ae THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 
ruminants, which are the most abundant herbivores of to-day, 
seldom molesting the short-necked, thick-skinned pachyderms 
such as the rhinoceros and the elephant. The Sabre - Tooth 
appears to have used his great canine fangs in a quite different 
method of attack; the whole structure of the animal indicates 
that he struck them forcibly into the side of his prey, the mouth 
gaping wide meanwhile, and then presumably withdrew them 
with a ripping, tearing stroke, leaving a great gash whereby a 
FIG. 20. THE HEAD OF SMILODON. OUTLINE RESTORATION 
To show the widely gaping jaw. By Chas. R. Knight 
large animal would soon bleed to death. By this method he 
would be peculiarly fitted to attack the great pachyderms, with 
which his exceptional muscular strength especially fitted him to 
cope while his lack of speed and agility would render him much 
less dangerous to the swift-footed ruminants and horses of the 
time. We may infer therefore that, while the true Cats were 
evolved to prey upon the larger swift running quadrupeds and 
developed speed and agility to catch their prey, the Sabre-Tooth 
was evolved to prey upon the powerful and massive contingent 
of the Herbivora, and developed enormous muscular strength 
and peculiar weapons of attack to cope with these animals. 
The true Cats are not common as fossils, and our collections 
