Rudiments of Zoology Author:William Chambers General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1842 Original Publisher: W. and R. Chambers Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you ... more »can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: 163. The Marsupialia may be divided into the following families, which have been nanad according to their predominating food. These terms must not, however, be regarded as strictly indicating the food of the several species contained in each group, but only their general tendency to select for their support the substances implied by those designations, (i.) Sarcophaoa, or flesh-eaters, su, ch as the dasyurus. These have three kinds of teeth, long canines, and a simple stomach like that of the Carnivora. (n.) Ehtomohaga, or insect-eaters, such as the opossum. These have also three kinds of teeth and a simple stomach, but a more complex intestinal canal: they are parallel with the Insectivora. (in.) Cairpophaga, or fruit- eaters, as the phalangers or flying-opossums. These have large and long incisors in both jaws, the canines sometimes absent, and a more complicated intestinal canal. They may perhaps be regarded as representing the frugivorous bats, (iv.) Poephaoa, or grass-eaters, as the kangaroos. These have long anterior incisors, the canines only present in the upper jaw, or altogether wanting, and a complex intestinal canal like . that of other herbivorous Mammalia, (v.) Rhizophaga, or root-eaters, as the wombat. These, in . the structure of the teeth and alimentary canal, are true Rodentia. Thus it is seen that most of the principal groups of the superior sub-class of Mammalia are represented in this one. 164. (i.) All the existing species of the first family, Sarco- Phaga, are confined to New Holland and Yan Diemen's Land ; but it is tp this that the remain...« less