GLOSSOLOGY OF THE MAMMALIA, 



BEING AN EXPLANATION OF THE PRINCIPAL TECHNICAL WORDS USED IN 



MASTOZOOLOGY. 



AEDilEVIATIONS. LAT. LATIN GE. GREliK FR. FRENXH GERM. GERMAN. 



(I.) Glossology, from y'huaitci (glossa), tongue or language, and T^oyo; 

 (logos), a discourse, — supplies the explanation of the technical terms be- 

 longing to any Art or Science. It corresponds with the French " Ter- 

 minologie," and with the German " Kwtslworter." 



(2.) Mastozoologv, from fixaro; (masfos), the breast, ^aoii (zdon), an 

 animal, and Aoyof, — is the science which treats of the Mammalia or mam- 

 miferous animals. The corresponding French word " Mammalogie," 

 being derived partly from the Greek and partly from the Latin, is inad- 

 missible. M. Desmarest has suggested the term " Mastologie," whicli, 

 however, is more limited in its signification than our term, originally pro- 

 posed by M. de Blainville. 



(3.) The Mamjualia, Lat. Mammalia, Fr. Mammiferes, Germ. 

 Siiugthiere, — corresponds to the EngUsh terms " Man and Beasts" taken 

 together.- These are the Mastozoa of M. de Blainville, the Mammalia 

 of Linnaeus, Erxleben, and others. To distinguish them from the four- 

 footed Reptiles which are oviparous, they have been styled " Viviparous 

 Quadrupeds," with much impropriety, as the Cetacea want the hinder 

 limbs (see page 38). Some recent writers have attempted to introduce 

 the barbarous term Mammals. 



I THE SKELETON IN GENERAL. 



(4.) The Skeleton, Lat. Sceleton, Fr. Le Squelette, Germ. Geripp, 

 Knochengeriist, — is the bony frame-work of the body, destined to protect 

 the nervous system and other vital parts, and serving as a point of sup- 

 port to the organs of active motion. It is divided into the head, trunk, 

 and extremities. 



(5.) The Head, Lat. Caput, seu Cranium, Fr. La tete, Germ. Kopf, 

 Schadel, — forms the anterior portion of the skeleton [the superior in Man], 

 containing the brain and the principal organs of sense. 



(6.) The Skull, Lat. Calvaria, seu Cranium, Fr. Le crane. Germ. 

 Hirnschiidel, — is the upper and hinder part of the Head, especially in- 

 tended to contain the Brain. Its volume varies relatively to that of the 

 head, and is by some thought to be proportioned to the degree of intel- 

 ligence. The exceptions are, however, very numerous. 



(7.) The Face, Lat. Facies (vtaritlce), Fr. La face. Germ. Gesicht, — 

 forms the anterior part of the Head in Man. It contains the organs of 

 sight, smell, and taste. M. Desmarest is wrong in considering the ear as 

 a part of the face. The length and size of tlie face are chiefly deter- 

 mined by the dimensions of the organs of the senses, and the degree of 

 intelligence is very often in the inverse ratio of this development. The 

 face is said to be flat and perpendicular in Man, the Orang-Outang {Pi- 

 t/tecus satt/rus), and the Sloths ; sometimes it is prolonged into a sort of 

 tube, as in the Echidna, or into a muzzle, as we find in the Dog and most 

 other Mammalia. 



(8.) The Jaws, Lat. Maxillse, Mandibulse, Fr. Les machoires, Germ. 

 Kiefer, Kinnladen, — composing the upper and under parts of the face, are 

 united together by an articulation, and form the mouth. 



(9.) The Upper Jaw, Lat. Maxilla, seu Mandibula superior, Fr. La 

 machoire superieure. Germ. Oberkiefer, — is composed ot two maxillary 

 bones, and generally of an incisive bone. 



(10.) The Intermaxillary, or Incisive Bone, Lai. Os intermaxil- 

 lare, seu incisivum, Fr. Les intermaxillaires, praamaxillaires ou incisifs, 

 Germ. Zwischenkieferbein, — is a simple or compound bone belonging to the 

 upper jaw, and supporting the incisive or front teeth. It varies in size, 

 being wanting in the adult Man, altho\igh found in the human foetus. 



(11.) The Palate, !/«/. Palatum, i<>. Les palatins. Gen;;. Gaumen, 

 is the lower surface of the upper jaw, and forms the roof of the mouth. 



(12.) The Lower Jaw, Lat. Mandibula, seu Maxilla inferior, Fr. La 

 machoire inferieure, Gervi. Unterkiefer, — which chiefly determines the 

 form of the face, is sometimes arched in front, as in Man ; or its two 

 branches meet in front at a more or less acute angle, as in most other 

 Mammalia. Sometimes its branches do not form a single bone, but are 

 separated at their point of contact, as in the Rodentia ; at other times it 

 presents an inferior point. The sides of the lower jaw terminate behind in 

 twoelevated portions called \hs ascending rami or branches [ F;-. les branches 



montantes], on which are placed the condyles, or articulations with the 

 cranium, in the glenoid cavity. The condyles are sometimes transverse, 

 as in the Carnassiers, or longitudinal, as in the Rodentia, and remarkably 

 so in the Ruminantia. The form of the glenoid cavity coriesponds to 

 that of the condyles, though in certain genera, as in the Ant-eaters, they 

 disappear altogether. 



(13.) The Chin, Lat. Mentum, Fr. Le Menton, Germ. Kinn, forms 



the anterior and lower margin of the under jaw. It may be more or less 

 prominent or concealed. 



(14.) The Teet.i, Lat. Dentes, Fr. Les Dents, Germ. Zahne, are 



small and very hard bones of the mouth, inserted either in the jaws or the 

 palate, and having a free or projecting extremity. Animals are said to 

 be edentulous, Fr. Edentes, Germ. Zahnlose, when the teeth are wantina. 



(15.) The Trunk, Lat. Truncus, Fr. Le Tronc, Ge7-m. Leib, is 



composed of the spinal column, the ribs, and the sternum. 



(16.) The Spinal Column, Lat. Spina dorsi, G)'. 'Pap^j; (Rhachis), 

 Fr. La Colonne vertebrale. Germ. Riildigrat, Wirbelsiiule, — is formed 

 by the union cf the small bones of the back, composing a continuous 

 tube of a triangular or circular form for the protection of the spinal mar- 

 row. It is divided into several regions. 



(17.) The small bones composing the spinal column are called Ver. 

 tebr^, Lat. VertebriE, Gr. Srro'jSuAoi (Spondyli), Fr. Les Vertebres, 

 Germ. Wirbelbeine, Riikkenwirbel. 



(18.) The Ribs, Lat. Costse, Fr.. Les Cotes, Germ. Rippen, are 



elongated bones inserted on the sides of the vertebra;, and conversing at 

 their other extremities. They are said to be sternal or irioe ribs when 

 they extend as far as the sternum, and are articulated to it by means of a 

 cartilage. The asternal or false ribs are much shorter than the former, 

 and placed further behmd [below in Man]. 



(19.) The Sternum or Bkeastbone, Lat. Sternum, Fr. Le Sternum, 

 Germ. Brustbein, — which may be either simple or compound, is placed 

 between tlie inferior [anterior in Man] summits of the true ribs. It 

 varies in size in different species, being very large in the Cheiroptera 

 and Moles. 



(•20.) The Chest or Thorax, Lat. Thorax, Fr. La Cavite thoraciquc. 

 Germ. Brustkasten,-— is the anterior cavity of the trunk containing the 

 heart and lungs, and bounded above [behind in Man] by the spinal 

 eolui-Tin, on the sides by the ribs, and beneath [before in iNIan] by the 

 sternum. Man, the Quadrumana, many Cheiroptera^ and the Manatns, 

 have their mammae placed on this region. 



(21.) The Sacrum, Lat. Os Sacrum, Fr. L'Os Sacre, Germ. Kreuzbein, 

 — consists of those vertebrae adjacent to the tail and connected with other 

 bones. The spinal marrow most commonly terminates here, and the 

 sacrum may either be simple or composed of several bones. 



(22.) The Haunch or Pelvis, Lat. Pelvis, Fr. Le Bassin, Germ. 

 Bekken, — serves to protect the hinder part [the lower in Man] of 

 the abdominal cavity. It consists of the sacrum and two ossa inno- 

 minata, in which are articulatioiis for inserting the bones of the hinder 

 limbs. 



(23.) The Os Coccy.gis or Caudal Vertebrae, Lat. Os Coccygis 

 seu Vertebrae caudales, Fr. L'Os Coccygien ou caudal. Germ. Schwanz- 

 bein, Steissbein, Schwanzwirbel, — formed of one or more bones annexed 

 to the extremity of the sacru-m, serve to support the tail when it hap- 

 pens to be present. 



(24.) The Cervical Vertebra, Lat. Vertebrae collares, Fr. Les 

 VertebreS cervicales, Germ. Halswirbel, — are the vertebras placed between 

 the head and the chest. 



(25.) The Dorsal VEBTEBRiE, Lat. Vertebrae Pectorales seu dor- 

 sales, Fr. Les Vertebres dorsales. Germ. Brustwirbel oder Riikkenwirbel, 

 — are the vertebrae of the chest supporting the ribs. 



(26.) The Lumbar Vertebrae, Lat. Vertebras lumbales, Fr. Les 

 Vertebres lombaires. Germ. Lendenwirbel,_are the vertebrse between 

 the chest and the sacrum. 



(27.) The Llmbs or Extremities, Lat. Artus seu Extremitates, Fr. 

 Les Membres on les E.xtreniites, Germ. Gieldmassen, — are articulated 



