ave in size
and colour, are the lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, pumas, ocelots,
lynxes, and wild-cats of different kinds. What are commonly called
pole-cats are not really cats, but belong to a different "family;" while
civet-cats are not cats in the strict sense of that term. Civet-cats
pertain to a group of beasts called _Viverrines_ (_Viverridae_), to which
all ichneumons and mongouses (which appear to have been the domestic
cats of the ancient Romans) as well as the bone-eating hyaenas also
belong.

The viverrines and the cats, however, together form one great family to
which the scientific name _Felidae_ has been assigned. The pole-cats,
together with the ermine, ferret, weasel, marten, sable, skunk, badger,
the otter and the bear, raccoon, coati-mondi, with the kinkajoo, panda,
&c., all belong to another family. Of this family the bears are the
largest in size, and constitute a small group or "genus" called _Ursus_,
whence the whole family bears the designation _Ursidae_.

Our dogs (genus _Canis_) are, as every one knows, first cousins to
jackals and wolves and near allies of the different species of fox, the
whole forming a family--_Canidae_.

The otter has been already referred to, and it may be thought that
mention of the seals and sea-lions has been unintentionally omitted. But
the seals and sea-lions, in spite of a certain slight resemblance to
otters, due to similarity of habit, are not really near allies of the
latter. They (_i.e._, seals and sea-lions), together with the walrus,
form, indeed, a very distinct family, which is termed _Phocidae_, because
its type, the common seal, belongs to a subordinate group, or "genus,"
named _Phoca_.

All these families, _Felidae_, _Ursidae_, _Canidae_, and _Phocidae_ form
together one greater group or "order," to which, of course, these four
families are subordinate. This order is called "_Carnivora_," because it
is made up of carnivorous or flesh-eating beasts.

The other familiar beasts first referred to--our domestic cattle of all
kinds--form, together with all swine, horses and all asses, deer,
antelopes and camels, another great order of beasts called _Ungulata_,
because the nails of their feet are so large and solid as to form
"hoofs." This order of hoofed-beasts, or ungulates, is a very large
order, and is divided into two sub-orders, and in each sub-order are
various families containing more or fewer genera.

The two sub-orders are characterized by the