Natural History of the Mammalia of India and Ceylon is a public-domain classic of science by Robert Armitage Sterndale.
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INDEX 535
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
SECTION Felis Tigris Frontispiece Skull of Hylobates hooluck 1 Hylobates lar; Hylobates hooluck 2 Presbytes entellus 4 " thersites 15 Macacus silenus 17 " rhesus 18 " nemestrinus 20 " radiatus and Macacus pileatus 24 " cynomolgus 26 Loris gracilis and Nycticebus tardigradus 28 Galaeopithecus volans 30 Sternum of Pteropus Cheiroptera The Flying Fox at Home 31 Head of Pteropus medius 31 Cynopterus marginatus 33 Megaderma lyra 36 " spasma 38 Rhinolophus luctus 39 " ferrum-equinum 41 Phyllorhina armigera (male and female) 64 Skull of Rhinopoma 69 Plecotus auritus 77 Vesperugo noctula 78 " Leisleri 89 Scotophilus Temminckii 93 Skull of Harpiocephalus harpia 99 Vespertilio murinus 108 " formosus 116 Synotus barbastellus Genus Barbastellus Dentition of Shrew (magnified) Genus Sorex " of Hedgehog Family Erinaceidae Hedgehog Genus Erinaceus Dentition of Tupaia 158 Tupaia Peguana 159 Gymnura Rafflesii 162 Dentition of Tiger and Indian Black Bear Carnivora " of Bear Ursidae Skull of Bear (under view) Ursidae Ursus Isabellinus 163 " Tibetanus 164 " Malayanus 166 " labiatus 167 Ailuropus melanoleucos 168 Ailurus fulgens 169 Arctonyx collaris 170 Mellivora Indica 174 Skull of Putorius Mustelidae Martes abietum 178 Mustela Genus Mustela Otter's skull (side and under view) Lutridae Lutra nair 195 Skull of Tiger (side view) Felidae Tendons of Tiger's toe Felidae Auditory apparatus of Tiger (section) Felidae Felis leo (Indian variety) 200 Head of Tiger 201 Tiger's skull (under part) 201 Felis panthera (From a fine specimen in the Regent's Park Gardens) 203 " uncia 204 " Diardii 205 Skull of Felis viverrina 206 Felis marmorata 207 " aurata 210 " caracal 218 " jubata 219 Skull of Felis jubata 219 Skull of Hyaena Hyaenidae Hyaena striata 220 Dentition of Civet Viverridae Viverra zibetha 221 " megaspila 223 " Malaccensis 224 Prionodon maculosus 226 Paradoxurus trivirgatus 231 Arctictis binturong 235 Urva cancrivora 244 Dentition of Wolf Genus Canis Canis pallipes 245 Cuon rutilans 249 Platanista Gangetica 257 Gangetic Dolphin; Round-headed River Dolphin; Gadamu Dolphin; Freckled Dolphin; Black Dolphin Genus Delphinus Skull of Baleen Whale Genus Balaena Rorqual 271 Halicore dugong 272 Skull of Pteromys (Flying Squirrel) Genus Sciurus Sciurus maximus 274 Pteromys oral 297 Dentition of Gerbillus Genus Gerbillus Dentition of Cricetus Genus Cricetus Cricetus Genus Cricetus Dentition of Black Rat 332 " of Arvicola Arvicolinae Rhizomys badius 396 Dentition of Jerboa Family Dipodidae Dipus Genus Dipus Skull of Porcupine Family Hystricidae Hystrix leucura 403 Dentition of Hare Sub-order Duplicidentata Side view of Grinders of Asiatic Elephant Genus Elephas Grinder of Asiatic Elephant Genus Elephas " of African Elephant Genus Elephas Section of Elephant's Skull Genus Elephas Skeleton of Elephant Genus Elephas Muscles of Elephant's Trunk Genus Elephas Dentition of Horse Family Equidae Equus onager 426 Dentition of Tapir Family Tapiridae Tapirus Malayanus 428 Dentition of Rhinoceros Genus Rhinoceros Rhinoceros Indicus 429 " Indicus 429 " Sondaicus 430 " lasiotis (R. Indicus and R. Sondaicus in the distance) 431 Bones of a Pig's foot Sub-order Artiodactyla Dentition of Wild Boar Family Suidae Sus Indicus 434 Porcula Salvania 437 Ovis Polii 438 Horns of Ovis Polii 438 Ovis Hodgsoni 439 Skull of Ovis Hodgsoni 439 Horns of Ovis Karelini 440 Ovis Brookei 441 " cycloceros 443 " nahura 445 Capra megaceros. No. 1 variety 446 " " No. 2 variety 446 " Sibirica 447 Hemitragus Jemlaicus 449 Nemorhoedus bubalina 451 " goral 454 Budorcas taxicolor 455 Gazella Bennetti (male and female) 456 " subgutterosa 458 Saiga Antelope Genus Pantholops Pantholops Hodgsoni 460 Antelope bezoartica 461 Portax pictus 462 Tetraceros quadricornis 463 Gavaeus gaurus 464 " frontalis 465 Bubalus arni 468 Skull of Musk Deer 468 Moschus moschiferus 469 " moschiferus 469 Stag with Horns matured Cervidae " " " in velvet Cervidae Cervulus aureus 470 Rusa Aristotelis 471 Axis maculatus 472 " porcinus 473 Cervus Cashmirianus 476 Tragulus napu 478 Mouse Deer 479 Manis pentadactyla 480 Dentition of Dormouse (magnified) Appendix A Myoxus Appendix A Osteology of the skull of Platanista Gangetica Appendix B The Slow Loris Appendix C Osteology of the feet of Pig, or African deerlet; Javan deerlet; Roebuck; Sheep; Camel Appendix C Gaur Appendix C
NATURAL HISTORY OF THE MAMMALIA OF BRITISH INDIA AND CEYLON.
INTRODUCTION.
In laying before the public the following history of the Indian Mammalia, I am actuated by the feeling that a popular work on the subject is needed, and would be appreciated by many who do not care to purchase the expensive books that exist, and who also may be more bothered than enlightened by over-much technical phraseology and those learned anatomical dissertations which are necessary to the scientific zoologist.
Another motive in thus venturing is, that the only complete history of Indian Mammalia is Dr. Jerdon's, which is exhaustive within the boundaries he has assigned to India proper; but as he has excluded Assam, Cachar, Tenasserim, Burmah, Arracan, and Ceylon, his book is incomplete as a Natural History of the Mammals of British India. I shall have to acknowledge much to Jerdon in the following pages, and it is to him I owe much encouragement, whilst we were together in the field during the Indian Mutiny, in the pursuit of the study to which he devoted his life; and the general arrangement of this work will be based on his book, his numbers being preserved, in order that those who possess his 'Mammals of India' may readily refer to the noted species.
But I must also plead indebtedness to many other naturalists who have left their records in the 'Journals of the Asiatic Society' and other publications, or who have brought out books of their own, such as Blyth, Elliott, Hodgson, Sherwill, Sykes, Tickell, Hutton, Kellaart, Emerson Tennent, and others; Col. McMaster's 'Notes on Jerdon,' Dr. Anderson's 'Anatomical and Zoological Researches,' Horsfield's 'Catalogue of the Mammalia in the Museum of the East India Company,' Dr. Dobson's 'Monograph of the Asiatic Chiroptera,' the writings of Professors Martin Duncan, Flowers, Kitchen Parker, Boyd Dawkins, Garrod, Mr. E. R. Alston, Sir Victor Brooke and others; the Proceedings and Journals of the Zoological, Linnean, and Asiatic Societies, and the correspondence in The Asian; so that after all my own share is minimised to a few remarks here and there, based on personal experience during a long period of jungle life, and on observation of the habits of animals in their wild state, and also in captivity, having made a large collection of living specimens from time to time.
As regards classification, Cuvier's system is the most popular, so I shall adopt it to a certain extent, keeping it as a basis, but engrafting on it such modifications as have met with the approval of modern naturalists. For comparison I give below a synopsis of Cuvier's arrangement. I have placed Cetacea after Carnivora, and Edentata at the end. In this I have followed recent authors as well as Jerdon, whose running numbers I have preserved as far as possible for purposes of reference.
Cuvier divides the Mammals into nine orders, as follows. (The examples I give are Indian ones, except where stated otherwise):--
Order I.--BIMANA. Man.
Order II.--QUADRUMANA. Two families--1st, Apes and Monkeys; 2nd, Lemurs.
Order III.--CARNARIA. Three families--1st, Cheiroptera, Bats; 2nd, Insectivora, Hedgehogs, Shrews, Moles, Tupaiae, &c.; 3rd, Carnivora: Tribe 1, Plantigrades, Bears, Ailurus, Badger, Arctonyx; 2, Digitigrades, Martens, Weasels, Otters, Cats, Hyaenas, Civets, Musangs, Mongoose, Dogs, Wolves and Foxes.
Order IV.--MARSUPIATA. Implacental Mammals peculiar to America and Australia, such as Opossums, Dasyures, Wombats, and Kangaroos. We have none in India.
Order V.--RODENTIA. Squirrels, Marmots, Jerboas, Mole-Rats, Rats, Mice, Voles, Porcupines, and Hares.
Order VI.--EDENTATA, or toothless Mammals, either partially or totally without teeth. Three families--1st, Tardigrades, the Sloths, peculiar to America; 2nd, Effodientia, or Burrowers, of which the Indian type is the Manis, but which includes in other parts of the world the Armadillos and Anteaters; 3rd, Monotremata, Spiny Anteaters or Echidnas, and the Ornithorynchus.
Order VII.--PACHYDERMATA, or thick-skinned Mammals. Three families--1st, Proboscidians, Elephants; 2nd, Ordinary Pachyderms, Rhinoceroses, Hogs; 3rd, Solidungula, Horses.
Order VIII.--RUMINANTIA, or cud-chewing Mammals. Four families--1st, Hornless Ruminants, Camels, Musks; 2nd, Cervidae, true horns shed periodically, Deer; 3rd, Persistent horns, Giraffes; 4th, Hollow-horned Ruminants, Antelopes, Goats, Sheep and Oxen.
Order IX.--CETACEA. Three families--1st, Herbivorous Cetacea, Manatees, Dugongs; 2nd, Ordinary Cetacea, Porpoises; 3rd, Balaenidae, Whales.
ORDER BIMANA.
Some people have an extreme repugnance to the idea that man should be treated of in connection with other animals. The development theory is shocking to them, and they would deny that man has anything in common with the brute creation. This is of course mere sentiment; no history of nature would be complete without the noblest work of the Creator. The great gulf that separates the human species from the rest of the animals is the impassable one of intellect. Physically, he should be compared with the other mammals, otherwise we should lose our first standpoint of comparison. There is no degradation in this, nor is it an acceptance of the development theory. To argue that man evolved from the monkey is an ingenious joke which will not bear the test of examination, and the Scriptural account may still be accepted. I firmly believe in man as an original creation just as much as I disbelieve in any development of the Flying Lemur (Galeopithecus) from the Bat, or that the habits of an animal would in time materially alter its anatomy, as in the case of the abnormal length of the hind toe and nail of the Jacana. It is not that the habit of running over floating leaves induced the change, but that an all-wise Creator so fashioned it that it might run on those leaves in search of its food. I accept the development theory to the extent of the multiplication of species, or perhaps, more correctly, varieties in genera. We see in the human race how circumstances affect physical appearance. The child of the ploughman or navvy inherits the broad shoulders and thick-set frame of his father; and in India you may see it still more forcibly in the difference between Hindu and Mahomedan races, and those Hindus who have been converted to Mahomedanism. I do not mean isolated converts here and there who intermarry with pure Mahomedan women, but I mean whole communities who have in olden days been forced to accept Islam. In a few generations the face assumes an unmistakable Mahomedan type. It is the difference in living and in thought that effects this change.
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