498 ‘ZOOLOGY. 
The legs are bowed outwards at the knees, and the soles turned inwards and 
opposed to one another. The arms are long enough to reach the ground 
when standing, whilst in the chimpanse they only reach to the knees. The 
orangs display great unsociability and gloominess of temper. They feed 
entirely on fruits, and are never known to eat flesh or even eggs in their 
natural state. 
Two fossil species of this genus have been described; one from the ter- 
tiary deposits of France; the locality of the other is not positively known. 
The latter was considered as an extinct genus and called Mesopithecus by a 
German naturalist. Other remains have been discovered in the Sub-Hima- 
Jayan Mountains. 
GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF MAMMALIA. 
Although we have generally mentioned the native country of the animals 
the history of which we have attempted to sketch out, it still remains for us 
to throw a rapid glance upon the map of the world, and recapitulate in a 
few words the distribution of the Mammals over the surface of the earth. 
If it can be said that in general water is the element most prolific in 
animal life, where the animal kingdom displays its richest forms and beau- 
ties, this is no longer absolutely true when we consider the class of Mammalia. 
in particular. Although numbers of mammals never leave the water, being 
bound to it as the prime necessity of their existence, still the majority of 
forms, the great variety of the class, inhabits dry Tal 
We shall now take up, one er the other, the different orders of the 
classes in the order in which we have made them follow each other in the 
-above pages, beginning with Hdentata. | 
The Edentata we have divided into three orders: Monotremata, Eden- 
tata proper, and Tardigrada. The Monotremata belong exclusively to 
New Holland; the HKdentata proper belong chiefly to South America, a 
few species of ant-eaters occurring also in Africa and the adjoining por- 
tions of Asia. The Tardigrada are all South American. So that it can 
be said that the ent body of Hdentata reside in the South American con- 
tinent. 
Marsupialia are mostly confined to Australia, and there the different 
families or natural groups are submitted to special laws of distribution in 
different localities. Some species extend north into the Asiatic Archipelago, 
comprising the islands of Java, Celebes, Timor, Ceram, Amboina, Banda, 
and Waigiou. New Guinea and New Zealand possess also Marsupialia. 
Van Diemen’s Land of course possesses its share of Marsupialia. The 
opossum family (Didelphide) is found exclusively in the new world, and 
more particularly South America; a single species extending to the warmer 
portion of North America. We may say of Marsupialia that their head- 
quarters is in Australia. 
The Cetacea are aquatic, and inhabit chiefly the Arctic and Antarctic 
zones, equally abundant all round the poles, where they acquire a gigantie 
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