Zinc, s. A semi-metal of a brilliant white colour, approaching to blue.
Zoology, s. A treatise concerning living creatures.
Zoological Description of the Horse.—The horse belongs to the division vertebrated, because he has a cranium or skull, and a spine or range of vertebræ proceeding from it.
The vertebrated animals, however, are very numerous. They include man, quadrupeds of all kinds, birds, fishes, and many reptiles. We look out then for some subdivision, and a very simple line of distinction is soon presented. Some of these vertebrated animals have mammæ, or teats, with which the females suckle their young. The human female has two, the mare two, the cow four, the bitch ten or twelve, and the sow more than twelve.
This class of vertebrated animals, having mammæ or teats, is called mammalia, and the horse belongs to the division vertebrata, and the class mammalia.
The class mammalia is still exceedingly large, and we must again subdivide it. It is stated (Library of Entertaining Knowledge, vol. i. p. 13) that “this class of quadrupeds, or mammiferous quadrupeds, admits of a division into two Tribes.
“1. Those whose extremities are divided into fingers or toes, scientifically called unguiculata, from the Latin word for nail; and 2, Those whose extremities are hoofed, scientifically called ungulata, from the Latin word for hoof.
“The extremities of the first are armed with claws or nails, which enable them to grasp, to climb, or to burrow. The extremities of the second tribe are employed merely to support and move the body.”
The extremities of the horse are covered with a hoof, by which the body is supported, and with which he cannot grasp any thing, and therefore he belongs to the tribe ungulata, or hoofed.
But there is a great variety of hoofed animals. The elephant, the rhinoceros, the hippopotamus, the swine, the horse, the sheep, the deer, and many others, are ungulated or hoofed; they admit, however, of an easy division. Some of them masticate, or chew their food, and it is immediately received into the stomach and digested; but in others, the food, previous to digestion, undergoes a very singular process. It is returned to the mouth to be re-masticated, or chewed again. These are called ruminantia, or ruminants, from the food being returned, from one of the stomachs (for they have four) called the rumen or paunch, to be chewed again.
The ungulata that do not ruminate are somewhat improperly called pachydermata, from the thickness of their skins. The horse does not ruminate, and therefore belongs to the order pachydermata.
The pachydermata who have only one toe, belong to the family solipeda—single-footed. Therefore the horse ranks under the division vertebrata; the class mammalia—the tribe ungulata—the order pachydermata—and the family solipeda.—The Horse.
Zootomist, s. A dissector of the bodies of beasts.
Zootomy, s. Dissection of the bodies of beasts.