MAMMALIA. 43 
flat-crowned grinders, inasmuch as their feet preclude the 
possibility of their seizing a living prey. 
Animals with unguiculated fingers were susceptible of more 
variety; their food is of all kinds, and independently of the 
form of their grinders, they differ greatly from each other in 
the pliability and delicacy of their fingers. There is one 
character with respect to this, which has immense influence 
on their dexterity and greatly multiplies its powers; it is the 
faculty of opposing the thumb to the finger for the purpose 
of seizing minute objects, constituting what is properly called 
a hand; a faculty which is carried to its highest perfection in 
- man, in whom the whole anterior extremity is free and capable 
of prehension. 
These various combinations which strictly determine the 
nature of the different Mammalia, have given rise to the fol- 
lowing orders: 
Among the unguiculated animals, the first is Man, who, in 
addition to privileges of other descriptions, possesses hands at 
the anterior extremities only, the posterior being designed to 
support him in an erect position. 
In the order next to man, that of the guADRUMANA, we 
find hands at the four extremities. 
In another order, that of the CARNARIA, the thumb is not 
free, and cannot be opposed to the anterior extremities. 
Each of these orders has the three sorts of teeth, grinders, 
canini, and incisors or cutting teeth. 
In a fourth order, that of the RopENTTA, the toes differ but 
little from those of the Carnaria, but there are no canine teeth, 
and the incisors are placed in front of the mouth, and adapted 
to a very peculiar sort of manducation. 
Then come those animals whose toes are much cramped, 
and deeply sunk in large nails, which are generally curved; 
they have no incisors, and in some the canines disecmeaiat 
while others have none of any description. We comprise 
- them all under the title of the EDENTATA. 
This distribution of the unguiculated animals would be per- 
fect, and form a very regular series, were it not that New 
Holland has lately furnished us with a little collateral one, 
