are very large and live in water, but come to the 

 surface to breathe ; some have very thick skins ; others 

 chew their food over and over again ; some have not any 

 teeth, whilst others can gnaw through the hardest wood ; 

 some live on flesh ; some have their hands turned into 

 flying machines like wings, whilst others have thumbs on 

 their feet, making them nearly like hands ; and others 

 (man) have two hands, and can think and speak. Yet, 

 different as all these are, they agree in one great particular, 

 namely, that the young ones which arc born alive, suck 

 milk from the mamma or teats of their mother, and the 

 whole class is therefore called Mammalia. 



I shall endeavour to work out this classification for you 

 as clearly as possible ; but you will already have seen 

 that zoology is of great importance to you, not only 

 because it teaches us the forms and habits of numerous 

 animals, but because it accustoms the mind to habits 

 of order, precision, and inquiry requiring us to compare 

 one animal with another, and to observe the different fea- 

 tures and habits of each. However, I must urge you not 

 to be 'content with what you learn from books, but to study 

 and examine for yourselves ; for every animal you meet 

 with has some peculiarities which will afford food for 



