18 



ZOOLOGY. 



and warm red blood. Their Jaws are incumbent and coTcred, 

 ■within which their teeth are usually situaleJ. Their organs 

 of sense consist of the tongue^ ears^ ^y^^s^ nostrils^ and 

 papillce of the skin. Their bodies are generally covered with 

 hair or wool, excepting soir.e of the amphibious or aquatic 

 species^ in which it as scantily alForded or entirely wanting. 

 They are all furnished with four feet, except those of the 

 order Cete^ and a few species which rather possess fins than 

 feet. 



The greater number of these animals inhabit the surface of 

 the earth ; a few the depths of the ocean ; and some reside 

 either on land or in the water, as their necessities require; 

 but not any of them can support life without inspiring at- 

 mospheric air. 



Linnaeus divided the Mammalia into seven orders, the 

 characters of which he has taken from the number, situation, 

 structure, or absence of the teeth: as it may assist the 

 I^aturalhty and at the same time preclude the necessity, in 

 a great measure, of encumbering himself in his travels, with 

 other books, we proceed to enumerate the essential cha- 

 racters of each Order and Genera^ annexing thereto a brief 

 outline of their general history. 



Order I. PRIMATES, 



Front teeth cutting, the upper four parallel, except in 

 some few species of Bats^ which either have but two, or are 

 without an): tusks solitary, that is, one on each side, in 

 each jaw: teats pectoral: feet four, the two fore ones 



