xxvn. 4 THE CATS 681 



of the group, the cats (Fig. 447). The head is large, with long ears, 

 long whiskers, and nose with many turbinals. The brain is large, the 

 cerebral hemispheres overlap the cerebellum; the olfactory centres are 

 large. As is usual with carnivores, behaviour is complicated; in order 

 to continue pursuit of prey that cannot be seen, or perhaps even 

 smelt, the animals learn to associate the presence of food with obscure 

 clues such as footmarks, and to make use of these clues they must lie in 



Fig. 447. Skeleton of the cat (Felis). 



wait for the prey. All of this involves an elaborate balance of internal 

 motivation with activity and restraint. This power of 'abstraction' of 

 ultimate satisfaction from the immediate situation may perhaps be 

 associated with the familiar play of the kitten or the less edifying 

 treatment of a captured mouse by an adult cat. 



Social or family groups are commonly well marked in carnivores and 

 there are usually characteristic odours for recognition, often associated 

 with large anal glands, especially well known as producers of civet and 

 the 'poison' of the skunks. The back of the head is enlarged to take 

 the brain and there is a well-developed snout for the nose, but the face 

 is nevertheless short, and it is characteristic of the specialized carni- 

 vores that the tooth-row is shortened, developed especially at the 

 front end, producing the incisors for piercing, canines for tearing, 

 and premolars and anterior molars for cutting. In contrast to the 

 ungulate type of dentition the hinder molars, not being needed for 

 grinding, are reduced. In the cats, as in all modern carnivores except 



