All this, you see, papa, I have remembered pretty well. Will you now be
so kind as to tell me what animals belong to the first order, Primates,
and how they may be distinguished?
_Mr. B._ The principal animals of this order are, man, the ape, the
various tribes of monkeys, and the bat. They have, in each jaw, four
front, or cutting teeth; except in some species of bats, which have,
occasionally, only two, and at others none. They have one canine tooth
on each side, in both jaws. Mr. Bernard then desired Louisa and
Ferdinand to open their mouths, and he would show them which were the
canine teeth; and, pointing to the sharp, single tooth, situated next to
the double ones, he told them that all animals preying upon flesh, were
provided with those sharp instruments, for the purpose of tearing their
food to pieces.
_Louisa_. The more I study nature, my dear papa, the more clearly do I
see the goodness and mercy of God, who has so wisely provided for the
various wants of his creatures.
_Ferdinand_. I am not surprised that men and monkeys should be ranged
in the same class, because they are, in many respects, very similar in
their appearance; but bats, papa, seem so extremely different. They are
a great deal more like birds than man. They have wings, you know, and
flit about exactly like birds.
_Mr. B._ If you regard their wings alone, they might be classed as you
propose, Ferdinand; but if you attend to their formation, with the eye
of a naturalist, you will find that they have all the characteristics
which determine the class Mammalia.
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