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
Of those fifteen genera, and nine detached species, seven genera, and
two species are common to both continents. The two species are, the
bear and the mole; and the seven genera are, 1. The great cloven-hoofed
with hollow horns, for the ox is found in America, under the form of
the bison. 2. The cloven-hoofed, with solid horns, for the elk exists
in Canada, under the name of original; the rein-deer, under that of
caribou; and stags, fallow-deer, and roe-bucks, are found in all the
provinces of North America. 3. The digitated carnivorous animals with
fixed claws; for the wolf and fox are found in the New World as well as
in the Old. 4. The digitated animals with long bodies, as the weasel,
martin, and pole-cat, are met with in America as well as in Europe. 5.
We find also in America, part of the digitated genus with two large
incisive teeth in each jaw, as the squirrels, marmots, rats, &c. 6.
The digitated amphibious genus, as the walrus, seal, beaver, and otter,
exist in the North of the New Continent. 7. The winged genus exist also
in America, as the bat and vampire.
There remains, therefore, only eight genera, and five detached species,
which are peculiar to the Old Continent. These eight genera are, 1.
The whole-hoofed, properly so called, for neither the horse, ass,
zebra, nor mule, were met with in the New Continent. 2. The small
cloven-hoofed beasts with hollow horns; for sheep, goats, gazelles, or
antelopes existed in America. 3. The family of hogs; for the species
of wild boar is not to be found in America; and although the pecari,
and its varieties, are related to this family, yet they differ in a
sufficient number of remarkable characters to justify their separation.
4. It is the same with carnivorous animals with retractile claws; we do
not meet with either the panther, leopard, guepard, ounce, or serval,
in America; and although the jaguar, couguar, ocelot, and margai, seem
to belong to this family, there is not, one of these species of the
New World found in the Old, nor one of the Old to be met with in the
New. 5. The same remark may be applied to the digitated quadrupeds
whose bodies are covered with prickles; for although the coendou and
the urson approach very nigh to this genus, nevertheless, these species
are very different from those of the porcupine and hedge-hog. 6. The
digitated carnivorous genus with fixed claws, and a pouch under the
tail; for the hyæna, civets, and the badger, do not exist in America.
7. The four-handed genus; for neither apes, baboons, monkeys, nor
makis, have ever been seen in America. The sapajous, sagons, opossums,
&c. although quadrumanous, yet they essentially differ from those of
the Old Continent. 8. The digitated genus whose bodies are covered with
scales; for none of the scaly lizards are found in America, and the
ant-eaters, to whom they may be compared, are covered with hair, and
differ too much from the scaly lizards to be considered of the same
family.
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