XIV INTRODUCTION 



It is composed of two very distinct orders, that of Quadrumana, 

 i. e., the four-handed, comprising Monkeys and Lemurs, in most of 

 which there is a thumb or opposable finger on the foot ; and Cheie- 

 oiTBRA, i. e., hand-winged, the Bats, which have the forearm and 

 hand extended into an organ of flight. The remaining groups of 

 perfect-toothed animals have two kinds of hair, in variable amount, 

 and were named Secundates by Blainville. They are likewise divi- 

 sible into two orders. The first is the Caenivoua, or beast of prey, 

 the most typical of the two, and distinguished by powerful canines 

 and trenchant molars, which are never studded with sharp points, 

 and the clavicle is generally imperfect. The other order is that of 

 Insectivoea, a group of small Mauimals, having their molar teeth 

 studded with sharp points to bruise their insect prey, and they 

 usually have a greater number of teeth than the Carnivora. They 

 all possess clavicles. 



The Diplodontia present much greater difforenees of aspect and 

 structure than the more perfect group, and it is only as a matter 

 of convenience that they are grouped together. One order, which 

 like the preceding orders, has claws, or is unguiculate, possesses two 

 chisel-shaped teeth in front of each jaw, no apparent canines, and 

 a small number of flattened molars. This is the Rodentia, or 

 Gnawers, comprising Rats and Squirrels, &c. Another order, 

 likewise with claws, which are large and fossorial, or capable of 

 digging, but partially enclosing the toes and somewhat hoof-like, 

 is distinguished by the total absence of incisors and canine teeth, 

 and in some of all teeth whatsover, are called Edentata, or Tooth- 

 less, and they include the Ant-eaters and Armadillos. 



All the remaining animals of this group have the toes more or 

 less joined together, and ending in a hoof, which is single and 

 solid in the Horse, double or bisulcate in the Deer and Pig, with 

 three divisions as in the Rhinoceros, four unsymmetrical in the 

 Hippopotamus, and with five hoof-like naUs terminating the pad 

 of the Elephant. These form the Ungulata of some writers, and 

 are usually divided into the Ruminantia, or Ruminants, and the 

 PachydekmatAj or thick-skinned Mammals. The former is a very 

 natural group, and comprises all that chew the cud — Deer, Cattle, 



