THE YOUNG NATURALIST 



has no lemurs, and only species of monkey 

 peculiar to that continent. The gibbons 

 are found in South Eastern Asia, the dog- 

 faced baboons in Africa, the scarlet-faced 

 monkey in a limited area on the upper 

 Amazon. In both Europe and America all 

 the lossil monkeys found have belonged to 

 families still peculiar to the two continents, 

 which shews their separation to be of great 

 geological antiquity. There are no British 

 species. 



3. CARNIVORA (Latin cavo flesh ; voro 

 I eat). This order includes all those 

 animals which make flesh their exclusive 

 food, as the lion, tiger, cat, wolf, fox, dog, 

 and bear ; also some of aquatic habits, as 

 the seals. This order ranges over all 

 quarters of the globe, and vary in size from 

 the lion to the weasel. About fifteen species 

 are found in this country of which two (dog 

 and domestic cat) are domesticated. Bones 

 have been found in caves, which shew that 

 at one time the hysena inhabitated this 

 country, and it is only within historic times 

 that the wolf has been exterminated. The 

 wild cat is now unknown in England and 

 very rare in Scotland, but during the last 

 century it was common in both countries. 

 The skins of many carnivorous animals — 

 tigers, wolves, foxes, &c. are dressed in large 

 quantities for rugs and furs. The hair of 

 the badger is used for softening-brushes for 

 painters, and the skin of the seal is greatly 



• valued for its rich silken hair, of which 

 articles of clothing are made, 



4. ARTIODACTYLA (Greek artios, even; 

 duktylos, finger). Includes the hippotamus, 

 I hog, sheep, cow, deer, and all animals hav- 

 i ing two or four functional toes, and a com- 

 iplex stomach. In the Chillingham Park, 

 'Northumberland, is a herd of white cattle, 

 very fierce and wild, whose antiquity can 

 -be traced back as far as the year 1226, and 

 which are, in all probability, the descend- 

 ints of the wild cattle which history men- 

 tions as having run in the forests of Cale- 



donia. Fossil remains show that at one 

 time huge buffaloes ranged over this country. 

 The wild boar is also extinct as a British 

 mammal, being now only represented by a 

 few bones found in caves. The red and roe- 

 deer are now only known in a semi-domes- 

 ticated state. The flesh of nearly all the 

 animals of this order is used for food, and 

 some are of very great commercial import- 

 ance. The skins of many are also used for 

 making leather. All the species now found 

 in this country are either domesticated or 

 semi-domesticated. 



5. PERISSODACTYLA (Greek pevissos, 

 uneven ; daktylos, finger.) This order com- 

 prises animals like the horse, ass, zebra, 

 and tapir, which have one hoof or toe, al- 

 though all the bones of the separate five 

 fingers are observable in the internal skele- 

 ton. No species are found in this country 

 except those under domestication. 



6. PROBOSCIDIA {Proboscis, snout.) 

 This order includes the elephant, and one 

 or two animals which are now extinct, such 

 as the mammoth and the dinotherium, a 

 gigantic animal measuring 18 feet in length, 

 parts of which are now only found in a 

 fossilised state. Elephants are found in 

 Africa and Asia, but are rapidly becoming 

 scarce from the immense numbers killed 

 every season for the ivory which they yield 

 in the form of tusks. 



7. SIRENIA (Greek seiren, mermaid.) 

 Herbaceous animals living in the sea, some- 

 what resembling small whales or dolphins, 

 and called the dugong, manatee, &c., found 

 on the Indian and American shores. 



8. CETACEA (Latin Cetus, whale. The 

 whales and porpoises are included under 

 this order. The common porpoise is found 

 regularly, and some of the whales occasion- 

 ally upon our shores, but the head-quarters 

 for the latter is in the northern seas, where 

 they are hunted for the sake of the oil and 

 whalebone they yield. A large whale will 



