34 MAMMALIA. 



stance be composed of parts of unequal hardness, so that some may wear 

 away faster than others. 



Hoofed animals are all necessarily herbivorous, and have flat-crowned 

 grinders, inasmuch as their feet preclude the possibility of their seizing 

 a living prey. 



Animals with unguiculated fingers are susceptible of more variety ; 

 their food is of all kinds, and independently of the form of their grind- 

 ers, they differ greatly from eacli other in the pliability and delicacy of 

 their fingers. There is one character with respect to these, which has 

 immense influence on their dexterity, and greatly multiplies their powers; 

 it is the faculty of opposing the thumb to the finger for the purpose of 

 seizing minute objects, constituting what is properly called a hand; a 

 faculty which is carried to its highest perfection in man, in whom the 

 whole anterior extremity is free and capable of prehension. 



These various combinations, which strictly determine the nature of 

 the different mammalia, have given rise to the following orders : 



ORDER I. 



BIMANA*. 



MAN forms but one genus, and that genus the only one of its order. As his 

 history is the more directly interesting to ourselves, and forms the point of 

 comparison to which we refer that of other animals, we will speak of it more 

 in detail. 



We will rapidly sketch every thing that is peculiar in each of his organic 

 systems, amidst all that he shares in common with other Mammalia ; we will 

 examine the advantages he derives from these peculiarities over other species ; 

 we will describe the principal varieties of his race and their distinguishing 

 characters, and finally point out the natural order in which his individual and 

 social faculties are developed. 



PECULIAR CONFORMATION OP MAN. 



The foot of man is very different from that of the monkey ; it is large ; the 

 leg bears vertically upon it; the heel is expanded beneath; the toes are short, 



* Animals with two hands. 



