CLASS I. MAMMALIA: ORDER 1. BIMANA. 



35 



nd ferocity. Many inhabit the trees ; some burrow beneath the soil ; a few raise themselves 

 lto the air, and flit about in search of their insect prey. The otter and the seal persecute the 

 shes in their own element, while the gigantic whale wallows upon the surface of the sea, or 

 ■lunges into its fathomless depths. With such diversity of habits, we might expect great variety 

 :i their structure ; and this will be fully realized in the ensuing description of the various species. 



THE SUPREMACY OF MAN OVEK THE ANIMAL CREATION. 



ORDER 1. BIMANA. 



Genus HOMO : Species Man : Homo sapiens. — Man is regarded by naturalists as constituting the 

 9enus Homo, he being its sole representative. The various tribes and races of mankind are em- 

 >raced in one species, Homo sapiens : that is, man endowed with reason. His zoological character- 

 sties, as given by Blumenbach, are as follows : "Erect; two-handed; unarmed; rational; endowed 

 ■vith speech ; a prominent chin ; four incisor teeth above and below ; all the teeth equally approxi- 

 nated ; the canine teeth of the same length as the others ; the lower incisors erect." He is the 

 lighest being in the animal series. That he was made to be the lord of creation is alike evident 

 rom physiology, revelation, and history : he has mastered the horse, the whale, the ox, the lion, 

 md the tiger — eithei subjecting them to his use, or sweeping them from his path. 



PECULIAR CONFORMATION OF MAN. 



Attempts have been made to assimilate man in his structure to some of the mammalia, and es- 

 Decially the apes, but a careful examination proves him to be essentially different. 



The foot of man is very different from that of apes : it is large, the leg bears vertically upon 



t ; the heel is expanded beneath ; his toes are short, and but slightly flexible ; the great toe, 



onger and larger than the rest, is placed on the same line with and cannot be opposed to them. 



This foot, then, is proper for supporting the body, but cannot be used for seizing or climbing;, and 



us the hands are unfitted for walking, man is the only animal truly bimanous % and biped. 



The whole body of man is modified for the vertical position. His feet,' as ve have already seen, 



urnish him with a larger base than those of other mammalia; the muscles which retain the 



foot and thigh in the state of extension are more vigorous, whence results the swelling of the calf 



•and the part above the thigh ; the flexors of the leg are attached higher up, which permits of 



complete extension of the knee, and renders the calf more apparent. The pelvis is larger, which 



