XXIV. MAMMALS 

 Chordata (continued) 



Class VI. — Mammalia (animals with milk glands) 



The mammals constitute the highest group of the animal 

 kingdom. The class, Mammalia, includes animals of 

 various forms and habits many of which are well known and 

 are of very great service to man. Most of our domestic ani- 

 mals belong to this class. 



An Example of the Class — the Gray Rabbit, or 

 " Cottontail " 



External features. — The body of the rabbit presents four 

 regions — head, neck, trunk, and tail, the latter being very 

 short. The whole surface of the body, even the soles of the 

 feet and the inside of the cheeks, is covered with soft hair, 

 an epidermal structure characteristic of mammals. The 

 rabbit has four legs, the hinder pair being much larger and 

 longer than the front ones. Two long external ears and 

 two prominent eyes are present on the head (Fig. 201). 



The covering of hair. — A hair is an epidermal outgrowth 

 and arises from a deep cavity, or invagination of the skin. 

 There are three kinds of hair on the rabbit. 



The short, soft, kinky hairs that form the greater part 

 of the covering and constitute what we call the fur. 



The long, straight, black-tipped hairs that protrude 

 through the fur, 



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