^304 ON ZOOLOGICAL SYSTEMS, AND THE J 



time to observe farther upon this kind, that those without tails are deno^ 

 minated apes ; those with short tails, baboons ; and those with long tafls, 

 proper monkeys. Among the lemurs, the most curious, perhaps, is the I. 

 volans^ or flying maucauco, the galiopithecus volans^ or flying colugo of 

 Pallas and Shaw : an action which he is able to accomplish from tree to 

 tree by means of a strong leathery membrane that surrounds the body and 

 reaches from the head to the fore-feet, hind-feet, and extremity of the tail ; 

 9.nd which gives him an approach to the bat. 



Of the vespertilio or bat kind, which is well known to fly only by night, 

 and by means of an expansive membrane, instead of by wings, one of its 

 most extraordinary faculties is that of a knowledge of the presence, and 

 apparently of the approach of objects, by some other sense of medium than 

 that of vision ; for when deprived of its eyes, this knowledge, and a con- 

 sequent power of avoiding objects, seems still to continue. The vesper- 

 tilio Vampyrus^ or ternate bat, an inhabitant of India and Africa, is said 

 to be fond of blood, and occasionally to fasten on such persons as he finds 

 asleep, and to suck their veins till he becomes bloated. He might hence, 

 under proper management, be rendered an able and valuable substitute 

 for the leach. In poetry he has often been introduced, under the name of 

 vampire, as a most hideous and appalhng monster. 



The SECOND ORDER, BRUTA, or BRUTE-BEASTS, is distinguished by having 

 no fore-teeth in either jaw. It includes the nine following kinds ; rhino- 

 ceros, sukotyro, elephant, trichecus, — the morse, walrus, manate or la - 

 mantin, tho dolphin of the poets of Greece and Rome, by whom it has 

 been celebrated for its love of music, and perhaps not altogether without 

 foundation ; — the bradypus or sloth, the myrmecophagus or ant-eater, the 

 manis or pangolin, the dasypus or armadillo, and the platypus or duck-bill, 

 the ornithorhynchus, paradoxus of Blumenbach ; that curious little quad- 

 ruped which has hitherto only been discovered in Australasia, or the 

 regions in and about New South Wales ; and which seems to be a quad- 

 ruped by its feet, a water-fowl by its bill, and an amphibial by its fondness 

 for water. It is not yet quite certain whether this singular animal 

 suckles its young, or has a mammary organ for this purpose ; and if not, it 

 must be discarded from its present situation, though we should be at no 

 small loss to know where else to place it. 



The THIRD CLASS of MAMMALS is denominated ferje or sav age-beasts ; 

 and is distinguished by having, in every instance, fore-teeth, above and 

 below, the number varying in diflferent kinds, from two to ten ; and in pos- 

 sessing a solitary tusk. The order comprises eleven kinds, the names of 

 which are as follows : the phoca or seal, a water-quadruped, whose skin is 

 so useful to us for various purposes ; and which, like the stag, is found to 

 5hed tears when in trouble : the canis or dog-kind, including the numerous 

 families of wolf, fox, jackal, hyaena : the felis or cat-kind, including a variety 

 of tribes of a somewhat similar appearance, but far mightier, and nobler 

 in their powers, as the lynx, the leopard, the panther, tiger, and hon, all 

 of which have a power of chmbing trees, though the weight of the larger 

 species makes them do it very awkwardly, and only to a short height ; all of 

 which pitch on their feet in falling ; and all of which see better in the night 

 than by day : the viverra, including the ichneumon, and several of the wea- 

 sels ; the mustela, including other species of the weasels, the stoat, pole- 

 cat, otter, ferret, sable and ermine ; the two last of which we are indebted 

 for the luxurious dresses that pass under their name. Almost all of the 

 miiatelas have a power of secreting and discharging a most fetid and intok;- 



