. The museum of natural history, with introductory essay on the natural history of the primeval world : being a popular account of the structure, habits, and classification of the various departments of the animal kingdom, quadrupeds, birds, reptiles, fishes, shells, and insects, including the insects destructive to agriculture . cations of stiucture tobe seen in the liver and gall-bladder; but these dis-tinctions will be more appropriately indicated whencomparing and describing the several characteristics ofthe cameline and cervine families. The skeletal characters are tolerably miiform throu
. The museum of natural history, with introductory essay on the natural history of the primeval world : being a popular account of the structure, habits, and classification of the various departments of the animal kingdom, quadrupeds, birds, reptiles, fishes, shells, and insects, including the insects destructive to agriculture . cations of stiucture tobe seen in the liver and gall-bladder; but these dis-tinctions will be more appropriately indicated whencomparing and describing the several characteristics ofthe cameline and cervine families. The skeletal characters are tolerably miiform through-out the order, except in so far as tliey relate to meresize and strength, and to the presence or absence ofthose remarkable cranial outgrowths, commonly calledhorns. We shaU treat of the latter structiu-es whenspecially considering the horned families. Meanwhilewe take occasion to notice, that whatever be the lengthof the vertebral column, we invariably Ihid the bonesof the neck to be only seven in number; and thebeauty of this law, though previously mentioned asaffecting the entire mammaUan series, cannot be morecogently illustrated than by comparmg the long-neckedcamels and girafle with the short-necked cetacea—which have yet to be described. Taking the skull ofHie ox (fig. 50) as a type of the ruminant cranium, it. is only necessary to obsen-e its general breadOi andmassiveness; the cerebral division bearing a very smallproportion to the entu-e mass. This disparity prevailstluoughout the whole order, the bones of the faceoccupjing fully two-tliirils of the entire length, andthe area of the face on section being nearly doubleUiat of the cranium. Fasiily I.—BOVID^. The group of animals commonly termed Oxen con-stitute a division of the hoUuw-honicd ruminants, which,although very closely allied to the sheep and antelopes,are easily recognized by their bulky and massive appear-ance generally, and particularly by their broad muzzleand powerfid hmbs. A stiU more strikuig ch
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