m ON ZOOLOGICAL SYSTEMS, AND THE 



nected with these, in habits as well as in external appearance, the moschiis, 

 antilope, camelus — the musk, antelope, camel, and cameleopard, or giraffe. 

 They are ordinally distinguished by being without upper fore-teeth, but having 

 six or eight in the lower jaw, remote from the grinders. They have all four 

 stomachs, are hoofed, and have the hoof divided in the middle ; and, except 

 the camel, have two false hoofs, w^hich, in walking do not touch the 

 ground. Such as have horns have no tusks, and such as have tusks have no 

 horns : they ruminate or chew the cud ; and from the torpid action of their 

 multifid digestive canal, are apt to have balls form in different parts of it, 

 owing to the frequent concretion of their food, occasionally intermixed, but 

 more usually covered with a quantity of hair, which they lick from their 

 bodies. Some of these balls are of a whitish hue, and'will bear a fine polish, 

 j and are known by the name of bezoards. These are chiefly the production 

 I of the antelope kind ; and were formerly in very high estimation as amulets 

 I and febrifuges. 



I The SIXTH ORDER of mammals embraces the bellu^e or warrior kinds, 

 / possessing both upper and lower fore-teeth, and hoofed feet. The order 

 consists of only four genera; the equus, or horse, mule, and ass tribes; the 

 hippopotamus or river-horse ; the tapir, which in appearance and habits makes 

 an approach to the river-horse, but is smaller in size ; and the numerous 

 families of the sus or swine kind. 



The LAST order under the mammalian class consists of the cete or whale 

 KINDS, and embraces the monodon, sea-unicorn or narwahl ; baiaena, common 

 whale ; physeier, cachalot, or spermaceti whale ; and delphinus or dolphin, 

 including, as two of its species, the phocoena or porpoise, the orca or gram- 

 pus, and the dugong. 



There is some force in introducing these sea-monsters into the same class 

 with quadrupeds ; but they are still continued here by M. Cuvier. They 

 have a general concurrence of structure in the heart, lungs, backbone, and 

 organ for suckling; but their teeth have little resemblance ; and they have 

 neither nostrils, feet, nor hair; instead of nostrils, possessing a spiracle or 

 blowing-hole on the fore and upper part of the head ; and instead of feet, fins ; 

 in which, as well as in their general habits, manners, and residence in the 

 waters, they have a close resemblance to fishes. These are chiefly inhabit- 

 ants of the polar seas, and several of the larger species afford materials that 

 are highly valuable as articles of commerce or manufactures. All of them 

 produce a considerable quantity of blubber or the basis of the coarser animal 

 oils ; the common whale sometimes to as large a quantity as 6 or 8,000lbs 

 weight: from the horny laminae of whose upper jaw, as well as from that 

 of the baiaena Physalus or fin-fish, we obtain also extensive layers of whale- 

 bone ; while the cachalot supplies us with spermaceti from its head, and with 

 ambergris from some of its digestive organs ; a substance, however, only to 

 be procured from such organs when the animal is in a state of sickness. The 

 most warlike of the order is the grampus, which will often engage with a 

 cachalot or common whale of double its size, and continue the contest till it 

 has destroyed it. 



To this order also belongs the dugong or sea-cow of Sumatra, which has of 

 late excited so much attention among naturalists. It was at one time supposed 

 to be a hippopotamus or river-horse, but Sir Thomas RaflOies has of late suffi- 

 ciently proved it to be a cetaceous mammal. It is usually taken on the Ma- 

 lacca coast by spearing ; its length is often from eight to nine feet. Its front 

 extremities are two finny paddles ; its only hind extremity is its tail, which 

 is a very powerful instrument. It is never found on land or in fresh water, 

 but generally in the shallows and inlets of the sea ; the breasts of the adult 

 females are of a large size, and especially during the time of suckling. Its 

 food seems to consist entirely of fuci and submarine algae, which it finds and 

 browses upon at the bottom of the shallow inlets of the sea, where it chiefly 

 inhabits. Its flesh resembles that of young beef, and is very delicate and 

 juicy.* 



In M. Cuvier's arrangement the class of mammals is entirely recast, 



* Phil. Trans. 1820, p. 174, 



