308 CALIFORNIA MAMMALS. 



Glossary 



Abnonnal. Irregular. Differing from the usual character. 

 Adult. Full grown. 

 Affinity. Direct relationship. 



Alpine. Used here as pertaining to high altitudes, chiefly near timber line. 

 Analogy. Superficial resemblance without direct relationship. 

 Animal. A living (animated) creature, capable of growth and voluntary mo- 

 tion. Often, but wrongly, this term is restricted to mammals. 

 Aquatic. Pertaining to, or living in the water. 

 Arboreal. Pertaining to, or living in trees. 

 Bicolor. Of two colors. 

 Biology. The study of all living things. 

 Boreal. Northern. 



Lanine. The conical tooth next the incisors; wanting in rodents. 

 Carnivorous. Flesh-eating. 



Character. Any peculiarity available for diagnosis. 

 Chemisal. Thickets of chemise and other brush, such as cover the hillsides 



of Southern Californa. 

 Classification. A systematic arrangement. 

 Clavicle. The collar bone. 

 Congeneric. Of the same genus. 

 Crepuscular. Active at twilight. 

 Deciduous. Shed at certain periods. 

 Diagnosis. In taxonomy, a condensed statement of a set of characters ap- 



applicable to a group of animals. 

 Dichromatic. Having two phases of color independent of age, sex or season. 

 Digitigrade. Walking on the toes. Includes all birds and most mammals. 

 Diurnal. Active in the daytime. 

 Dorsal. Pertaining to the back. 



Embryo. Earlier stages of unhatched or unborn young. 

 Exotic. Foreign. 

 Family. A group of genera agreeing in certain characters and differing from 



other families of the order in one or more characters. 

 Fauna. The animal life of a region. 

 Fissiped. Having cleft toes. 

 Eluvatile. Inhabiting rivers. 

 Fcetus. Later stages of unborn young. 

 Foramen. A hole or opening, usually small. 

 Fossorial. Inhabiting burrows. 

 Frugivorous. Fruit eating. 



