ORDERS OF MAMMALIA. 341 



closely as regards the general structure of the skeleton, ami especially as to the 

 conformation of the feet ; but they possess also characters which ally them to 

 the Ungnlata and to the Rodentia. One of the most striking characters is the 

 presence in the front of each jaw of a pair of huge incisor teeth, which resemble 

 the corresponding teeth of the Rodent animals in having chisel-shaped crowns, 

 and in growing throughout the life of the animal. 



Order IX. Toxodontia. 



This is a third extinct order of Mammals, comprising certain large fossil 

 quadi-upeds from the later Tertiarj^ deposits of South America, the true rela- 

 tion-ships of which are quite uncertain. The molar and premolar teeth have 

 flat grinding crowns, but they grow from permanent pulps, and continue 

 growing thronghout the life of the animal— a feature specially characteristic of 

 many Rodents. The incisors resemble those of the Ungulates generally, and 

 the canines are small, and in the upper jaw are deciduous. 



Order X. Hyracoidea. 



This order includes only a single small genus {Hyrax), of which 

 only two or three species are known. They are all gregarious little 

 animals, mostly living in holes of the rocks, and capable of domes- 

 tication. One species {Hyrax Capensis) occurs commonly in South 

 Africa, and is known to the Dutch colonists as the " Badger.'' An- 

 other species (Hyrax Syriacus) occurs in the rocky pai'ts of Arabia 

 and Palestine, and is believed to be the " coney " of Scripture. They 

 present many curious points of resemblance to the gigantic Rhino- 

 ceros, and are often placed in the same order, the similarity being 

 especially great as regards the form of the molar teeth. The incisor 

 teeth of the upper jaw are long and curved, with sharp cutting 

 edges, and they grow from a permanent pulp, thus resembling the 

 teeth of the genuine Rodents (such as the Rabbit or Beaver). 



Order XI. Proboscidea. 



The only living animals which belong to the order of the Proboscid- 

 eans are the Elephants, of which there are only two well-marked exist- 

 ing species — namely, the Indian Elephant and the African Elephant. 

 The name of the order is derived from the fact that the no.se is pro- 

 longed into a long cylindrical trunk, or " proboscis,'' which is highly 

 muscular, and which terminates in a finger-shaped lobe, below which 

 are placed the apertures of the nostrils (fig. 247). The proboscis is the 

 sole organ of prehension possessed by the animal, and is employed 

 to take up water, and also to introduce into the mouth the vegetable 

 substances ujjon which the Elephant feeds. The Elephants, in fact, 



