Introduction. xiii 
V. Marsupialia, including the opossums and the kangaroos. 
VI. Monothrema, containing the Echidna and Ornithorhynchus of 
Australia. 
VII. Rodent ia, or gnawing animals. The principal of these are the 
squirrel family, mice and rats, hares and rabbits, the beaver, 
the porcupine, and the guinea-pig. 
VIII. Edentata, or toothless animals, that is, without front teeth. The 
principal of these are the sloths, the armadillos, and the 
ant-eaters. 
Section II. — JJngulaled or Hoofed Mammalia. 
IX. Pachydermata, or thick-skinned animals. The principal of these 
are the elephant, the hippopotamus, the rhinoceros ; the 
horse family, including the ass, the mule, the zebra, and 
the quagga ; the wild boar family, and the tapir. 
X. Ruminantia, or ruminating animals, the principal of which are 
the camel family, the deer family, the giraffe, the antelope 
family, the goat family, the sheep family, and the ox family. 
Section III. — Aquatic Mammalia, having no Hind Limbs, and the Fore 
Limbs converted into Fins. 
XI. Cetacea, or sea mammalia, the principal of which are the whale 
family, the dolphin family, the manati, the porpoise family, 
and the narwhal, or sea-unicorn. 
THE AYES, OR BIRDS, 
Lay eggs from which their young are hatched by what is called incu- 
bation. Their skins are covered with feathers ; and their jaws are 
horny, without teeth. Their blood is warm, and circulates like that of 
the mammalia. The six orders of Aves are as follow : — 
1. Raptores, or birds of prey. These birds are distinguished by a very 
strong and sharp bill more or less curved, but always hooked at 
the extremity of the upper mandible, which is covered at the 
base with a kind of skin called the cere. The nostrils are 
usually open. The legs are very strong, the feet are large, and 
the toes, which are four in number, are armed with very strong, 
sharp, curved claws. The principal raptorial birds are the 
vultures, including the condor; the falcon family, including the 
eagles, hawks, kites, and buzzards ; and the owls. 
2. Insessores f or perching birds. These birds have all feet formed for 
perching, the hind toe springing from the same place as the 
other toes, which gives them great power of grasping. Their 
legs are of moderate length, and their claws not sharply curved. 
This order includes the thrushes, nightingales, and all the finest 
songsters of our groves, with the robin -redbreast, the sparrow, 
and other birds seen about dwellings, the swallows, the larks, 
the crow family, the kingfishers, the birds of paradise, and the 
humming birds. 
