| OCR Text |
Show 1876.] MR. E. R. ALSTON ON THE ORDER GLIRES. 63 GLIRES. I. Rongeurs ordinaires. 1. Sciuridae. 2. Pseudostomidae *. 3. Muridae. 4. Dipodidae. 5. Ctenomydae. 6. Lagostomidae. 7. Hystricidae. 8. Caviadae. II. Rongeurs duplicidentes. 9. Leporidee. In 1855 appeared Professor J. F. Brandt's learned and elaborate review of the cranial structure and classification of recent Rodentsf. On the whole he adopted Mr. Waterhouse's arrangement; but recognizing the fact that his four groups were of more than family value, he raised them to the rank of suborders. He also made several changes in the arrangement of the families and the position of some of the more doubtful forms, and imposed new names on all the divisions, which he arranged in the following order : - GLIRES. I. Sciuromorphi. 1. Sciuroi'des. II. Myomorphi. 2. Myoxoi'des. 3. Castoroi'des. 4. Sciurospalacoi'desi. 5. M y oides. 6. Spalacoi'des. 7. Dipodoi'des. III. Hystricomorphi. 8. Hystricoides. 9. Spalacopodoides§. 10. Eriomyoi'des||. 11. Hemionychoi'des^y. IV. Ijagomorphi. 12. Lagoi'des. Eleven years later Professor Lilljeborg published his admirable systematic review of this order**. Appreciating the great importance of the characters which separate the Leporidee and Lagomyidee from all other rodents, he adopted Gervais's two suborders under the names Glires Simplicidentati and Glires Duplicidentati. In the arrangement of the former he pointed out a well-marked and constant character which separates the Myomorphi of Brandt from both the Sciuromorphi and the Hystricomorphi, namely the complete ankylosis in the former of the lower part of the tibia and fibula. Although Professor Lilljeborg does not retain these divisions in his tabular arrangements, he observes that the Myomorphi include the * Saccomyina, Waterhouse. t J. P. Brandt, " Untersuchungen iiber die craniologischen Entwicklungs-stufen . . . und Classification der Nager der Jetzwelt," Mem. de l'Acad. Imp. de St. Petersbourg, 6me serie (Sciences Naturelles), vii. pp. 127-336, 12 pis. (1855). \ Containing Geomys and Thomomys. § Equal to Echimyina and Octodontina of Waterhouse. || Chinchillina, Waterh. \ Equal to Dasyproctina and Caviina, Waterh. ** Systematisk CEfversigt af de Grnagande Daggdjuren, Glires. 4to. Upsala, 1866. |
