THEORY OF THE EARTH. 83 







parts of Africa.* Caracalla killed one of these in 

 the circus. 



It might easily be shown also that almost all the 

 most remarkable species of the simice of the old 

 world have been distinctly indicated by ancient 

 writers under the names of pithed, sphinges, satyri, 

 cephi, cynocephali, or cercopitheci.'f 



They also knew and have described several 

 very small species of gnawers^, especially such of 

 that order as possessed any peculiar conformation 

 or remarkable quality ; as we find, for instance, 

 the jerboa represented upon the medals of Cyrene, 

 and indicated under the name of mus bipes, or two- 

 legged rat. But the smaller species are not of 

 much importance in regard to the object before us, 

 and it is quite sufficient for the inquiry in which we 

 are engaged, to have shown that all the larger spe- 

 cies of quadrupeds, which possess any peculiar or 

 remarkable character, and which we know to in- 

 habit Europe, Asia, and Africa, at the present day, 

 were known to the ancients ; whence we may fairly 

 conclude, that their silence in respect to the small 



* Id. LXXVII, Compare also Gisb. Cuperi de Eleph, in nummis 

 obyiis. ex. II cap. 7. 



f See Lichtenstein, Comment, de Simiarum quotquot veteribus in- 

 notuerunt formis. Hamburg, 1791. 



\ Cuvier gives this name, rongeurs, here translated gnaivers, to the 

 order denominated glires by Linnaeus, owing to their fore-teeth being 

 peculiarly fitted for gnawing the roots, barks, and stems of vegetables. 

 Transl 



