CHAPTER I 



ORDERS OF MAMMALS 



^ I^HE living mammals of the world, as distinguished from 

 -■- those which are extinct, or fossil, may be divided into 

 fifteen grand divisions, called Orders. The Order is the 

 foundation of mammalian arrangement. Without adequate 

 knowledge of these divisions, a clear understanding of the re- 

 lationships of mammals is quite impossible. 



It is customary with technical writers to begin with the 

 lowest forms of life and toil upward toward the highest; but 

 to the general reader, or even to the average student, it is 

 very discouraging to find the most interesting forms the 

 farthest away. Frequently the most interesting animals are 

 never reached! For many reasons, it is best that we should 

 first consider the forms that are most important, and also 

 most interesting, and thus make sure of them. We therefore 

 begin our studies of the animal kingdom with the highest 

 forms. 



While the great majority of the examples cited will be 

 North American, a few from other continents will be intro- 

 duced to complete the chain of important facts. 



