34 ELEMENTS OF MAMMALIAN ANATOMY. 



face. The sudoriparous or sweat glands, composed of 

 coiled tubes, are present in the subcutaneous tissue, from 

 whence a duct extends to the surface. Although there 

 are no blood-vessels in the epidermis, numerous nerve 

 terminations are present in the deeper portions. The 

 true skin is richly supplied with both nerves and blood- 

 vessels. 



The claws produced by a special modification of the 

 epidermis are among the most important appendages of 

 the skin. Five of these are present on each forefoot, 

 while only four occur on the hind one. At the root of 

 each claw, the dermis forms a crescentic fold over it, and 

 beneath is a number of papillae richly supplied with 

 blood-vessels. This entire structure forms the matrix of 

 the claw, which is set around the terminal part of the 

 distal phalanx of each digit. Claws, or some similar 

 structures, such as nails or hoofs, are present in all 

 mammals except the Cetacea. 



Another important appendage of the skin is the hair, 

 which covers the entire body except the tip of the nose 

 and the pads of the feet. Its length and color vary 

 with the variety of the cat. The Mombus cat of Africa 

 has short stiff hair, while the Angora or Persian cat is 

 remarkable for the length and delicacy of its soft fur. 

 The hair, like the nails, is an extreme modification of 

 the epidermis. Bach hair grows from a papilla at the 

 bottom of a small sac, the follicle, which is a depression 

 in the corium. The central part of the hair is the pith, 

 and the external portion, formed of thin overlapping 

 scales, the cuticle. The coloring-matter lies in the super- 

 ficial scales, and may be disposed in such an irregular 

 manner that one-half of a hair is white, and the other 

 half yellow. 



The large hairs on either side of the nose are known 



