Buffon's Natural History. Volume 10 (of 10): Containing a Theory of the Earth, a General History of Man, of the Brute Creation, and of Vegetables, Minerals, &c. &cBuffon, Georges Louis Leclerc, comte de
History
Buffon's Natural History. Volume 10 (of 10): Containing a Theory of the Earth, a General History of Man, of the Brute Creation, and of Vegetables, Minerals, &c. &c
Buffon, Georges Louis Leclerc, comte de
Natural history
To place this reduction in a regular method, we shall observe that
all the animals of the two continents, as well as all those peculiar
to the Old World, may be reduced to fifteen genera, and nine solitary
species. These genera are, first, the whole hoofed genus, properly
so called, which includes the horse, the zebra, and the ass, with
all the prolific and barren mules. 2. The large cloven-hoofed with
hollow horns, as the ox and the buffalo, with their varieties. 3. The
small cloven-hoofed animals with hollow horns, such as the sheep,
the goat, the gazelle, the antelope, and every other species which
participates of their nature. 4. The cloven-hoofed with solid horns,
which are shed and renewed every year; this family contains the elk,
the rein-deer, the stag, the fallow-deer, the axis, and the roe-buck.
5. The ambiguous cloven-hoofed, which is composed of the wild boar,
and all the varieties of the hog, such as that of Siam, with a hanging
belly, that of Guinea, with long ears, pointed and turned backwards,
and that of the Canary islands with thick and long tusks, &c. 6. The
very extensive race of digitated carnivorous animals with crooked and
retractile claws, in which we must comprehend the panther, leopard,
guepard, ounce, serval, and cat, with all their varieties. 7. The
digitated carnivorous animals with straight and fixed claws, which
include the wolf, fox, jackal, isatis, and the dog, with all their
varieties. 8. The digitated carnivorous animals with fixed claws, and
a pouch under their tails. This consists of the hyæna, civet, zibet,
badger, &c. 9. The digitated carnivorous animals with long bodies, five
toes to each foot, and the great toe, or thumb, divided from the rest;
this genus is composed of the ferret, martin, pole-cat, weasel, sable,
ichneumon, &c. 10. The numerous family of digitated quadrupeds which
have two large incisive teeth in each jaw, and no bristles on their
bodies; this contains the hare, rabbit, and every kind of squirrels,
dor-mice, marmots, and rats. 11. The digitated quadrupeds, whose bodies
are covered with spiny quills, as the porcupine and hedge-hog. 12. The
digitated animals covered with scales, as the long and short-tailed
manis, or scaly lizards. 13. The amphibious digitated genus, which
includes the beaver, otter, musk-rats, walrus, and seals. 14. The
four-handed genus, which comprehends the apes, baboons, monkeys,
makis, loris, &c. 15. The winged quadrupeds, which includes bats, &c.
with all their varieties. The nine detached species are the elephant,
rhinoceros, hippopotamus, giraffe, camel, lion, tiger, bear, and mole,
which are all subject to a greater or smaller number of varieties.
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