. Cassell's natural history. Animals; Animal behavior. 70 NATURAL BISTORT. however, tliey are entirely separated off from the Deer and Ox tribes, to constitute an independent family, because of the peculiarities of many of their parts. They have a complex stomach composed of jjaunch, honeycomb-bag, and reed, the manyplies being so much reduced in size, that it may prac- tically be said not to be present. From the bones of their feet it is evident, too, that they cannot be correctly classed with the more ordinai-y Euminants, and that they tend towards the other family of the Cloven-hoofed Ungu-
. Cassell's natural history. Animals; Animal behavior. 70 NATURAL BISTORT. however, tliey are entirely separated off from the Deer and Ox tribes, to constitute an independent family, because of the peculiarities of many of their parts. They have a complex stomach composed of jjaunch, honeycomb-bag, and reed, the manyplies being so much reduced in size, that it may prac- tically be said not to be present. From the bones of their feet it is evident, too, that they cannot be correctly classed with the more ordinai-y Euminants, and that they tend towards the other family of the Cloven-hoofed Ungu- lata, namely, the Swine. Each foot of the common Pig possesses four toes, that corresponding to our thumb in the fore-limb, and to our gi-eat toe in the hind being absent, as has been previously explained. The bones of all these toes are quite separate from one another, as in those of man, at the same time that those of the outer and inner digits in each limb are smaller than those which bear the larger hoofs. In the true Ruminants and in the Camel tribe these larger toes are partly fused together, the bones of digit three and digit four corresponding to those situated in the human palm and sole, being joined from end to end to form the "cannon-bone;" whUst those of digit two and. digit five are reduced to mere impeifect splinters, or are sometimes altogether lost, as in the Girafi'e and in the Camel. Now, in the Deerlets, these bones are not blended at all in the fore-limbs of the Water Deerlet of Africa, in which, as in all the other species, digit two and digit five are perfect from end to end. They therefore stand, in this respect, as in others easily explained, inter- mediate between the Swine and the true Ruminants. All the Deerlets are particularly delicate, diminutive, and graceful animals, the slenderness and clear-cut outline of their limbs being exceedingly striking. With bodies big as that of a Hare or Rabbit, theii- legs are not so thick as a c
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