IN THE LOWER ANIMALS, ETC. 237 



The hyena furnishes an admirable example of 

 peculiar adaptation. 



In this genus the canines are much smaller than 

 in the Felidas, while the molars are- exactly 

 designed for grinding and crushing bones; the 

 base of each crown being furnished with a power- 

 ful ridge, which serves to protect the gum from 

 being injured by the splinters and angular frag- 

 ments. The tiger or lion pounces on living prey, 

 9,nd rapidly cuts away and devours the softer and 

 more nutritious parts, leaving the bones and less 

 tempting portions ; whereas the hyena is a sca- 

 venger that watches for the rejected carcasses, and 

 no animal substance is too repulsive for these 

 creatures. 



The whole cranial structure appears formed for 

 bringing into the most available action a most 

 powerful natural instrument for breaking the 

 hardest bones into shivers. Dr. Buckland has 

 well compared this action to that of a miner's 

 crushing-mill. 



The lion will gnaw the cartilage from a bone, 

 and strip off the periosteum with his hook-covered 

 tongue, but the hyena will snap asunder and 

 swallow bones in large fragments. 



As bone forms so large a constituent of their 

 food, the faeces of the hyena are composed princi- 

 pally of phosphate and carbonate of lime, and that 

 eminent geologist, the late Dr. Buckland, success- 

 fully availed himself of this fact, to explain the cause 



