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The present day classification of animal life falls into two great divisions: (1) Protozoa, representing those composed of a single cell; and (2) Metazoa, those whose bodies are composed of many cells. The Protozoa, so far as known, form a single division or branch of the animal kingdom, and the Metazoa comprise various higher branches. In the following table the divisions are given from the highest forms to the lowest, rather than in the reverse order frequently given, and sets out the chief characteristic and animal examples of each division.

ANIMAL KINGDOM (Kingdom Animalia)

Sub-Kingdom METAZOA (Gr. meta, after; zȯon, animal).—Animals with cellular tissues, true eggs, and blastoderm. The group comprises all animals except the Protozoa.

Class I. Mammalia (Lat., mamma, breast).—Animals which suckle their young, bringing them into the world alive. Examples: man, monkey, ox, elephant and whale.

Order I. Primates (Lat., primus, first).

Sub-Order I. Bimana (Lat., bis, twice; manus, a hand).—Two-handed animals. Example: man.

Sub-Order II. Quadrumana (Lat., quatuor, four; manus, a hand).—Four-handed animals. Example: the monkey.

Order II. Chiroptera (Gr., cheir, a hand; pteron, a wing).—Hand-winged animals. Example: the bat.

Order III. Insectivora (Lat., insecta, insects; voro, “I devour”).—Insect-eaters. Examples: the hedgehog and mole.

Order IV. Carnivora (Lat., caro, carnis, flesh).—Flesh-eaters. Examples: lion, tiger, fox and weasel.

Order V. Rodentia (Lat. rodere, to gnaw).—Gnawing animals. Examples: rat, rabbit and beaver.

Order VI. Ungulata (Lat., ungula, nail, claw or hoof).—Hoofed animals.

Sub-Order I. Hyracoidea (Gr., hyrax, shrew-mouse).—Example: Syrian hyrax.

Sub-Order II. Proboscidea (Lat., from the Gr., proboskis, an elephant’s trunk; literally a front-feeder), proboscis-bearers. Example: elephant.

Sub-Order III. Perissodactyla (Gr., perisos, superfluous; daktulos, finger or toe), odd-toed animals. Examples: tapir, rhinoceros, horse, ass, and zebra.

Sub-Order IV. Artiodactyla (Gr., artios, equal; daktulos, finger or toe), equal-toed animals.

Group I. Pecora (Lat., plural of pecus, cattle) or Ruminantia (Lat., rumen, a paunch).—Ruminating or cud-chewing animals. Examples: ox, sheep, goat, antelope, deer and giraffe.

Group II. Tragulina (Gr., tragos, goat), or Deerlets. Example: kanchil.

Group III. Tylopada (Gr., tylos, a knob or swelling, and pous, podos, a foot).—Ruminants with digits encased in cutaneous pads. Example: camel.

Group IV. Suina (Lat., sus, a pig).—Swine-like animals. Examples: swine, peccary and hippopotamus.

Order VII. Sirenia (Lat., siren, a sea nymph).—Sea-cows. Examples: manatee and dugong.

Order VIII. Cetacea (Gr., ketos, a whale), animals of the whale kind. Examples: whale and dolphin.

Order IX. Edentata (Lat., edentatus, toothless).—Toothless animals. Examples: sloth, anteater and armadillo.

Order X. Marsupialia (Lat., marsupium, a pouch).—Pouched animals. Examples: kangaroo and opossum.

Order XI. Monotremata (Gr., monos, single; trema, orifice).—Egg-laying mammals. Examples: duckbill or water mole.

Class II. Aves (Lat., avis, a bird).—Birds, animals produced from eggs by the application of heat, usually supplied by the body of the mother bird in close contact with them. They are always clothed with feathers, which are a part of their special construction for flight. Examples: eagle, swan, ostrich and lark.

Order I. Birds of Prey (Raptores).—Sharp, curved beak and talons; strong legs; three toes front, one behind. Examples: vultures, falcons, secretary birds, owls.

Order II. Perching Birds (Insessores).—Short, slender, legs; three toes front, one behind. Examples: swallows, trogons, kingfishers, humming-birds, warblers, thrushes, crows, starlings, finches, hornbills, birds of paradise.

Order III. Climbing Birds (Scansores).—Toes paired; beak usually hooked. Examples: toucans, parrots, woodpeckers, cuckoos.

Order IV. Doves and Pigeons (Columbæ).—Legs weak; wings long and pointed. Examples: doves, pigeons.

Order V. Game Birds (Gallinæ).—Legs stout, short; beak stout, arched. Examples: pheasants, grouse, partridge, turkey, peacock, guinea, prairie chicken, domestic chickens.

Order VI. Ostrich Family (Cursores).—No keel or breast bone; rudimentary wings; stout legs. Examples: ostrich, cassowary, bustard.

Order VII. Wading Birds (Grallatores).—Legs and neck long; knee free from body. Examples: cranes, herons, snipes, plovers, storks, flamingo.

Order VIII. Swimming Birds (Natatores).—Web-footed. Examples: swans, ducks, geese, pelicans, petrels, auks, penguins, gulls, cormorants.

Class III. Reptilia (Lat., repo. “I creep”)—Reptiles, cold-blooded animals, protected by scales and not infrequently by hard, bony plates. They are mostly oviparous, but developed from the eggs more or less casually by the heat of the sun. “Reptile” is not an apt name, for there are many members of the class that do not creep. Examples: crocodile, lizard, tortoise and snake.

Order I. Serpents (Orphidia).—Body long, cylindrical, scaly, usually limbless; numerous vertabræ and ribs; no eyelids. Lower jaw loosely united in front. Examples: rattlesnakes, vipers, boas, pythons, cobras, copperheads, water snakes.

Order II. Lizards (Lacertilia).—Body with long tail; usually four limbs; scaly; bones of the jaw firm. Examples: striped and green lizards, horned toads, chameleons, iguana.

Order III. Tortoises and Turtles (Chelonia).—Horny and bony shell within which the head and limbs can be drawn; no teeth; eyelids; four legs. Examples: turtles, tortoise, gophers, terrapins.

Order IV. Crocodiles and Alligators (Crocodilia).—Covered with scales and bony plates, teeth in sockets; heart with four cavities; eyelids and earlids. Examples: Crocodile and alligator.

Class IV. Batrachia (Gr., batrachos, a frog), or Amphibia (Gr., amphibios, having a double life).—Animals that can exist for a considerable time on dry land or in water. They are oviparous, hatched by the heat of the sun from eggs, covered with a soft, glutinous membrane, which the mother had laid in the water, and develop through tadpole stages. In the early period of their existence they are fishlike in their structure, breathing by means of gills and a two-chambered heart; in the later stages of their development they acquire lungs and a heart of three chambers. A true amphibian possesses at once both lungs and gills. Examples: frog, toad, newt and salamander.

Class V. Pisces (Lat., piscis, a fish).—Fishes, oviparous animals covered with scales, which form an important part of their special organization for life in the water. Their gills, acting as lungs, extract air from the water instead of from the atmosphere.

Order I. Sharks and Rays (Elasmobranchii).—Shagreen skin; gills fixed and uncovered; cartilaginous skeleton.

Order II. Ganoids (Ganoidei).—Enameled plates or scales; gills free; skeleton partly cartilaginous. Examples: garpikes, mud-fish, lung-fish.

Order III. Bony or Fin Fishes (Teleostei).—Skeleton bony; scales; fins; usually four pairs of gills; mostly oviparous. Examples: bass, perch and ten thousand other kinds.

Class VI. Arthropoda (Gr., arthron, joint; pous, foot).—Metazoa, with definite number of segments; jointed legs; distinct feet and hard, external skeleton.

Order I. Crustacea (Lat., crusta, a crust or shell).—Water-breathing; having gills and more than eight jointed legs; four antennæ. Examples: fairy-shrimp, water-fleas, goose barnacle, acorn barnacle, opossum-shrimp, prawn, lobster, crayfish, cancer-crab, rock-crab, pill-bug, sand-hopper.

Order II. Arachnida (Gr., arachne, spider).—Eight legs; air-breathing. Examples: garden-spider, tarantula, bird-spider, trap-door spider, mite, tick, king-crab or horseshoe crab.

Order III. Insecta (Lat., insectum, cut in, owing to the grooves surrounding the body).—Distinct head, thorax and abdomen; air-breathing. Examples: fishmoth, springtail, cockroach, grasshopper, cricket, katydid, locust, dragon-fly, caddis-fly, may-fly, white ants or termites, ant-lion, water-boatman, water-bug, back-swimmer, chinch-bug, squash-bug, lice, plant-lice, scale-insect, gnat, mosquito, flea, house-fly, stage-beetle, wood-beetle, water-beetle, potato-beetle, ladybug, firefly, moth, butterfly, ants, honey-bees and bumblebees, wasps, hornets, yellow-jackets, centipeds.

Class VII. Mollusca (Lat., mollis. soft)—Soft-bodied, unjointed Metazoa, with muscular skin (“mantle”), generally protected by a calcareous shell; two or three-chambered heart; three main pairs of nerve-ganglia. Examples: Clams, oysters, snails, cuttlefish, devil-fish, nautilus.

Class VIII. Echinodermata (Gr., echinos, a hedgehog; derma, skin).—Radiated Metazoa, with distinct alimentary canal and well developed nervous system; body-walls secreting calcareous plates; parts in multiple of five. Examples: starfish, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, sea lilies, serpent or brittle stars, basket stars.

Class IX. Worms (Lat., vermes).—Bilateral Metazoa, with no jointed legs, nor primitive stripe. Examples: earth worm, leech, tube worm, tape worm, bristle worms, vinegar eel, rotifers.

Class X. Cœlenterata (animals with combined body and stomach cavity).—Radiated Metazoa, with distinct digestive cavity, tentacles and nettling thread-cells. Examples: jellyfish, sea-anemones, coral polyps.

Class XI. Porifera (Lat., porus, pore; fero, to carry).—Sponges, Metazoa, with numerous ingoing openings, one or few outgoing orifices, a skeleton, independent cells. Example: sponges.

Sub-Kingdom PROTOZOA (Gr., protos, first; zoon, animal).—One-celled animals of microscopic size. Simplest forms of animal life. Examples: amœba, bell animalcule (vorticella), euglena.