Mammiferous Animals. 513 
have the crown of the grinders flat, because their feet will not 
enable them to seize living prey. 
Animals with nails or claws are susceptible of the greatest 
variety of forms and regimen, and besides the different form of 
their grinders, they differ much from each other in the activity 
and delicacy of their toes or fingers. There is one character 
in par ticular which has prodigious influence on their skill and 
address, and multiplies their means of industry: it is the 
faculty of applying the thumb to the other fingers, i in order to 
seize small objects. It is this faculty which constitutes what 
is properly called a hand; it is carried to the highest perfec- 
tion in man, the whole fone extremity or hand being entirely 
free, it can be employed in grasping. 
These different combinations, which strictly determine the 
nature of different mammiferous animals, have led to a divi- 
sion of them into the following orders : — 
1. The first order is Man, who, besides being exalted in all 
respects above other animals, has hands at the extremity of 
his fore limbs only ; the extremities of the lower limbs support 
him in a vertical position. To this order Cuvier gives the 
name of Br’ManEs (from bis, twice, and manus, a hand), or two- 
handed. 
2. The order approaching the nearest to man in form is 
that of the QuapRU MANES, or four-handed. ‘The animals of 
this order have hands at the four extremities of their limbs; 
as the ape, monkey, &c. 
3. The order of Carnassiers, or flesh-eaters (from caro, 
flesh, Zat.), has no fore thumb, opposed to the toes or 
fingers.* . 
All the above orders have three kinds of teeth, grinding or 
chewing teeth, canine teeth, and incisive teeth. 
4. The order Marsu'pta is so denominated from the Latin 
marsupium, a bag or purse, on account of the bag under the 
abdomen in which the females of this order preserve their 
FOUNE : ; as the kangaroo, opossum, &c. 
5. The order Ronceurs, or GNawers; from the French 
ronger, to gnaw. ‘The toes of the animals in this order differ 
little fom those of the Carnassiers. ‘They have no canine 
teeth, but have large incisive teeth in front, which serve them 
to gnaw their food ; as in the squirrel, beaver, &c. 
6. The order Epe’nrrs; from the Latin e, without, and 
dens, a tooth. The animals of this order have no incisive 
teeth ; their toes are very much confined, and deeply covered 
* Cuvier divides the order of Carnassiers into several families, one of 
which, the Carnivores, comprises all the species that devour large animals ; 
the other families live chiefly on insects or reptiles. 
