132 



Div. 1. VERTEBRATE ANIMALS.— MAMMALIA. 



Class I. 



horns have 

 mountains 



not been 

 of Thibet. 



sufficiently described. This animal, mentioned by ^lian, was originally from the 

 Its tail constitutes the standard, still used by the Turks to distin^ish their superior 



officers. 



The Cape Buffalo (Bos caffer, Sparm.).— Very 

 large horns, directed outward and downward and 

 then turned upward, flattened, and so large at 

 base that they nearly cover the forehead, leaving 

 only a triangular space, the point of which is 

 above. It is a very large and extremely ferocious 

 animal, which inhabits the woods of Caffraria. 

 [There are other African Buffaloes of inferior size, 

 a female of one of which (B. brachyceros. Gray), 

 or the Short-horned Buffalo, with very large 

 ears and well-proportioned limbs, is now living in 

 London.] Lastly, 



The Musk Ox (Bos moschatiis, Gm. {Ovihos mos- 

 chatus, Blainv.]). — Horns appro.ximated and di- 

 rected as in the Cape Buffalo, but meeting on the 

 forehead by a straight line : those of the female 

 smaller and separated. Tlie forehead convex, and 

 extremity of the muzzle hairy. It stands low, and 

 is covered with longhair, that reaches the ground. 

 Tail extremely short. It diffuses more strongly 

 the musky odour common to the whole genus, 

 [and which is also particularly noticeable in the 

 European Bison]. Inhabits the coldest regions 

 of North America, where alone it has been seen, 

 though its skull and bones are sometimes carried 

 by the ice to Siberia. 



Fig. 60. — Cape ButToiu. 



THE NINTH ORDER OF MAMMALIANS,- 



CETACEA,— 



Consists of animals without Lind-limbs : the trunk being continued by a thick tail, whidi 



terminates in a horizontal cartilaginous fin, while the head is connected to tlie body by so 



short and thick a ueck, that no diminution of 



its circumference is perceptible : this neck 



consists of very slender cervical vertebrae, that 



are partly anchylosed or soldered together. 



Tlie first bones of their anterior extremities 



are shortened, and the succeeding ones flattened 



and enveloped in a tendinous membrane, which 



reduces them to the condition of true fins. 



Hence the external form is absolutely that of 



fishes, except that the latter have the tail-fin 



vertical. They always therefore remain in the 



water ; but as they breathe by huigs, they are 



cimipelled to return frequently to the surface 



to take in fresh supjilies of air.* Their warm blood ; ears that open externally, though by 



very small orifices ; their viviparous generation, mamma; by which they suckle their young, 



and all the details of their anatomy, sufficiently distinguish them from fishes. 



Fig. C6. — Swimming Paw of Win 



• The Urgcr tpccles, however, will rera&hi miire tli.in an hour 

 oencBtli the Kurfrue : in reference to wliicb (iimlty, these aniinMs 

 have cnp>i< iuuK rcscrv.iirs for Hrtcrinl blood nloni; the dorsal rcftiun, 

 uid even within the head ; henee, to oxygeuate the tjrcut volume ut 



blood requiri'd to store these cavities, they continue bre;ithii'^ fi»r a 

 certain regular period, at each time of s:o\u\x\^ to the surface for that 

 purpose.— Ed. 



