552 MANUAL OF ZOOLOGY. 



CHAPTER LXXXIII. 

 QUADRUMANA. 



ORDER XIII. QUADRUMANA. The thirteenth order of Mam- 

 mals is that of the Quadrumana, comprising the Apes, Mon- 

 keys, Baboons, Lemurs, &c., characterised by the following 

 points : 



The hallux (innermost toe of the hind-limb) is separated 

 from the other toes, and is opposable to them, so that the 

 hind-feet become prehensile hands. The pollex (innermost 

 toe of the fore-limbs) may be wanting, but when present, it 

 also is usually opposable to the other digits, so that the animal 

 becomes truly quadrumanous, or four-handed. 



2 /y -9 *J 



The incisor teeth generally are - , and the molars , 



with broad and tuberculate crowns. Perfect clavicles are pre- 

 sent. The teats are two in number, and are pectoral in posi- 

 tion, and the placenta is discoidal and deciduate. 



The Quadrumana are divided by Owen into three very 

 natural groups, separated from one another by their anatomical 

 characters and by their geographical distribution as follows : 



Section A. Strepsirhina. The members of this section are 

 characterised by the nostrils being curved or twisted, whilst 

 the second digit of the hind-limb has a claw. This section 

 includes the true Lemurs and a number of allied forms. It is 

 chiefly referable to Madagascar as its geographical centre ; but 

 it spreads westwards into Africa, and eastwards into the Indian 

 Archipelago. 



Section B. Platyrhina. This section includes those Quad- 

 rumana in which the nostrils are placed far apart ; the thumbs 

 of the fore-feet are either wanting, or, if present, are not oppos- 

 able to the other digits ; and the tail is generally prehensile. 

 The Platyrhine Monkeys are exclusively confined to South 

 America. 



Section C. Catarhina. In this section the nostrils are ob- 

 lique, and placed close together. The thumb of the fore-limb 

 (pollex), with one exception, is present, and is always oppos- 

 able to the other digits. The Catarhine Monkeys are restricted 

 entirely to the Old World, and, with the single exception of a 

 Monkey which inhabits the Rock of Gibraltar, they are exclus- 

 ively confined to Africa and Asia. It is in the Catarhine sec- 

 tion of the Quadrumana that we have the highest group of 



