. The animals of the world. Brehm's life of animals;. Mammals. ^be Beasts of pvc^. FOURTH ORDER: 30 CLASS of mammalia pre- sents a greater variety of forms than the Carnivora, nearly all sizes being repre- sented, from the smallest to medium ; while in external appearance there is infinite variety. How many inter- mediate connections are to be found between the pow- erful Lion and the tiny Wea- sel, the graceful Cat, clumsy Hyena, slender, dainty Civet with its fine, sleek skin, the ,-strong, rough Dog, lumbering Bear and agile Marten —all these are members of one great family. One
. The animals of the world. Brehm's life of animals;. Mammals. ^be Beasts of pvc^. FOURTH ORDER: 30 CLASS of mammalia pre- sents a greater variety of forms than the Carnivora, nearly all sizes being repre- sented, from the smallest to medium ; while in external appearance there is infinite variety. How many inter- mediate connections are to be found between the pow- erful Lion and the tiny Wea- sel, the graceful Cat, clumsy Hyena, slender, dainty Civet with its fine, sleek skin, the ,-strong, rough Dog, lumbering Bear and agile Marten —all these are members of one great family. One •can but be astonished that they are united in one group, living as they do, some on the ground, some in the water and some on trees ! General AH Beasts of Prey show in their phys- Traits of ical endowments and mental capacities Carnivora. considerable uniformity, notwithstand- ing their superficial difference. Their modes of life, their habits, their food, all more or less similar, indicate that not only the structure of their limbs, their teeth and digestive organs, but also that their rhinds and mental capac- ity must, in some degree, be of the same cast. Caricatures and repul- sive peculiarities are entirely absent in this class. Their limbs are in harmonious re- lation with each other and the body, uniformly have four or five toes, and are provided with strong claws, which may be sharp or blunt, re- tractile in their sheaths, or without this covering. All the organs of sense show a high degree of devel- opment. The teeth are strong, sharp, often pointed, the upper ones fitting into or between those of the lawer row, and all deeply fixed in powerful jaws which are set in motion by, huge muscles. ., The stomach is always simple in structure; the intestines are of short or medium length. Some species . glands, secreting a liquid of a pungent odor, which serves either as a defence against stronger animals, or to attract weaker ones; and which may be oily and used to keep
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectmammals, bookyear1895
